Jacqueline D. Brisbane
Glencliff High School
Chemistry, Physical Science

Dr. Richard Shiavi, Dr. Ronald Saloman, and Dr. D. Mitch Wilkes -

This summer, I had the privilege to work on a project which entailed utilizing  acoustic properties of speech to recognize depressive illness and assess suicidal potential in patients.  Multivariate techniques derived from Goldware and MATLAB softwares were investigated to compare acoustic properties of speech collected from three distinct populations: normal, depressed, and suicidal individuals. Changes in frequency and formant appearances were determined to be indicative of depression and suicidality.

 

 During the academic year, I plan to use my research experience to teach my students:

• Properties and behavior of waves

• The different categories of waves (longitudinal vs. transverse and mechanical vs. electromagnetic)

• Wave interactions (reflection, diffraction, refraction, and interference).

• Calculations of wavelength, wave speed, and frequency.

 

The student will design and build a model of the human ear using a microphone.  The model will be used to help show that the ear works similar to the way a microphone works, where sound vibrates a diaphragm, which causes electrical signals to travel through a wire to a circuit card for processing. The model will also be used to evaluate various recordings of normal, depressed, and suicidal patients.   The student will then be trained how to use MATLAB to assess the recordings frequency, amplitude, and formants to determine the mental state of the person.