CLICK News from the Auditory Valley

Hearing for all. All people, all situations, all sectors. November 2013

The „Deutscher Zukunftspreis“ and its impact

10th anniversary of the German Hearing Centre Hanover

News from the Cluster of Excellence Foto: shutterstock.com/l Foto: i g h t p o e

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CLUSTER OF EXCELLENCE IN THE A UDITORY V ALLEY INTRO

CLICK - CLICK - CLICK.

It‘s the start of a new era. CLICK. After 29 editions of the HörTech newsletter, we are delighted to introduce CLICK, a new magazine which reports on the innovative trends and current events from Auditory Valley, taking an interdisciplinary cross-site approach.

In this first edition we start by introducing the Auditory Valley research and development network in the “DIRECTIO- NAL FILTER” section. In each of the following editions, this section will focus on one of the partners from the research network. The “SONIC BOOM” and “PINK NOISE” sections include highlights such as the 10th anniversary of the German Hearing Centre Hanover and news from our network partners. All issues will have a particular focus on the develop- ments and findings of Hearing4all, the Cluster of Excellence in the Auditory Valley.

We hope you like the newsletter‘s new look and interdisciplinary and cross-site reporting, and are looking forward to hearing your feedback.

Your editorial team

P.S.: Would you prefer to get “CLICK” as a PDF by e-mail? Contact us at [email protected]

CONTENT

ECHO Preface by Prof. Dr. Dr. Birger Kollmeier 03

DIRECTIONAL FILTER Hear the future. Auditory Valley introduces itself 04

SONIC BOOM The German Future Prize and its impact 06

SONIC BOOM 10th anniversary of the German Hearing Centre Hanover 07

PINK NOISE News from the network 08

Hearing4all SWEEP The Cluster of Excellence „Hearing4all“ 12

Hearing4all IMPULSE News from the Cluster of Excellence 14

CAREER Studying in Auditory Valley 18

FORECAST Announcements 19

Impressum: HörTech gGmbH, Marie-Curie-Str. 2, 26129 Oldenburg, Tel. 0441-2172 200, Fax 0441-2172 250, E-Mail: [email protected], www.hoertech.de V.i.S.d.P: Prof. Dr. Dr. Birger Kollmeier, Stephan Albani Redaktion und Gestaltung: Swantje Suchland CLICK erscheint zweimal jährlich und wird kostenlos abgegeben.

2 CLICK | November 2013 ECHO

Preface

Dear reader,

nothing is as constant as change – and on that note I am delighted to introduce our new magazine “Click – News from the Auditory Valley”. A lot has happened since the research and development network was founded with the at first strange-seeming idea that there is a direct val- ley connection between Oldenburg and Hanover due to the Hunte, Weser, Aller and Leine rivers. Although the Au- ditory Valley is a long way o# from being able to compete with Silicon Valley, the direction of travel has been clear Prof. Dr. Dr. Birger Kollmeier, Coordinator of the Auditory Valley tand ever since the overwhelming success of the German the Cluster of Excellence „Hearing4all“, University Oldenburg: Me- government‘s excellence initiative and the establish- diical Physics ment of the “Hearing4all” Cluster of Excellence. Shortly after opening the cluster, we were o# at a furious pace A very special highlight, which also brings high politics with the „Deutscher Zukunftspreis“ being awarded to our to the table, was the election of HörTech managing direc- team, the visit by the German Chancellor (and also later tor Stephan Albani, to the German Bundestag. Although her opponent Peer Steinbrück) at the Hannover Medical as a member of the newly formed German parliament he School, the foundation of the new Faculty of Medicine in will be reducing his obligations as managing director to a Oldenburg and the appointment of twelve new professors minimum, he will at the same time be able to give Audito- (and successful negotiations to retain two further pro- ry Valley a certain voice in Berlin - who’d have thought it fessors). On the cluster‘s first anniversary, for which we possible even five years ago? organised a conference in Hanover at the start of Novem- ber with top-class participants, it‘s clear: it‘s going well in Finally, dear reader, I would like to draw your attention the Auditory Valley! to the future of hearing, specifically nurturing young talents. Recruiting new doctoral students and research It was by no means a foregone conclusion that everyone assistants for the initial phase of the Hearing4all Cluster wouldn’t just be pottering away by themselves, but that of Excellence has not always been easy, highlighting the the di#erent academic disciplines, sites and research fact that due to the demographic change we now have sectors from basic, applied, clinical and industry re- to do everything in our power to obtain and keep young search would increasingly network with each other. This talents. Also Auditory Valley o#ers unique opportunities interdisciplinary cooperation was achieved thanks to the to study life sciences, natural sciences and engineering, more than 300 dedicated employees in the cooperating and I would like to warm you up to these and kindly ask research institutions in Hanover and Oldenburg who I‘d that you go out and stir up interest in them. The hearing like to warmly compliment and thank for their e#orts aid industry has already made an excellent contribution here. to nurturing particularly gifted students of hearing tech- nology and audiology with a total of 4 “Germany scholar- But even here, nothing is as constant as change. The ships”… newly established regular meetings of the business fo- I look forward all the more to your response! rum are creating a new cross-sector platform for commu- nication with the hearing aid and cochlear implant indus- Yours sincerely, try around the world. The first meeting took place at this Birger Kollmeier year‘s hearing aid developer forum at the start of June and the forum has been meeting regularly since then.

