Transcending boundaries with Ira Hirsh

Abstract

Ira Hirsh has made many contributions to various fields of acoustics from speech, hearing, psychological and physiological acoustics, to musical and architectural acoustics. It was a privilege for me to have been his student in all these areas, and to have had him as a guide through masters and doctoral degree programs that focused on topics that lie at the boundaries connecting these disciplines. Ira was not a prescriptive advisor, imposing particular research topics or procedures on his graduate students. Rather, he encouraged originality, innovation, and personal goal setting. He would subtly suggest starting points and provide landmarks as references, rather than explicit directions leading to them. One had to navigate the path by ones own wits. This approach encouraged lateral, out-of-the box thinking, while also leading to respectful appreciation of historic trajectories in scientific research. During our time together, we worked on several aspects of music, including, rhythm, melody, pitch, and timber perception. Some of this work will be recapitulated, highlighting Ira’s role in its exposition and development. His multidimensional personality, astute insights, colorful remarks, wry humor, care, and concern are qualities to be cherished—beyond the boundaries of campus, city, country, and contemporaneity.