Major: Individualized: Neuroscience of Language; English
Project title: Automating CIU-Based Discourse Analysis for Aphasia
Committee: Dr. Jennifer Mozeiko; Dr. Penelope Pelizzon; Dr. Emily Myers

Project Summary: Ryan Krishna’s University Scholar Project develops a clinician-friendly tool to automate discourse analysis in aphasia. Measures such as Correct Information Units (CIUs) quantify how informative and efficient connected speech is, but current workflows remain manual and time-intensive. Using Python and Natural Language Processing methods, his project will implement validated CIU scoring rules adapted for conversation, detect aphasia-specific phenomena (e.g., paraphasias, neologisms, false starts), and output an annotated transcript plus a variety of distinct summary metrics. Performance will be validated against high-reliability human coding, tested on external datasets, then packaged in a simple interface for clinical use.

Ryan Krishna is a junior honors dual-degree student. Ryan serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Long River Review, and he works and volunteers in an aphasia lab. After Graduation, Ryan hopes to pursue a career in medicine, combining his passion for language and patient care to make a meaningful impact.