November 2013 | CLICK 3 DIRECTIONAL FILTER

Hear the future. Auditory Valley introduces itself Auditory Valley – that‘s two sites, more than 300 scientists, 17 topics and one vision: hearing for all! All people, all situations, all SECTORS. This goal is of major societal importance, because 18% of the population of Germany – including more than 50% of the over 65s – have hearing loss which requires treatment. By improving the individual diagnosis of hearing impairment and the fitting of personal hearing devices with appropriate adjustments, scientists and engineers can significantly improve communication for those a#ected – be it at work, on the street or at home.

The Auditory Valley research and development network The quick, targeted and holistic development of innova- in northern Germany has been bringing together experts tions requires cross-institutional infrastructure which in hearing and related fields since 2008. More than 300 promotes communication and synergies. That‘s why the scientists from basic and applied research are involved scientists are organised in 17 topic management groups. in the Auditory Valley, which includes two special re- search areas, an international graduate school, a Federal Ŷ Assistive technology Ministry of Education Research Centre of Excellence and Ŷ Audio signal processing the Hearing4all Cluster of Excellence. The merger of the Ŷ Audiological diagnostics hearing research institutions in Oldenburg and Hanover Ŷ Auditory neurophysiology serves to bridge the subject matter between ENT medici- Ŷ Training/advanced traning ne and audiological expertise. Connecting the know-how Ŷ Equipment/facilities/services in the fields of audio technology, assistive technologies Ŷ Evaluation/design of studies and technical acoustics has created a network which per- Ŷ Hearing care/rehabilitation manently improves the quality of life for a large number Ŷ Implant development of people. Ŷ Inner ear biology Ŷ Cognition & acoustics The collective vision is the driving force for all those Ŷ Neurosensory sciences participating in the Auditory Valley. The focus is on new Ŷ Operative therapy with hearing aids approaches to solutions for connecting hearing aid tech- Ŷ Psychoacoustics nology with cochlear implants and consumer electronics. Ŷ Technical acoustics This connection will in the future mean that especially ol- Ŷ Technical hearing aids der people who are starting to lose their hearing will come Ŷ Translation & application to appreciate the benefits of hearing support and won’t unlearn how to hear. That‘s why innovative ideas for hea- ring aids, hearing implants and also assistive technology for everyone are being developed – in other words the “hearing aid” in every smart phone, TV or car radio. Foto: Hibbeler, Fraunhofer IDMT Fraunhofer Hibbeler, Foto:

4 CLICK | November 2013 RICHTUNGSFILTER

The partners in the Auditory Valley cover the entire pro- research topic groups, establish business and science cess chain from research to product development to networks, acquire specialists and lobby policymakers. patient care. In cooperation with leading international manufactures of hearing aids, cochlear implants and au- For doctors, hospitals, hearing aid acousticians, speech dio system technology, innovations in the field of hea- therapists and patients, the healthcare forum provides ring are being developed as quickly and holistically and advice, information and further training. Auditory Valley target-oriented as possible. Interdisciplinary collaborati- actively supports the communication and discussion of on, strong partners and a high degree of innovation are the latest research trends and findings, promoting rapid the reasons why industry and research partners such as transfer of knowledge from an academic environment to Fraunhofer IDMT, Kind Hörgeräte and Sennheiser are in- commercial use. volved in the Auditory Valley. It can already be said today that know-how from the Auditory Valley can be found in Auditory Valley is open to interested members of public more than 90% of all hearing systems worldwide. through the forum for partners & friends. Forum mem- bers regularly receive newsletters and professional infor- Translation is a central principle of Auditory Valley‘s three mation and have the opportunity to attend conferences, forums. The business, healthcare and partner & friends cultural events and exhibitions about hearing. forums provide both specialists and interested members of the public with access to knowledge transfer.

