Manfred R. Schroeder
Encyclopedia
Manfred Robert Schröder (12 July 1926 – 28 December 2009) was a German physicist, most known for his contributions to acoustics
and computer graphics
. He wrote three books and published over 150 articles in his field.
Born in Ahlen
, he studied at the University of Göttingen (1947-52), earning a vordiplom in mathematics
(1951) and Dr. rer. nat. (1954) in physics
. His thesis showed how small regular cavities in concert halls cause unfortunate resonances.
He joined the technical staff at Bell Labs
in New Jersey
(1954-) researching speech and graphics, securing forty-five patents. With Bishnu Atal he was a promotor of linear predictive coding
(1967). Still affiliated with Bell, he rejoined University of Göttingen as Universitätsprofessor Physik (1969) becoming professor emeritus (1991).
With Joseph Hall he developed code excited linear prediction
(1972). He led a famed study of 22 concert halls worldwide, leading to a comparison method requiring no travel. He was visiting professor at University of Tokyo
(1979).
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
and computer graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
. He wrote three books and published over 150 articles in his field.
Born in Ahlen
Ahlen
Ahlen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the District of Warendorf and is economically the most important town in that district. Ahlen is part of the larger Münster region, and of the historic Münsterland area....
, he studied at the University of Göttingen (1947-52), earning a vordiplom in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
(1951) and Dr. rer. nat. (1954) in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. His thesis showed how small regular cavities in concert halls cause unfortunate resonances.
He joined the technical staff at Bell Labs
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
(1954-) researching speech and graphics, securing forty-five patents. With Bishnu Atal he was a promotor of linear predictive coding
Linear predictive coding
Linear predictive coding is a tool used mostly in audio signal processing and speech processing for representing the spectral envelope of a digital signal of speech in compressed form, using the information of a linear predictive model...
(1967). Still affiliated with Bell, he rejoined University of Göttingen as Universitätsprofessor Physik (1969) becoming professor emeritus (1991).
With Joseph Hall he developed code excited linear prediction
Code Excited Linear Prediction
Code-excited linear prediction is a speech coding algorithm originally proposed by M.R. Schroeder and B.S. Atal in 1985. At the time, it provided significantly better quality than existing low bit-rate algorithms, such as residual-excited linear prediction and linear predictive coding vocoders...
(1972). He led a famed study of 22 concert halls worldwide, leading to a comparison method requiring no travel. He was visiting professor at University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
(1979).
Books
- Number TheoryNumber theoryNumber theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
in Science and Communication: With Applications in Cryptography, Physics, Biology, Digital Information, and Computing (Springer-Verlag, 1983). - Fractals, ChaosChaos theoryChaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including physics, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the...
, Power LawPower lawA power law is a special kind of mathematical relationship between two quantities. When the frequency of an event varies as a power of some attribute of that event , the frequency is said to follow a power law. For instance, the number of cities having a certain population size is found to vary...
s: Minutes from an Infinite Paradise (FreemanW. H. Freeman-History:The company was founded in 1946 by William H. Freeman. He had been a salesman and editor at Macmillan Publishing. Freeman's first published book was General Chemistry by Linus Pauling. Freeman was acquired by Scientific American Inc. in 1964. Holtzbrinck bought Scientific American in...
, 1991) - Computer speech recognition, compression, synthesis (Springer-Verlag, 1985). With H. Quast and H. W. Strube
- Hundert Jahre Friedrich HundFriedrich HundFriedrich Hermann Hund was a German physicist from Karlsruhe known for his work on atoms and molecules.Hund worked at the Universities of Rostock, Leipzig, Jena, Frankfurt am Main, and Göttingen....
: Ein Rückblick auf das Wirken eines bedeutenden Physikers (1996)
Awards and honors
- 1969 First Prize at the International Computer Art Competition for his application of concepts from mathematics and physics to the creation of artistic works.
- fellow of the Acoustical Society of America
- IEEE FellowIEEE FellowAn IEEE member is elevated to the grade of IEEE Fellow for "unusual distinction in the profession and shall be conferred by the Board of Directors upon a person with an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest"...
(1971). - Audio Engineering SocietyAudio Engineering SocietyEstablished in 1948, the Audio Engineering Society draws its membership from amongst engineers, scientists, other individuals with an interest or involvement in the professional audio industry. The membership largely comprises engineers developing devices or products for audio, and persons working...
fellow and Gold medalist (1972) - Member of the United States National Academy of Engineering (1979), for "founding the statistical theory of wave propagation in multi-mode media and contributions to speech coding and acoustics".
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
(1986). - Helmholtz Medal of the German Acoustical Society
- 1975 Max Planck SocietyMax Planck SocietyThe Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes publicly funded by the federal and the 16 state governments of Germany....
appointed foreign scientific member - New York Academy of SciencesNew York Academy of SciencesThe New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
member 1978 - Rayleigh MedalRayleigh MedalThe Rayleigh Medal is a prize awarded annually by the Institute of Acoustics for "outstanding contributions to acoustics". The prize is named after John Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh.-List of recipients:...
1984 and 1987 - Gold MedalASA Gold MedalThe ASA Gold Medal is an annual award presented by the Acoustical Society of America to individuals in recognition of outstanding contributions to acoustics. The Gold Medal was first presented in 1954 and is the highest award of the ASA. Past recipients, which include the Nobel Laureate Georg...
from the Acoustical Society of AmericaAcoustical Society of AmericaThe Acoustical Society of America is an international scientific society dedicated to increasing and diffusing the knowledge of acoustics and its practical applications.-History:...
(1991), for "theoretical and practical contributions to human communication through innovative application of mathematics to speech, hearing, and concert hall acoustics". - ISCA Medal for Scientific Achievement from the International Speech Communication Association (2004).
- Technology Award from the German Eduard Rhein Foundation (2004).