Studying fish audiology and analyzing the effects of plants on human cardiovascular systems are two topics Dr. Matthew Weeg feels passionate about. Committed to undergraduate education excellence, Dr. Weeg is a Southern Utah University associate professor of biology and director of the Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning, who enjoys spending time in the classroom teaching students.
Originally from Pocatello, Idaho, Dr. Weeg’s course lineup includes general biology, physiology, pathophysiology, neurobiology, and animal behavior. In addition to classroom teaching, he mentors student field research projects, providing experiential learning opportunities to students. Projects have included an investigation into the link between fire retardant and Parkinson’s disease, testing effectiveness of fish oil in treating asthma, and examining effects of plant compounds on cardiovascular physiology.
Dr. Weeg is actively involved in faculty development at SUU and serves as associate director for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. He earned his bachelor of science degree in biology at University of Idaho, and a Ph.D. in neurobiology and behavior at Cornell University. Previously, he taught at Colorado State University, Michigan Tech University, and Penn State Altoona.
Spotlight
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2 min
Technology Brings Students & Faculty Together During COVID
As COVID-19 brought closures around the world, many educational institutions sought out new ways to educate and connect with students. As Southern Utah University prepared for the fall 2020 semester, technology updates were made to all classroom spaces to ensure faculty were able to reach students, whether or not they were physically present in the classroom.
Funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, SUU installed cameras in every teaching space on campus. Unlike a traditional webcam, these cameras provide greater control to the faculty members, allowing them to switch angles or zoom in and out on the board, so remote students can see more of what is happening in the classroom. While the in-person classroom experience cannot be completely replicated through the use of technology, the updates come as close as possible to that experience during this time.
As we move forward with many unknowns, Matthew Weeg, director of the Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning at SUU, recommends three things for faculty teaching next spring.
“Be flexible. We don't know when the next curveball will be thrown our way, and building some flexibility into our classes helps absorb the bumps along the way,” said Dr. Weeg. “Second, focus on building community in the classroom. Our students need that more than ever right now, especially those participating remotely. Learning is a social endeavor, and students who feel disconnected from their professors and classmates will have a difficult time staying engaged. Finally, be compassionate. Our students are dealing with a lot right now, and a little compassion and understanding goes a long way. I would also encourage faculty to be compassionate towards themselves as well.”
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2 min
Yanny vs. Laurel - Auditory Perception
Once again the internet is divided, it’s Yanny vs. Laurel and people just can’t decide.
Dr. Matt Weeg, Associate Professor of Biology and Director of the Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning at Southern Utah University, has three explanations on why people hear different names:
First, Dr. Weeg explains that sounds are made up of different frequencies, in the Yanny vs. Laurel audio, Laurel contains more low frequencies and Yanny contains more highs.
“People are more likely to hear Laurel if they are tuned into low frequencies and Yanny if they are listening to the highs. This is also influenced by the speakers being used and the age of the listener. People get worse at hearing high frequencies as they get older. It would be interesting to see if older people are more likely to hear Laurel.”
Second, the audio file is not very "clean,” there is distortion in the frequency content that we use to decide which words are being said.
“I imagine the high frequency content that causes the perception of Yanny is exaggerated in the audio file compared to the original source. The distortion makes things ambiguous, and when there is ambiguity in sensory input, our brains compensate by filling in the missing information with what we might expect based on our previous experience."
“Individual's experiences are different, so each individual's brain does this a bit differently, leading to the production of different sensory perceptions. If a person's brain fills in the ambiguous information one way, they will hear Laurel. If it fills in the ambiguity differently, they will hear Yanny.”
Dr. Weeg also notes that the brain is very good at focusing on certain stimuli and ignoring others.
“In the auditory system, this is referred to as the ‘cocktail effect,’ so named because of our ability to selectively focus on a single conversation in a room full of people. I notice that when I start the audio, I can hear both Laurel and Yanny. But when I focus on one or the other, then that is all I hear. I can force myself to switch back and forth if I concentrate, but it is difficult. I'm guessing that once the brain decides on whether it is hearing Yanny or Laurel, the cocktail effect takes hold and focuses attention on that word. This also then builds an expectation, making it even more likely that the brain will decide that it is hearing the same thing it just heard.
Dr. Weeg is familiar with the media and available for an interview. Simply visit his profile.