Through the business forum, Auditory Valley brings to- gether science, industry and graduates around the same table. The primary purpose is to transfer knowledge from

Partners in the research network

November 2013 | CLICK 5 SONIC BOOM

The „Deutscher Zukunftspreis“ and its impact The unveiling of the Oldenburg exhibit in the Hall of Fame of the Deutsches Museum – and the who- le department was there! The annual medical physics workshop took place near Munich this year. The reason was not just the Department‘s 20th anniversary or the Oktoberfest, which took place at the same time, but the unveiling of a new exhibition module in the Deutsches Museum‘s permanent exhibition on the „Deutscher Zukunftspreis“.

The exhibit visualizesat the significance of the project acoustic environments in a complex virtual world with awarded the 2012 „Deutscher Zukunftspreis“ – “Binaural interactive control is at the limit of what is currently tech- hearing aids – stereo hearing for everyone” from Prof. Dr. nically possible. We are pleased and proud that this will Dr. Birger Kollmeier and Prof. Dr. Volker Hohmann (Medical also make our research platform for testing future binau- Physics, University of Oldenburg) and Dr. Torsten Nieder- ral hearing aids accessible to the public,” said Prof. Koll- dränk (Siemens AG, Munich) and shows the public play- meier. Further “viewing panels” in the exhibit show the fully how important binaural hearing (hearing with both development of hearing aids using quintessential histo- ears) is. It presents the principle of hearing using both rical examples from the ear trumpet to analogue hearing ears and demonstrates how this principle is applied to aids to the binaural hearing aids of the digital age. modern hearing aid technology. “Of course, what was particularly nice for us prize winners The focal point of the exhibit is an artificial head and was the fact that the entire Medical Physics group was an avatar integrated in a computer game and navigated present at the ceremonial unveiling – a special thank you through an acoustic scenario. The virtual acoustic scena- for the approximately 50 employees who made a contri- rio with changeable binaural e#ect shown in the exhibit bution to the prize and the exhibit,” said Prof. Kollmeier. was developed by Dr. Giso Grimm from the “Individualised hearing acoustics” research unit and staged together with the Deutsches Museum and the Berlin-based com- pany Holodyne. “The real-time auralisation of “di5cult” Foto: Deutsches Museum Foto:

6 CLICK | November 2013 SONIC BOOM

10th anniversary of the German Hearing Centre Hanover From the “CI team” to the world‘s largest cochlear implant centre – the ENT clinic of the Hanover Medical School celebrated ten years of the German Hearing Centre Hanover at the start of Sep- tember with a ceremony. The list of speakers was top-class, highlighting the importance of this anniversary for people.

Since it was founded in 2003, the German Hearing Centre of the ENT clinic at the Hanover Medical School has become an internationally recognised centre of expertise for treating hea- ring loss of all types. Having performed almost 7,000 CI operations since 1984, the clinic is the largest CI centre in the world. Around 500 new CI patients come to the centre each year. “This remarkable development is paradigma- Foto: Kaiser, MHH Kaiser, Foto: tic of our institution‘s philosophy – solutions Dr. Andreas Tecklenburg (v.l.), Franz Hermann, Christoph Zimmer, Prof. Thomas Lenarz, for a significant health problem are develo- Andrea Hoops, Hans-Peter Zenner, Martin Kind, Hansjörg Schößer, Dr. Sabine Voermanns ped based on research, with high acceptance und Prof. Birger Kollmeier amongst patients and doctors,” said President of the Hanover Medical School Professor Dr. Christopher the last five years, these treatment options have increa- Baum in his welcoming speech. sed exponentially. In the German Hearing Centre, we can even o#er interdisciplinary treatment for a whole range The ENT clinic together with the German Hearing Centre of hearing impairments – and that in a concept which is has reached a international leading position i in the field unique throughout Europe,” explained ENT clinic director of research – they give important impetus to Hanover Professor Dr. Thomas Lenarz. Professor Dr. Andreas Büch- and Lower Saxony as a location for science. “I would like ner, Chief Scientist of the German Hearing Centre added: to compliment you on behalf of the federal state govern- “It‘s a great challenge for me and other international sci- ment for the particular commitment, the excellent perfor- entists in the German Hearing Centre to find explanations mance and the great success of the hearing centre,” said for hearing impairments and to develop new treatment the Lower Saxony Minister for Science and Culture, Ga- options. We are the leader in terms of findings. Almost briele Heinen-Kljajić. “You‘ve been doing really excellent every CI has specialist inpuz from the German Hearing work for many years. One of the ‘keys’ to your medical Centre in Hanover behind it.” e#ectiveness and your constant innovation is doubtless the close cooperation between research, business and The Hearing Centre in Hanover was founded in 2003. It other players.” The recognition of these achievements originated from the “CI team” that had existed since the can be seen not only in the award of EU projects, in the very first cochlear implantation in the Hanover Medical Hearing4all Cluster of Excellence and in the visit by the School’s ENT clinic in 1984. On September 3 rd 2011, the German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel at the end of 2012 hearing centre was renamed the “German Hearing Cen- and that of the SPD’s then candidate for chancellor Peer tre Hanover” (Deutsches HörZentrum Hannover (DHZ)) in Steinbrück in April this year. In the past ten years, the order to emphasise the importance of the world‘s largest German Hearing Centre has succeeded in helping to give hearing centre and the world‘s largest clinic for fitting many patients greater quality of life and improving their cochlear implants. “We also want our name to show that social and professional integration, as well as opening we are active far beyond the borders of Hanover and Lo- up more educational opportunities to children. “It easy wer Saxony,” said Professor Lenarz. Two thirds of German to forget that with around 15 million people a#ected in Hearing Centre patients who have been given a cochlear Germany alone, hearing loss is a widespread disability implant come from Germany as a whole, only around a for which there are e#ective treatment options. And in third come from Lower Saxony and Hanover.

