More than a little hot air: engineering models of human speech

Photo of Mr. Raymond Greiss

Mr. Raymond Greiss

MASc Candidate, Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University

March 27, 2015 12:00 - 13:00

Tory Building Room 202, Carleton University

 

 

abstract

An individual's voice is of profound importance in many aspects of human life, including speech (phonation), music, or as a general indicator of health, and its loss has tremendous psychological impact. Voice quality may be degraded and eventually lost through the formation of pathological tissue, such as polyps or nodules, or unintentional consequences of surgical intervention. Consequently, it is crucial to understand the underlying physics of phonation to improve treatment of voice disorders. Numerical and experimental models of human phonation offer a safe avenue to explore the efficacy of these treatments, particularly in the preliminary stages of their development. We will discuss the pertinent physics of phonation which these models seek to capture, and several models of normal and pathological phonation will be presented.

biography

Raymond Greiss is a master's candidate at Carleton University in the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, working towards a thesis concerned with numerical modeling of fluid-structure-acoustic interactions in the larynx for the purpose of studying phonation.

Last updated March 17, 2015