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IAP 2003 Activity


Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Lecture Series
Speech & Hearing Bioscience and Technology PhD Students
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)

Have you ever wondered how your ears detect sounds? Or how your brain processes language and other auditory stimuli? This introductory lecture series addresses these and other questions related to the science of human communication. All are welcome. See below for details of individual lectures.
Contact: Laura Redi, (617) 253-5957, redi@mit.edu
Sponsor: Health Sciences & Technology

Your ears are Beautiful! (The Extraordinary Performance of the Inner Ear)
Tony Miller
Your inner ear has evolved amazing signal processing capabilities. We will talk about how cells in your ear work to detect motions smaller than the diameter of a hydrogen atom.
Mon Jan 6, 11am-12:00pm, E25-111

The Talking Ear (Otoacoustic Emissions: A Window into the Inner Ear)
Radha Kalluri
This lecture will explore the myriad of information we can learn from the sounds "made" by the ear. The discussion will assume no preliminary knowledge of the ear and its functions.
Wed Jan 8, 11am-12:00pm, E25-111

Basic Structure and Functioning of the Auditory System
Leonardo cedolin
This lecture covers the mechanisms by which sounds are converted by the auditory system into neural spike-trains. Topics include the anatomy and mechanics of the peripheral auditory system, the functioning of outer and middle ear, hair cell transduction, and generation of spikes in auditory-nerve fibers.
Fri Jan 10, 11am-12:00pm, E25-111

The Mammalian Cochlear Efferent System
Keith Darrow
"Efferent" neurons act as a feedback loop to bring information from the brainstem back into the cochlea. We will discuss anatomical, physiological and functional effects of efferent systems, including signal-to-noise enhancement and protection from high-level traumatic sounds.
Mon Jan 13, 11am-12:00pm, E25-111

After the Tone (or, Auditory Strategies for Encoding and Analyzing Pitch)
Nick Malyska
This lecture explores pitch perception in the human auditory system by following sound from its reception in the inner ear to its interpretation in the brain and the 'tools' we use to meet challenges of pitch perception.
Wed Jan 15, 11am-12:00pm, E25-111

Deafness: A Thing of the Past? (Physiology & Engineering Merge to End Deafness)
Ray Goldsworthy
Can implants cure deafness by directly stimulating the brain? Without question, yes! We will discuss implant history from early experiments to the most recent surgical advances. The lecturer is an implant user and an electrical engineer developing signal processing strategies to reduce noise.
Fri Jan 17, 11am-12:00pm, E25-111

From Coke Bottles to Buzzers: Modeling the Processes of Speech Production
Laura Redi
The acoustics of human speech can be understood in terms of simple systems, such as resonant cavities and periodic sources. This lecture will cover the basic physics of speech with the aid of some bells and whistles.
Wed Jan 22, 11am-12:00pm, E25-111

The Sounds We Make
Steven Lulich
Many different processes modify the way we say things, often without our being aware of it! We will explore the fundamentals of phonology and phonetics, and how they interact to give us our spoken language.
Fri Jan 24, 11am-12:00pm, E25-111

Vocal Communication in Marine Mammals
Ryuji Suzuki
Many species of whales and dolphins make and hear sounds to communicate or to "see" their world. We will sample behavioral studies of a few species to appreciate diverse roles of "voice" in an aquatic environment.
Mon Jan 27, 11am-12:00pm, E25-111

Decoding the Speech Signal
Ariel Salomon
How do humans perceive speech? This question will be addressed by examining the results of classic studies on speech perception up through present-day, unsolved problems in speech research.
Wed Jan 29, 11am-12:00pm, E25-111

Anatomy of Vocal and Hearing Organs of Marine Mammals
Ryuji Suzuki
Marine mammals have developed distinct vocal and auditory systems. Comparative anatomical studies of marine & terrestrial species suggest how they might have solved their unique communication problems.
Fri Jan 31, 11am-12:00pm, E35-111
Latest update: 04-Nov-2002


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