November 2013 | CLICK 7 PINK NOISE

Evaluation of sound localisation sources in children

In November 2012, the research project “ERKI: Evalua- tion of localisation of virtual sound sources in children” In the test setup, five loudspeakers (0°, ±45°, ±90°; was started at the Jade University of Applied Sciences in r=1m) are set up in a semicircle around the child (“Mainz Oldenburg. ERKI is a 2-year project of the European Regi- child table”). The loudspeakers are concealed by a tightly onal Development Fund ERDF. The project’s objective is stretched, non-transparent acoustic cloth. Time-of-arrival to develop an easy-to-use, largely automated procedure or level di#erences between two loudspeakers are used by which the localisation of sound sources in children to create virtual sound sources (5° steps) The test sub- can be assessed. The focus is on the reproducible and jects‘ task is to indicate the position of a perceived sound systematic recording of acoustical localisation abili- source. The results show that localisation is measurable ty, regardless of the location of the subject‘s head and with a resolution of around 10° in the front semicircle on a body. The diagnosis system is intended to be used later conventional Mainz child table. The next steps of the pro- as a supplement to conventional paediatric audiometric ject aim to achieve automated, visual recordings of child equipment in clinics and doctors’ surgeries and amongst localisation data and collecting reference values for the hearing aid audiologists. The aim is to find an extremely localisation of virtual sources on primary school children. cost-e#ective solution which can be adapted to existing Further information is available on www.tgm.jade-hs.de systems.

Hearing Research made in Germany – Auritec, HörTech and the Hanover Medical School at the EFAS in Budapest

The “Hearing Research made in Germany” project aims The audience was particularly interested in the interna- to raise the awareness of the Auditory Valley network in- tional Matrix Tests which were developed in the HurDIG ternationally. The partners are working together to make project – on the basis of the Oldenburg speech test OLSA the extensive range of services accessible to a broad – and are sold by HörTech. As a speech test method, range of interested parties. These services extend from OLSA has received widespread recognition in the hearing carrying out clinical studies to prototype tests of hearing technologies market for improved diagnosis. That‘s why systems, and to products and solutions in the fields of it‘s now also available in Polish, Russian, Spanish and diagnostics, hearing systems and audio technology. As American English. More languages are in preparation or part of this project, Auditory Valley appeared at the Con- available as a research version. gress of the European Federation of Audiology Societies (EFAS) in Budapest in June 2013 – following exhibitions The Matrix Tests are designed so that the test itself can activities in China and the US. be carried out in the language of the patient or customer even if the audiometrist doesn‘t speak this language themselves. An automated procedure facilitates an exact result – across all language barriers. It’s also necessary to use procedures whose results are comparable in inter- national studies. For this reason, particular attention was paid to ensuring that the test method is highly compara- ble in the various languages when developing the inter- national Matrix Tests.

The project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Edu- cation and Research as part of the “Germany – Land of Ideas” initiative for marketing Germany as a research lo- cation. Further information is available on www.research- in-germany.de