Source:
Social
Media
Industry Expertise
Education/Learning
Renewables and Environmental
Research
Areas of Expertise
Animal Behavior
Audition
Biology
Brain Behavior
Cardiovascular Physiology
Cognitive Neuroscience
Communication & Behaviour
Effects of Plants on Cardiovascular System
Fish Audiology
Human Pathophysiology
Human Physiology
Lateral Line
Neuroethology
Neuroscience
Pathophysiology
Physiology
Vertebrate Physiology
Education
University of Idaho
B.S.
Biology
Cornell University
Ph.D.
Neurobiology and Behavior
Accomplishments
SUU Influencer Award
Recognized for his dedicated persistence in working with undergraduates on research.
The study marks the first time that scientists have found a direct line of communication between the part of a vertebrate's brain that controls the vocal muscle system and the part of the ear that hears sound. The researchers believe that understanding the auditory system of the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus ) -- a 6- to 10-inch fish found along the coastline from Alaska to California -- will offer insights into how other vertebrates -- including humans -- hear.
Enhancing biodiversity, water conservation, and urban agriculture through green roof infrastructure
National Science Foundation
2015
Travel funds to attend the American Physiological Society Intersociety Meeting
Southern Utah University
2014
The neural basis of aggression in Siamese fighting fish
Southern Utah University
2013
Identification of amphibian species most at risk from climate change
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
2010
Show All +
Articles
A Reliable, Non-Invasive Technique for Measuring Growth in Tadpoles Exposed to Salt
Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology
Matthew S. Weeg, Jacqualine B. Grant
The use of chemical de-icers raises salt levels in roadside streams and ponds, which has adverse effects on tadpole development. Experiments on the effects of de-icers on tadpole development are often hampered by difficulties measuring body size without introducing handling stress that may skew results or cause unintended mortality. We have found a linear relationship between surface area and body mass in tadpoles that is unaffected by exposure to salt. Measuring surface area is therefore a suitable technique whose use should be encouraged when investigating the effects of salt exposure on tadpole growth and development.
The Effect of Umbellularia californica Essential Oil on Blood Vessel Diameter in Frogs
American Journal of Undergraduate Research
Holden M. Wagstaff, Stephan R. Maman, Mary Jo Tufte, & Matthew S. Weeg
Plant essential oils contain many chemicals that are physiologically active in vertebrates. Terpenoids, which represent the largest category of these compounds, have been shown to lower blood pressure by reducing cardiac output and causing vasodilation. Most studies on the vasoactivity of terpenoids have been done on aortic rings and mesenteric artery preparations, and little is known about their effects on microvasculature.
The Effects of Salt on Anti-Predator Escape Behaviors and Size in Green Frog Tadpoles
95th ESA Annual Meeeting
George A. Samra, Matthew S. Weeg, and Jacqualine B. Grant
2010-11-05
In many regions of the US, salts are used to clear roads of snow and ice in winter. These salts contaminate runoff and significantly increase the salinity of roadside ponds, which can have both direct and indirect effects on tadpole mortality. Toxicology studies have shown that sufficiently high salt concentrations are lethal to tadpoles, thus directly contributing to tadpole mortality. Less is known about how sub-lethal salt concentrations may affect tadpole behavior and thus contribute indirectly to mortality. Tadpoles exhibit a characteristic anti-predator escape behavior that consists of turning the head and swimming in the opposite direction from a predator, thus increasing the chances of surviving a predation attempt. The escape response is mediated by the lateral line, a sensory system that detects water movement.
Vocal Pathways Modulate Efferent Neurons to the Inner Ear and Lateral Line
The Journal of Neuroscience
Matthew S. Weeg, Bruce R. Land and Andrew H. Bass
2005-06-05
All sonic vertebrates face the problem of sound production interfering with their ability to detect and process external acoustic signals, including conspecific vocalizations. Direct efferent inputs to the inner ear of all vertebrates, and the lateral line system of some aquatic vertebrates, represent a potential mechanism to adjust peripheral sensitivity during sound production. We recorded from single efferent neurons that innervate the inner ear and lateral line in a sound-producing teleost fish while evoking fictive vocalizations predictive of the temporal features of natural vocalizations.
