BOSTON AUDIO SOCIETY

Date: Sunday, June 15, 2014, 3:00 PM -NOTE TIME & LOCATION CHANGE--

Place: Microsoft NERD Center, 1 Memorial Dr., Cambridge, MA 02142, Abigail Adams and Crispus Attucks Rooms, 1st Floor (access via lobby elevator)

Guest: Dr. Alicia M. Quesnel, MA Eye and Ear and Michael Ravicz

Topic: The Hearing Mechanism, How It Works

Dr. Quesnel from Massachusetts Eye and Ear will make a presentation on our hearing mechanism. When sound reaches the ear, it is transformed to electrical signals, which are extensively processed by hearing centers of the brain. This processing determines what we hear. While we, members of the BAS, are informed about sound, as airborne musical waves, we are starting from a very limited knowledge of what happens once it is captured at the ear. This presentation will describe how hearing works; topics such as the neural representations of perceived loudness, pitch, repetition rate, and the segregation of our auditory environment into distinct objects or streams.

Dr. Quesnel will be accompanied by her co-speaker Michael Ravicz. His basic research focuses on the ear's transfer function: the velocity and sound pressure near the tympanic membrane to the middle ear; it's power transmission efficiency; and the ratio of sound power entering the cochlea and middle ear. The presentation will include some discussion of the surgical management of hearing loss.

Alicia M. Quesnel, M.D. practices at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, teaches at the Harvard Medical School, pursues research and publishes in her field. Her specialty is Otology and Neurotology and her clinical interests include the acoustic physiology of the inner ear, Cochlear implants, and repair of tympanic membrane.

In the lobby, you will be asked to present a government issued photo ID (example, driver's license), otherwise admittance will be denied. You will also be required to sign a waiver in order to gain access to the NERD space.

Refreshments will be available at 2:30PM