8 CLICK | November 2013 PINK NOISE

Acoustic speech recognition and event detection recognises emergency situations in care In the SonicSentinel project, researchers from Fraunho- ling system manufacturer fer IDMT have developed an intelligent noise guard for de- Ilper-Elektronik GmbH & Co tecting critical situations for the elderly in residential and KG and Johanniter-Unfall- non-residential care which can reliably detect dangerous hilfe e.V. have developed situations and automatically triggers an emergency call. an intelligent noise guard which analyses and di#e- In non-residential and residential care, sta# can‘t usually rentiates between acoustic monitor patients around the clock. Installed or portab- signals and can recognise le emergency call systems are used in order to ensure events such as calls for the safety of people who need assistance. However, help, screams, whimpers due to physical limitations, dementia or unconscious- or coughs. It was a particu- IDMT Fraunhofer Foto: ness, older people often can‘t use these systems in an lar challenge to develop a way of processing the signal emergency. For example, after falling down people often which also functions robustly in acoustically di5cult en- stay undetected for too long. On the other hand, acou- vironments with static noise or echo. stic monitoring systems available on the market to date only measure the duration and level of acoustic events SonicSentinel was awarded the Lower Saxony health and don‘t reduce carers‘ workloads due to frequent false prize in the category “e-health - solutions for an autono- alarms. mous life in old age” in 2012. The technology develop- ment was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education In the SonicSentinel project, researchers from the Ol- and Research as part of the funding initiative “KMU-inno- denburg hearing, speech and audio technology project vativ” over a period of two years. The product should be group from Fraunhofer IDMT together with light signal- available on the market at the start of 2014.

Thomas Oppermann visits the House of Hearing Thomas Oppermann (speaker of the SPD faction in the back then. I‘m very pleased that hearing research “made Bundestag) visited the House of Hearing to find out in Oldenburg” has established itself so successfully even about the latest research topics and future prospects beyond the change of government as an important loca- of hearing research in Oldenburg from Prof. Dr. Dr. Birger tion factor for science, business and medicine in Lower Kollmeier (speaker of the Cluster of Excellence Hearing- Saxony,” said Thomas Oppermann. 4all, University of Oldenburg und chief scientist of Hör- Tech gGmbH) and Stephan Albani (Managing Director of HörTech gGmbH).

When Thomas Oppermann – in his former capacity as Lo- wer Saxony Minister for Science – opened the centre of excellence for hearing aid system technology (HörTech gGmbH) in February 2001 and funded the construction of the House of Hearing, a new chapter for application- oriented hearing research in Oldenburg began. Thomas Oppermann also played a leading role in the following negotiations which were necessary to resist two o#ers of a professorship in Denmark made to Prof. Kollmeier: “Permanently linking research, development and busi- ness in the field of medical technology was the great aim

November 2013 | CLICK 9 PINK NOISE

Completion of the HurDig project The aim of the HurDig project was to develop and operate and establishment of the Oldenburg measurement me- a regional network across Europe which develops, opti- thod and its multilingual equivalent in the most impor- mises, evaluates, sells and provides technical support tant languages and dissemination of this test method) for a modern and valid hearing and speech perception/in- has been achieved, as has the R&D network project‘s telligibility in noise test for di#erent languages. Further- organisational development objective of creating, a suc- more, methods of testing in the German language, which cessfully operating, sustainable network of relevant, in- cannot yet be applied in a similar way for clinical and ternationally visible hearing institutions which lead the practical use, were to be made ready for the market. In way in their area. In the end, the project largely achieved addition, a speech test by telephone or a hearing scree- its commercial development objective of establishing a ning test by Internet were to be further developed and sustainable business model which facilitated sustaina- made as widely available as possible. The ERDF-funded ble financing of ongoing activities in the field of multilin- HurDig project ended on 31 July 2013. gual speechtest development from the current income from the development of new test methods and the sale The University of Oldenburg is the European leader in the of licences for already developed test methods. field of speech-test-based diagnosis of hearing impair- ment, particularly in the field of speech perception in The individual steps in the field of speech-based audio- noise tests. In addition to the German-language test me- logical measurement methods carried out as part of the thods, as part of the European HearCom project (Hearing HurDig project – which were strongly oriented on inter- in the Communication Society), several foreign language national distribution and standardisation and implemen- versions of this test were developed and implemented tation in practice – have thus definitively made a contri- for the Oldenburg Measurement Applications (OMA). The bution to the great success that the Hearing4all Cluster project built on and continued this work. of Excellence (Oldenburg/Hanover) was able to achieve in the German government‘s excellence initiative. One of Overall, the HurDig project was able to decisively advan- the key aims of the Cluster of Excellence, namely trans- ce the state of audiological methods of measurement for forming audiology into an “exact” science was conside- research, clinic and practice so that, among other things, rably helped by the methods developed in this project by the findings of the project were able to significantly influ- and the comparability and standardisation of audiologi- ence a series of international standards or will be taken cal measurement data which these made internationally into account in future international standardisation ef- possible. A translation centre under the leadership of forts. Thus, the main project goals (further development the HörTech in the Cluster of Excellence ist also planned, which will, amongst other things take over and (partially) finance part of the work which was begun in HurDig, but has not yet been finally completed. This includes com- pleting di#erent binational validation measurements with the new version of the speech test methods and supporting further software and audiometry products to be based on these.

