Ann Syrdal
Ann Syrdal | |
---|---|
Born | University of Minneapolis | December 13, 1945
Occupation(s) | Psychologist, computer science researcher |
Known for | Female-voiced speech synthesis |
Children | 3 |
Ann Kristen Syrdal (December 13, 1945 – July 24, 2020) was an American psychologist and computer science researcher who worked with speech synthesis technology. She developed the first female-sounding voice synthesizer.[1]
Early life
Syrdal was born on December 13, 1945, in Minneapolis. Her father, Richard, was a physicist and engineer; her mother, Marjorie (née Paulson) was a sales clerk. She was raised by her mother after her father died when she was two years old.[1]
Career
Syrdal became interested in psychology after helping with laboratory experiments involving rats, and subsequently completed a bachelor and then PhD degree in psychology.[1]
After receiving her PhD, she began research work at the
After the grant ended, Syrdal took a job at
She was named a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America in 2008, for her work in female speech synthesis.[1]
Syrdal died of cancer on July 24, 2020, in San Jose, California.[1]
Personal life
Syrdal married and divorced three times; at the time of her death she had been in a domestic partnership for 23 years.[1] She had three children, a son and two daughters.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g CadeMetz (2020-08-20). "Ann Syrdal, Who Helped Give Computers a Female Voice, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ^ a b "Ann Syrdal". Engineer Girl. National Academy of Engineering. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ^ Ron Kotulak; Jon Van (1990-12-09). "What'd she say?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-08-23.