Frequency Response Properties of Lateral Line Superficial Neuromasts in a Vocal Fish, with Evidence for Acoustic Sensitivity
Journal of Neurophysiology
Matthew S Weeg , Andrew H Bass
2002-09-01
The mechanosensory lateral line of fish is a hair cell based sensory system that detects water motion using canal and superficial neuromasts. The trunk lateral line of the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, only has superficial neuromasts. The posterior lateral line nerve (PLLn) therefore innervates trunk superficial neuromasts exclusively and provides the opportunity to investigate the physiological responses of these receptors without the confounding influence of canal organs. We recorded single-unit activity from PLLn primary afferents in response to a vibrating sphere stimulus calibrated to produce an equal velocity across frequencies. Threshold tuning, isovelocity, and input/output curves were constructed using spike rate and vector strength, a measure of phase locking of spike times to the stimulus waveform.
Central Lateral Line Pathways in a Vocalizing Fish
National Library of Medicine
Matthew S. Weeg, A H Bass
The organization of the central lateral line pathways in the midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, was identified following biotin injections into physiologically identified sites in the lateral line-recipient nucleus ventrolateralis in the midbrain. Retrogradely filled neurons are located primarily in nucleus medialis, the principal termination site of lateral line nerve afferents in the medulla, whereas terminal fields are mainly identified in isthmal (nucleus praeeminentialis) and diencephalic (posterior thalamic) nuclei. Compared to other teleosts, nucleus medialis has a distinctive cytoarchitecture in that most of its somata are confined to a dense cell plate adjacent to the fourth ventricle.
Directionality and Frequency Tuning of Primary Saccular Afferents of a Vocal Fish, the Plainfin Midshipman (Porichthys notatus)
Journal of Comparative Physiology A volume
M. Weeg, R. Fay, A. Bass
While particle motion is thought to directly stimulate the inner ear of most fish species, it is difficult to measure and might not be predictable from pressure measurements in a small tank. It is therefore important to replicate experiments conducted relative to pressure measurements using stimuli of known particle motion, to ensure that unmeasured components of the stimulus field do not produce misleading frequency response profiles.
A Reliable, Non-Invasive Technique for Measuring Growth in Tadpoles Exposed to Salt
Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology
Matthew S. Weeg, Jacqualine B. Grant
The use of chemical de-icers raises salt levels in roadside streams and ponds, which has adverse effects on tadpole development. Experiments on the effects of de-icers on tadpole development are often hampered by difficulties measuring body size without introducing handling stress that may skew results or cause unintended mortality. We have found a linear relationship between surface area and body mass in tadpoles that is unaffected by exposure to salt. Measuring surface area is therefore a suitable technique whose use should be encouraged when investigating the effects of salt exposure on tadpole growth and development.
It provides a basic foundation in the areas of biochemistry, organization and function of cells as well as the transmission of genetic information.
BIOL 1615 General Biology Lab I
Lab to accompany BIOL 1610.
BIOL 2170 Intro Human Pathophysiology
Introduction to Pathophysiology for the health sciences student. Using a systematic approach to cellular and then organ system changes, students will gain an understanding of physical changes, methods of evaluating, diagnosing and treating health alterations.
BIOL 2420 Human Physiology
Systematic study of the functions of the human body from the cellular to the systems.
BIOL 2425 Human Physiology Lab
Lab to accompany BIOL 2420.
BIOL 3270 Vertebrate Physiology
Study of mechanisms of function of major organ systems in the vertebrate body, especially the human, with emphasis on the cellular and molecular level.
BIOL 3275 Vertebrate Physiology Lab
Lab to accompany BIOL 3270.
BIOL 4400 Neurobiology
An introduction to the structure and function of the nervous system. Topics will include cellular neurobiology, how organisms sense and respond to environmental stimuli, and cognitive neuroscience.
BIOL 4410 Animal Behavior
Study of adaptive value of animal behavior and behavioral diversity, including foraging, territoriality, communication, mating systems, sexual selection and social behavior, with emphasis on evolutionary and ecological interpretations.
BIOL 4830 Individual Study
Individual study of topics in biology arranged by contract with an appropriate faculty supervisor.
BIOL 4840 Cooperative Education
Observation and activities in professional practice situations on or off campus arranged by contract with an appropriate faculty supervisor.
BIOL 4850 Undergraduate Research
Original lab or field research in biology arranged by contract with an appropriate faculty supervisor.
BIOL 4890 Internship
An off-campus experience with an employer, agency, or organization that will provide hands-on experiences. Internships must be initiated by a contract between the student, the provider, and the faculty advisor.