At this point, we would like to thank the funding institu- tions (the EU, Lower Saxony, N-Bank) and all project part- ners and the project‘s very dedicated employees in the network‘s partner institutions.

10 CLICK | November 2013 Summit conference– the international elite of hearing aid developers come to Oldenburg The HörTech gGmbH centre of excellence for hearing aid Discussions moderated by eminent speakers were held system technology invited the top international hearing about innovative solutions for connecting hearing sys- aid developers to the Oldenburg House of Hearing for the tem technology with cochlear implants and consumer sixth time on June 13 th and 14 th . Engineers from renow- electronics and also about the impact of hearing loss and ned companies together with scientists discussed cur- hearing aid technology on how music is experienced. rent challenges and trends in the sector and developed “The connection of hearing technology and consumer approaches to solving problems which are to be advan- electronics will in future enable particularly older peop- ced in pre-competitive consortia. le who are starting to lose their hearing to appreciate the benefits of hearing support and stop them from forgetting The focus of the conference included plenary lectures on how to hear,” said the head of the developer forum, Prof. hearing aid function taking into account the individual co- Dr. Dr. Birger Kollmeier. “That‘s why innovative ideas for gnitive abilities and the use of smart phones as hearing hearing aids, hearing implants and also assistive techno- aids. The possibilities of binaural hearing aids (hearing logy for everyone are being developed – in other words aids for hearing with both ears) were also discussed focu- the ‘hearing aid’ in every smart phone, TV or car radio.” sing on how to transfer the benefits of hearing with both ears to hearing system technology. This enables hearing- impaired people to hear better in acoustically “di5cult” environments – for example in rooms with echo or when several people are talking at once.

Premiere - HörTech at EUHA 2013 Fort the first time the centre of excellence for hearing Similar to the EFAS in Budapest, the audience was parti- aid system technology – HörTech gGmbH – had its own cularly interested in the international matrix tests which boothat the 2013 Congress of European Union Hearing were developed on the basis of the Oldenburg speech Aid Acousticians (EUHA) in Nuremberg. The focus of the test OLSA. EUHA is considered to be one of the most im- presentation at the exhibition were modern method of portant industry events for specialists from all over the speech audiometry in quiet and in noise and the interdis- world and takes place annually in Germany. The 112 ex- ciplinary training programme and the latest translation hibitors presented equipment and software innovations findings from the Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all. and trends from their development work.

November 2013 | CLICK 11 H4A SWEEP

The Cluster of Excellence „Hearing4all“

The Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all started in November 2012 with an international conference and a ceremony. In June 2012, the hearing researchers from the University of Oldenburg, the Ha- nover medical school and the Leibniz Universität Hannover had scored with their joint cluster of ex- cellence proposal in the excellence initiative of the German government and German federal states.

The objective of the Cluster of Excellence is literally “hea- Historie ring for all”. By improving the individualised diagnosis of The University of Oldenburg and the Hanover Medical hearing impairment and fitting personal hearing devices School are amongst the world‘s leading research estab- adjusted to this, the scientists want to significantly im- lishments in audiology and hearing research. Both uni- prove communication for those a#ected – be it at work, versities have long been cooperating very successfully on the street or at home. Here, fundamental work based in these areas and are able to use their complementary on models for diagnosis and the auditory profile of nor- skills e#ectively: mally hearing to hearing-impaired people is carried out The Hanover Medical School is focused on the care of pa- in order to gain a better understanding of the individual tients who have moderate to complete hearing loss and sense of hearing. In addition, these models are used for who are treated with cochlear implants, brainstem im- improving the individual provision of technical hearing plants or midbrain implants or with implantable hearing devices and for optimisation based on the individual si- aids. The University of Oldenburg, in contrast, specialises tuation. The cluster is led by the Carl von Ossietzky Uni- in basic research and hearing support for patients with versity of Oldenburg (UOL). In addition to the Hanover mild to moderate hearing loss that is usually treated with Medical School and the Leibniz Universität Hannover conventional hearing aids or is supported in a hearing- (LUH), the HörTech centre of excellence, the Jade Uni- compatible manner by consumer electronic products versity of Applied Sciences, the Hanover and Oldenburg (e.g. telephones, TVs, computers). As part of the “Audiolo- hearing centres, the hearing, speech and audio techno- gy Initiative Lower Saxony”, the two partners have shown logy project group from Fraunhofer IDMT, Laser Zentrum that their complementary approaches can be success- Hannover e.V. and Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg Institute fully combined. This has resulted, amongst other things, for Advanced Study in Delmenhorst are also involved in in the foundation of the umbrella organisation “Centre for the cluster of excellence. The cluster is an integral part of Hearing Research”, which is to be transformed into a per- the Auditory Valley network which connects further pu- manent “Centre of Excellence for Hearing Research” as blic and private establishments which are active in the part of the cluster of excellence. field of hearing research in north-western Germany.

