September 8, 2005 Source: University of Toronto:
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/050908-1607.asp Engineering professor among world's top innovators A leading artificial intelligence engineer at the University of Toronto has been named among the world's top 35 innovators under the age of 35 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) prestigious Technology Review magazine. Professor Parham Aarabi of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering was chosen by a group of MIT experts in recognition of the profound impact of his research on the way we live and work. Founded in 1899, Technology Review boasts a readership of over one million. Past recipients of this award include Sergei Brin and Jerry Yang, founders of Google and Yahoo respectively, as well as U of T Professor Ted Sargent, who won in 2003. Aarabi, the Canada Research Chair in Multi-Sensor Information Systems, was singled out for his work on an algorithm that calculates the location of a sound source and then enhances that source while removing noise. His invention could one day filter out extraneous voices in cell-phone conversations or enhance voice control in cars - technology that will revolutionize communications. "I am honoured to have been selected for the TR35, especially given the high calibre of the other scientists and engineers who were selected this year and in previous years," says Aarabi, founder of U of T's Artificial Perception Lab. "I am especially grateful to the University of Toronto and more specifically to the Edward S. Rogers Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for enabling and fostering a unique environment for innovative research." At 29 years old, Aarabi's list of achievements is lengthy: he completed his PhD at Stanford University in just two years and became one of the youngest professors in Canada at 24. At 28, he became one of the youngest tenured professors at the University of Toronto. Aarabi's numerous national and international awards include the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' Mac Van Valkenburg Early Career Teaching Award and he was recently named one of Ontario's best lecturers by TVOntario. His research, which focuses on intelligent robotics, human-computer interactions and robust speech recognition, has appeared in over 50 peer reviewed publications. Aarabi will be honoured Sept. 28 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
| 