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Objective Speech production MRI benefits from lower magnetic fields due to reduced off-resonance effects at air-tissue interfaces and from the use of dedicated receiver coils due to higher SNR and parallel imaging capability. Here we present a custom designed upper airway coil for 1H imaging at 0.55 Tesla and evaluate its performance in comparison with a vendor-provided prototype 16-channel head/neck coil. Materials and methods Four adult volunteers were scanned with both custom speech and prototype head–neck coils. We evaluated SNR gains of each of the coils over eleven upper airway volumes-of-interest measured relative to the integrated body coil. We evaluated parallel imaging performance of both coils by computing g-factors for SENSE reconstruction of uniform and variable density Cartesian sampling schemes with R = 2, 3, and 4. Results The dedicated coil shows approximately 3.5-fold SNR efficiency compared to the head–neck coil. For R = 2 and 3, both uniform and variable density samplings have g-factor values below 1.1 in the upper airway region. For R = 4, g-factor values are higher for both trajectories. Discussion The dedicated coil configuration allows for a significant SNR gain over the head–neck coil in the articulators. This, along with favorable g values, makes the coil useful in speech production MRI. 

Sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) in STEM is a well-documented problem, particularly in academic and fieldwork settings (NASEM, 2018; Kelly and Yarincik, 2021; Ackerman et al., 2023). Historically marginalized groups in STEM (i.e., white women; Black, Indigenous, and other people of color; LGBTQ+ individuals) are particularly vulnerable to SASH due to underrepresentation and persistent, long-standing cultural norms shaped by dominant male and white identities. For individuals who hold multiple marginalized identities, the risks and impacts are compounded (Cech, 2022). SASH results in negative impacts to individual mental health and physical safety, productivity, and employee retention, and represents a barrier to entry, retention, advancement, and success of a diverse STEM workforce. To address this, culture change within STEM, the process of shifting organizational norms to promote improved employee wellness, inclusion, and productivity, is needed.