12 CLICK | November 2013 Structure Hearing4all is structured in three main parts: 3 Research Research Area C: Basic Research for Assistive Auditory Areas, the Joint Research Academy and the Translatio- Technology nal Research Centre. The Research Areas coordinate re- Research area C focuses on investigating the founda- search projects within the cluster. The scientific work is tions for new technologies that will assist hearing-im- carried out in seven task groups. Coordinator of the clus- paired and normal hearing listeners to hear properly in ter of excellence is Prof. Dr. Dr. Birger Kollmeier, deputy the “auditory world”, especially in complex everyday lis- coordinator is Prof. Prof. h.c. Dr. Thomas Lenarz. tening situations.

Research Area A: I mproving Diagnostics for Better Indivi- TG 6: Hearing support for the subclinical population dualized Treatment TG 7: Brain Computer Interface for hearing devices In many individuals current diagnostic approaches can- not identify the etiology and pathophysiology of their Research Area Leaders hearing loss. In order to overcome some of the limita- Prof. Dr. Simon Doclo, Oldenburg/UOL: Signal processing tions, the cluster establishes a theory-driven diagnostic Prof. Dr. Andreas Büchner, Hannover/MHH: ORL/Auditory framework based on a unifying model of auditory functio- Implants nal mechanisms. Joint Research Academy TG 1: Diagnostics The “Joint Research Academy in Biomedical Engineering TG 2: Audioneurotechnology and theragnostics and Science of Hearing and Sensory Systems” (JRA) pro- TG 3: Functional Characterization of the Individual vides a dedicated support structure for young academics from the moment they obtain their first academic degree Research Area Leaders until they reach professorship or a position in industry. Prof. Prof. h.c. Dr. Thomas Lenarz, Hannover/MHH: ORL The JRA o#ers educational, financial and organizational Prof. Dr. Dr. Birger Kollmeier, Oldenburg/UOL: Medical Phy- support for early career researchers to develop their re- sics search skills within the scope of the cluster.

Research Area B: Towards Better Hearing Devices Translational Research Centre Building on the quantitative knowledge of hearing im- Liaison with industry and the organization of activities pairment and its consequences for deteriorated signal in translational research (i.e. negotiations about exploi- processing in the auditory system from research area A, tation rights, support for contractual research projects, a theory-guided approach towards improving the ‘critical representation at trade shows, and media campaigns to issues’ in implantable and conventional hearing devices promote products from the cluster) will be carried out by will be implemented. HörTech gGmbH in Oldenburg with support of two transla- tional research experts from Hanover. TG 4: Algorithms for hearing instruments TG 5: Personalizing Hearing Devices Further information is available at www.hearing4all.de Research Area Leaders Prof. Dr. Dr. Birger Kollmeier, Oldenburg/UOL: Medical Phy- sics Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Ertmer, Hannover/LUH: Quantum optics

November 2013 | CLICK 13 H4A IMPULSE

News from the Cluster of Excellence “I can see who you want to listen to” – brainwaves for measuring auditory attention In May 2013, the “psychophysiology of hearing” wor- In reality, however, measuring this is di5cult because the king group was set up in the University of Oldenburg‘s brainwaves carrying the information are very small com- Department of Psychology under the leadership of junior pared to all of the brain‘s other signals. Together with her professor Dr. Alexandra Bendixen. The working group is colleagues, Alexandra Bendixen is attempting to develop located in Task Group 2 “Audioneurotechnology and the- new experimental paradigms which allow the auditory ragnostics” (led by Prof. Dr. Andrej Kral and Prof. Dr. Stefan focus of attention to be measured reliably. The working Debener) and Task Group 7 “Brain Computer Interface for group had its first successes in a simplified situation with hearing devices” (led by Prof. Dr. Reinhard Dengler and two sources of noise which were always active in alterna- Prof. Dr. Stefan Debener) of the Cluster of Excellence. It tion. Everyday life is, of course, much more complicated. deals with cognitive processes which make hearing ea- The acoustic signals from di#erent speakers don‘t alter- sier in complex environments – how do we (or more ac- nate precisely, but often overlap. curately our brains) manage to follow a conversation in a restaurant when the people at the next table are talking In collaboration with other working groups from the Clus- just as loudly? ter of Excellence Hearing4all, in the future it is planned to measure the focus of intention using EEG also in more Obviously, the brain of the listener has very e5cient pre- complex situations. If it becomes possible to reliably re- diction mechanisms which allow it to focus its attention cord auditory attention processes, then this information on the correct acoustic features (e.g. the vocal range of can be used in a next step to, for example, physically our conversational partner) at precisely the right time strengthen the acoustic signal using hearing devices at (when our conversational partner articulates the next re- precisely the right times. levant syllable). In principle, these cognitive processes of prediction and focusing attention should be visible in the listener‘s brainwaves. Theoretically, it should be possible to use an electroencephalogram (EEG) to record whether a person wants to actively process a certain noi- se event (their conversational partner) or is attempting to ignore it (a conversation going on at the next table).

