Winter Storm Daily Digest - 01.08.2013

Highlights from Tuesday:
From Dustin Chacon: "The Language Analysis workshop discussed applications of field methodology to other domains of language science, and how other fields of language science can contribute to traditional fieldwork. We discussed basic properties of Zazaki Kurdish, and the participants split into groups and chose topics to prepare elicitations on. Elicitations begin on the next meeting." The Language Analysis workshop will meet again Thursday morning, from 10-12pm.

Events for Wednesday: 1/9/13
1. Python There will be an extra help session 9:30-10am to answer any questions on the first python session, the homework, or initial questions on materials for day
2. Yakov Kronrod will be available during this time in the regular room, MMH 1304. Then at 10, Jiarong Jiang provides more practice with if-statements, for loops, file/string operations, and introduces a new data structure: the dictionary. Please bring your laptop to all Python sessions! The Monday Python Session 2.
Lunch Talk: Matt Goupell, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences Cochlear implants (CIs) are the most successful sensory prostheses in that it can restore speech understanding to near perfect levels in quiet in some users. However, not all CI users perform at high levels.

One tool to understand the CI subject variability stemming from using degraded speech signals is to perform the processing that would occur in a CI, and then present that information acoustically to people with typical hearing via a “channel vocoder.” This talk will review how CI processing and the channel vocoder works (with an emphasis to be palatable to non-engineers). Then we will discuss two types of vocoder research: (1) the impact of spectral shifting and warping on vocoded speech understanding and (2) adaptation and training effects for vocoded speech understanding. The room we are using for the lunch talks, SKN0200, normally prohibits food, so please be respectful of the space and clean up thoroughly!
3. Special Interest Groups (SIG) Research planning groups meet for the second time. Please come prepared! Check the website for individual SIG pages, which contain group agendas and member contact information.
4. Python Help Peter Enns offers additional instruction and assistance in Python.
All photos by Csilla Kajtar. Please refer to the website for precise scheduling and location information. If there is any information you would like included in a future Winter Storm daily digest, please forward this information to the WS Committee (igert-winterstorm@umd.edu). Thank you for your participation! The Winter Storm Committee