Manfred Robert Schroeder (12 July 1926 – 28 December 2009) was a German physicist, most known for his contributions to

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acousticia ...

and

computer graphics Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...

. He wrote three books and published over 150 articles in his field. Born in Ahlen, he studied at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

(1947–52), earning a

vordiplom A ''Diplom'' (, from grc, δίπλωμα ''diploma'') is an academic degree in the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and a similarly named degree in some other European countries including Albania, Bulgaria, Belarus, ...

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

(1951) and Dr. rer. nat. (1954) in

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

. His thesis showed how small regular cavities in concert halls cause unfortunate resonances. He joined the technical staff at

Bell Labs Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984), then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996) and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007), is an American industrial research and scientific development company owned by mul ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

(1954–) researching speech and graphics, securing forty-five patents. With

Bishnu Atal Bishnu S. Atal (born 1933) is an Indian physicist and engineer. He is a noted researcher in acoustics, and is best known for developments in speech coding. He advanced linear predictive coding (LPC) during the late 1960s to 1970s, and developed ...

, he advanced and promoted

linear predictive coding Linear predictive coding (LPC) is a method 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 mod ...

(LPC) during the late 1960s to 1970s and then developed

code-excited linear prediction Code-excited linear prediction (CELP) is a linear predictive speech coding algorithm originally proposed by Manfred R. Schroeder and Bishnu S. Atal in 1985. At the time, it provided significantly better quality than existing low bit-rate algori ...

(CELP) in 1985. Still affiliated with Bell, he rejoined

as ''Universitätsprofessor Physik'' (1969) becoming

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

(1991). He was a visiting professor at

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project b ...

(1979). With Ning Xiang he was a promoter of a synchronous dual channel measurement method using reciprocal maximum-length sequences (2003). He led a famed study of 22 concert halls worldwide, leading to a comparison method requiring no travel.

Books

* * * *''Hundert Jahre Friedrich Hund: 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 Fellow As of 2019, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has 5,082 members designated Fellow, each of whom is associated with one of the 41 societies under the IEEE. The Fellow grade of membership is the highest level of membershi ...

(1971). *

Audio Engineering Society The Audio Engineering Society (AES) is a professional body for engineers, scientists, other individuals with an interest or involvement in the professional audio industry. The membership largely comprises engineers developing devices or product ...

fellow and Gold medalist (1972) *Member of the

United States National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academ ...

(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 Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

(1986). *Helmholtz Medal of the German Acoustical Society *1975

Max Planck Society The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (german: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e. V.; abbreviated MPG) is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. ...

appointed foreign scientific member *

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (originally the Lyceum of Natural History) was founded in January 1817 as the Lyceum of Natural History. It is the fourth oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization wi ...

member 1978 * Rayleigh Medal 1984 and 1987 *

Gold Medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

from the

Acoustical Society of America The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is an international scientific society founded in 1929 dedicated to generating, disseminating and promoting the knowledge of acoustics and its practical applications. The Society is primarily a voluntary org ...

(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 The International Speech Communication Association (ISCA) is a non-profit organization and one of the two main professional associations for speech communication science and technology, the other association being the IEEE Signal Processing Societ ...

(2004). * Technology Award from the German Eduard Rhein Foundation (2004).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schroeder, Manfred 1926 births 2009 deaths People from Warendorf (district) German acoustical engineers 20th-century German physicists Scientists at Bell Labs University of Göttingen alumni University of Göttingen faculty Fellow Members of the IEEE Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Fellows of the Acoustical Society of America ASA Gold Medal recipients Engineers from North Rhine-Westphalia