Listen Up UW

Listen Up UW is the UW Madison Doctor of Audiology program’s community outreach on healthy hearing practices in Wisconsin and beyond! Our volunteers have made it their mission to teach others how to protect their hearing while they have fun at loud events. They hand out earplugs at concerts, auto races, and tractor pulls. Volunteers also talk with people of all ages at health fairs, meetings, and science fairs.

Listen Up UW has handed out over 15,000 pairs of earplugs in recent years. That equates to 30,000 ears protected from damage!

Follow Listen Up UW on Facebook and Instagram to get healthy hearing tips and see the outreach in action.

It’s a noisy world. Protect your hearing!

More information and media coverage on this special initiative.

Listen Up UW logo

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Are you interested in having Listen Up UW outreach to your event or organization? Submit an outreach request. We will review all submissions and determine whether the outreach is possible based on availability of volunteers and resources.

Outreach Requests

Listen Up UW Around the Community!

Au.D. graduate student clinicians take impressions of music venue employees for custom musician’s hearing protection.
Au.D. graduate student clinicians take impressions of music venue employees for custom musician’s hearing protection.
Au.D. student volunteers hand out earplugs to local concert goers.
Au.D. student volunteers hand out earplugs to local concert goers.
Graduate student clinicians hand out earplugs at an outdoor concert. The earplugs have custom labels that highlight the importance of hearing protection at concerts.
Graduate student clinicians hand out earplugs at an outdoor concert. The earplugs have custom labels that highlight the importance of hearing protection at concerts.
An AuD student hands out earplugs to a group at a noisy tractor pull. Sound levels at this tractor pull exceed 125 decibels!
An AuD student hands out earplugs to a group at a noisy tractor pull. Sound levels at this tractor pull exceed 125 decibels!
Audiology graduate students explain the importance of using hearing protection in noise to children at a science festival.
Audiology graduate students explain the importance of using hearing protection in noise to children at a science festival.
Graduate student clinicians at a loud outdoor motorsport event, where they give out earplugs and talk about the importance of safe listening practices.
Graduate student clinicians at a loud outdoor motorsport event, where they give out earplugs and talk about the importance of safe listening practices.

For more information and to enjoy some of the media attention given to this special initiative, check out:

UW Madison Campus Media

This initiative has been featured in several campus and alumni publications, including a video feature on Big Ten Network.

Non-custom hearing protection that is commonly used in noisy occupational settings.

State & National Publications

The UW Audiology tractor pull outreach has received media attention from state and nation-wide publications.

Seminars & Presentations

Clinical faculty and students from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders travel throughout the community to raise awareness.

Audiology Journals

By extending hearing healthcare beyond the walls of the traditional audiology clinic, an audiology outreach program demonstrates genuine professional care about the well-being of individuals throughout the state.