Miles Thorogood
Miles Thorogood, instructor of digital media and computer science at UBC Okanagan, is the recipient of two outstanding awards for soundscape and acoustic communication.
The R. Murray Schafer Soundscape Award, is awarded for Thorogood’s thesis, which investigates new ways of analyzing and approaching soundscapes. The audiometaphor.ca project brings together computational systems for analyzing patterns in audio in terms of human emotion and inserts this into a soundscape generation system.
The second award, The Glenfraser Acoustic Communication Research Award, was awarded to further Thorogood’ s research in computational soundscape studies of the Okanagan. His research aims at integrating soundscape analysis, text and audio interviews, and image for building resources to foster resilient communities and art making.
Dr. Thorogood’s research into soundscape and communication as a form of artistic expression has been recognized for enriching the diversity of the program offerings within the BFA and BMS.
“At UBCO we are excited to see our Faculty succeed in all areas of research including creative practice.” Says Stephen Foster, Department Head of Creative Studies. “His success is of tremendous benefit to our students and demonstrates the high level of excellence in our teaching and research within the Creative Studies Department.”
John Braun, Head of the Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics adds, “Thorogood brings dedication and ingenuity to the Bachelor of Media Studies program. It is not surprising that Thorogood has been recognized for his work.”
Miles Thorogood teaches Digital Media theory and creation in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, and Computer Science in the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences. He is an artist and programmer who focusses on cognitive science and audio signal analysis for developing computational assistive technologies in community engagement and creative industries. His work has been featured in public art installations, as well as at international conferences and festivals.
Miles is working with the Spoken Web project to experiment with new methods of understanding speech and ambient signals in tape-recorded Canadian poetry. He is involved with the Waterways team in exploring the historical, indigenous, and ecological patterns of the Okanagan to manifest engaging public education experiences. He is currently proposing the Culture and Environment Archive Toolkit to develop novel platforms for cataloging, analyzing, and retrieving multiple media types in research and creation. A part of Miles’ research-creation work involves electroacoustic performance and an upcoming collaborative exhibit named Journey of a Pod to be displayed at the Kelowna Art Gallery in October.
About UBC’s Okanagan campus
UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.