Genelec Congratulates 2023 AES Educational Foundation Scholarship Recipients

	(l-r) Logan Kibler and Emily Kuo

Underscoring its commitment to audio education, Genelec Inc. congratulates the recipients of two scholarships awarded in association with the Audio Engineering Society Educational Foundation (AESEF). Emily Kuo has received a renewal grant as the recipient of the Genelec Dr. Ilpo Martikainen Audio Visionary Scholarship for the second year in a row, and Logan Kibler has been named the recipient of the Genelec Mike Chafee Audio Pioneering Scholarship.

The Genelec Dr. Ilpo Martikainen Audio Visionary Scholarship was established in 2018 in honor of Genelec's late founder Dr. Ilpo Martikainen, who, for many years, was involved in the Audio Engineering Society. Martikainen Scholarship recipient Kuo, awarded a renewal grant to receive the scholarship for the second year, is a graduate student at Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). Previously, she was a student at the University of Southern California, where she received a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a minor in Music Production. Kuo remarks, "As part of my graduate studies at Stanford CCRMA, I am interested in specializing in audio signal processing and machine learning. Having gained insights into how audio technologies are developed during my internships at Apple, I believe that being an expert at the intersection of audio signal processing and audio machine learning will allow me to lead audio technology development in the future. CCRMA provides many audio-focused courses that will help me gain the necessary knowledge to pursue my goal. For example, last winter, I took Perceptual Audio Coding taught by Professor Marina Bosi, where I learned how to develop an audio codec from scratch in Python. Through the class, I not only learned how to apply signal processing concepts to different components of an audio codec, but also gained insights into the history and recent developments in the audio codec industry. After taking the class, I continued doing research in the realm of audio coding, where I analyzed and evaluated a wide range of transient detection methods for audio coding purposes."

She continues, "After graduating from CCRMA, I hope to land a research and development role in the industry, where I can do meaningful work that pushes the boundaries of audio technologies. Outside of work, I aspire to become a mentor to encourage more young women to pursue audio / music technology careers. I am excited to continue exploring the intersection of audio signal processing and machine learning to improve audio technologies for all."

The Genelec Mike Chafee Audio Pioneering Scholarship was established to promote the advancement of women in the audio industry while paying tribute to noted long-time Genelec manufacturer's representative, audiophile, sound designer, acoustician, audio evangelist and supporter of women in audio, Michael Chafee. The scholarship is offered annually to US female graduate students in the field of audio engineering who are members of the Audio Engineering Society (AES). Chafee Scholarship recipient Kibler is also a student at Stanford's CCRMA, beginning this Fall. She studied undergrad at University of Michigan, earning a BSE in Computer Engineering and a BS in Sound Engineering. She graduated with high honors from the School of Music and Magna Cum Laude from the College of Engineering. During her studies, she held several positions on the board of the UM Student Chapter of the Audio Engineering Society, including chair for a year and a half. In the summer of 2020, she was a student assistant for the Girls in Music and Technology high school summer camp put on at UM. During the following summers, she interned with Dolby Laboratories as the Audio Software Engineering Intern working on the professional audio encoder, and Subaru R&D as the Sound Engineering Intern researching new methods of sound and system design for vehicles. She recently wrapped an Audio System Design Professional Internship with Disney Live Entertainment, where she learned about designing systems for new theme park offerings ranging from small one-off events to permanent installs in park expansions. She continues to write and record songs as part of the duo Madelyn & Logan, which she has done since 7th grade and which she credits as the foundation of her love of music and audio technologies.

Concerning her future plans, Kibler notes, "As a woman in technology, it is sadly unsurprising that I am often the lone representative of my social identity in any room. Women in Computer Engineering are few and far between, and women in audio engineering and music production are even rarer. As I started to develop audio software skills through an independent study course in the C++ Juce Framework for plug-ins, I spent significant time thinking about how I might make my product more approachable for women. I wondered about how interface design and feedback might influence a woman's interest in learning and excitement about the tool, in addition to what new musical capabilities the tool might bring to a user. The final product was an intuitive plugin aimed to abstract the work required for creating a modern sounding popular music vocal. To make the plugin more approachable and fun, I designed the interface to look like a makeup palette. I named the plug-in Pop Princess and established it under a name I would love to use for a company someday: She Produces Plugins. There is so much to learn about ways more women can be onboarded into the audio technology industry, and I would love to do research on how re-imagining plugin GUIs and input controls is capable of influencing the demographics of producer identities. In addition, I would like to research how machine learning and artificial intelligence can both help to simplify the process of translating a musician or producer's musical idea into the computer to make producing more approachable to all. The Master of Arts in Music, Science, and Technology at Stanford through CCRMA provides the framework for exploring the ties between music and technology with the support of a top level research university as well as a culture of founders and leaders. With Stanford's cross disciplinary, innovator-minded student body and faculty, I have no doubt that my music technology accessibility and emerging technology integration research will be supported and successful."

To learn more, please visit www.aes.org/education/foundation.

The Genelec Dr. Ilpo Martikainen Audio Visionary Scholarship was established in 2018 in honor of Genelec's late founder Dr. Ilpo Martikainen. For many years Dr. Martikainen was involved in the Audio Engineering Society, including being presented with the AES Fellowship Award for significant contributions in the field of loudspeaker development in 1993, and in 2015 delivering the Richard C. Heyser Memorial Lecture at the 138th AES International Convention in Warsaw, Poland. This scholarship is awarded annually to U.S. graduate students in the field of audio engineering who are members of the Audio Engineering Society (AES). The scholarship, in the amount of $5000, is being offered in association with the Audio Engineering Society Educational Foundation to students who have a passion of advancing audio through innovation and technology development.

The Genelec Mike Chafee Audio Pioneering Scholarship was established to promote the advancement of women in the audio industry while paying tribute to noted long-time Genelec manufacturer's representative, audiophile, sound designer, acoustician, audio evangelist and supporter of women in audio, Michael Chafee. The scholarship is offered annually to U.S. female graduate students in the field of audio engineering who are members of the Audio Engineering Society (AES). The Mike Chafee Audio Pioneering Scholarship, in the amount of $5000, is being presented in association with the Audio Engineering Society Educational Foundation to female students who have a passion of advancing audio through innovation and technology development.