Dr. Michael Döllinger, Professor, University Hospital Erlangen, Medical School, Department of Phonetics and Pediatric Audiology, Erlangen, Germany, is scheduled to give the talk title, "Voice Research: An interdisciplinary scientific playground" on Wednesday February 15th from 5-5.40. CTW 405 is reserved for the talk.

Abstract:
Voice is generated in the larynx by the two oscillating vocal folds (100 – 400 Hz). Voice is the pre-condition for verbal communication. Without the possibility of producing a voice signal, speech production is impossible. However, voice research is a small scientific field, although the economic impact of communication disorders is immense. It is estimated, that the losses within the Gross National Product of the USA is being up to $186 Billions annually. Basically, voice research is split up into two main fields:

1. Clinical application: Voice can be judges by the acoustic emitted signal as well as the direct image signal of the oscillating vocal folds. Approaches are investigated allowing for an objective and quantitative estimation of voice quality. The goal is to receive an objective therapy evaluation as well as a diagnostic support.
2. Basic research: The physiology of voice production and its interactions with the vocal tract is a complex mechanism. There are still many interactions to be explored. Hence, the spread of scientific approaches is quite broad. There are numerical models (i.e. 2D-FEM or 3D-FVM models), synthetic models (i.e. silicon vocal folds in an air channel), as well as in vitro (i.e. excised larynges) or in vivo models (e.g. canines) to be studied.

The talk will give an overview of existing scientific studies, demonstrating the highly interdisciplinary character of today’s voice research.