The Educational Foundation of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) has announced
the recipients of the 2015 AES Educational Grants for Graduate Studies in Audio
Engineering. The announcement was made by Don Puluse, President of the AES
Educational Foundation (AESEF), on behalf of the foundation’s Board of Directors.
The second annual Bruce Swedien Scholarship is a renewal grant awarded to Robert
Fernandes, MM candidate in Sound Recording from McGill University, where he is
highly regarded by the faculty. Rob has a BM from Humber College, Toronto. The
Bruce Swedien Scholarship was initiated in 2014 in honor of Bruce’s 80th birthday.
This scholarship aids young recording engineers who believe in putting “Music
First!,’ to quote Swedien’s mantra.
Two special scholarships are being generously provided by HARMAN International
Industries. The Board of Directors has awarded these grants to Sina Hafezi and Jack
Kelly. Mr. Hafezi is studying for a PhD in Speech and Audio Processing from the
Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department at Imperial College London. He has
undergraduate and MS degrees from Queen Mary University of London. Mr. Kelly
will earn an MM in Sound Recording from McGill University. He has a BFA in
Electroacoustic studies at Concordia University. He currently serves as Chair of the
McGill AES Student Section.
The Emil Torick Scholar distinction is again offered to Charlotte Desvages, who will
earn a PhD in Music from the Audio and Acoustics Group at the University of
Edinburgh. Her previous degrees are from Edinburgh (MS in Acoustics and Music
Technology) and Universite de Caen Basse-Normandie (Physics). This award,
honoring former AES Foundation President and founding member Emil Torick, is
awarded to an outstanding student with exceptional career goals.
The John Eargle Award is given to Jose Ernesto Valenzuela. He is a Masters
candidate in Music Technology at NYU, and holds a Mechanical-Electrical Engineering
degree from Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico. Jose is also a composer/arranger
and keyboard player. The John Eargle Award is given annually to a student who
excels in both technology and music.
Other honorees:
Natasha Branch will pursue an MFA in Recording Arts and Technologies from MTSU;
she has a BM in Composition from Cameron University. Karl Fleck will receive an
MM in Sound Recording Technology from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell;
he has a degree in Recording Arts from Hope College. Jonathan Kaspy seeks an MM
in Sound Recording from McGill University; he has a BM from Humber College, and
he also attended Vanier College and the Banff Center. Spencer Shafter will earn an
MM in Music Technology and Performing Arts at NYU; he holds a BM in Music
Technology from NYU. Jiayue Wu is a PhD candidate in Media Arts and Technology
at University of California, Santa Barbara; she has an MA from Stanford University,
and a BS from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology.