14 CLICK | November 2013 Personalising hearing devices As part of Task Group 5 “Personalising Hearing Devices” (led by Prof. Dr. Andreas Büchner and Prof. Dr. Esther Ru- igendijk), Dr. Tobias Neher is researching new ways of adjusting hearing aid algorithms to the hearing ability or iStock.com/awstok Foto: needs of individual users. Digital hearing aid algorithms, such as dynamic compressors, background noise sup- pressors or directional filters are characterised by a large number of parameters which need to be to adjusted op- timally. As is already known, the benefits of such algo- rithms can vary widely from person to person and from situation to situation. Therefore, it is important to ask to what extent this variability can be addressed by individu- ally adapting sets of parameters of such algorithms.

To date, there have been few findings in this area of au- diological research. In some initial studies, Dr. Tobias Neher is therefore investigating the personal perception The first results suggest that users with greater central of wanted and unwanted e#ects which the algorithms for hearing deficits prefer more background noise suppres- suppressing background noise typically produce. The sion, even at the expense of speech comprehensibility. aim of the work is to find out to what extent individual dif- In follow-up studies, further algorithms are to be tested ferences in perception can be attributed to these e#ects and the laboratory findings are to be put to the test over on sensory and central aspects of auditory perception or the longer term using field tests. Furthermore, two com- to other user characteristics. The evidence of such relati- plementary doctoral theses are to develop and examine onships would then make it possible to develop suitable new, physiologically motivated approaches to adjusting adjustment strategies. and evaluating hearing aid signal processing.

Prosthetic audiology 10 0 1 On August 1st 2013, Dr Waldo Nogueira became junior in order to optimise the hearing experience individually. professor of prosthetic audiology at Hanover Medical To this end, a hypothesis will be proposed of how hearing School. As part of Task Group 4 “Algorithms for hearing in- can be improved with an implantable hearing system. struments” (led by Prof. Dr. Volker Hohmann and Prof. Dr. Andreas Büchner) and Task Group 6 “Hearing support for In the first step an auditory model is used to illustrate the the subclinical population” (led by Prof. Dr. Simon Doclo hypothesis. This model will then be tested – for example and Prof. Dr. Dr. Birger Kollmeier) the focus of his area of with electrophysiological measurements of the auditory research is the design, development and evaluation of in- nerve in CI patients at the German Hearing Centre. At the dividual signal processing methods for the needs of each same time, the hypothesis will be tested using subjecti- individual user of an implantable hearing system. ve psychophysical test in the same patients. The signal processing of the speech processor will then be adjusted It will bring together knowledge of signal processing, au- to the individual model for the user. Ultimately, the new ditory modelling, acoustics, machine learning and elec- method for signal processing will be evaluated by the trophysiology. Starting with basic and applied research, user in order to assess the e#ect on improving hearing the objective is to develop new technology which can be performance in daily life. translated into practice so that users of implantable hea- ring systems can benefit from it in daily life. A particular focus is on adapting the methods to the individual user

November 2013 | CLICK 15 H4A IMPULSE

Peer Steinbrück in the German Hearing Centre: do that again – I can‘t hear it! Following the visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, nally, an adult CI patient who heads his own orthodontic the Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all was again visited practice was able to impress on the visiting politicians Mr. by a well-known politician. In early summer, the SPD‘s Steinbrück and Mr .Schostok how important medical pro- then candidate for chancellor, Peer Steinbrück, paid a vi- gress is for retaining the ability to work. sit together with Stefan Schostok, the then candidate for Mayor of Hanover who subsequently went on to become mayor. And right at the start it became apparent that even the top politicians number amongst the “society of the hard of hearing”, because during a presentation of deaf- ness simulations, he had to ask us to: “Do that again – I can‘t hear it”.

The large number of people a#ected by hearing impair- ment – which is around 18% of the german population, or in other words around 15 million Germans – and the consequences of this such as lack of educational oppor- tunities or unemployment, which the ENT clinic director Prof. Thomas Lenarz talked about, left a lasting impressi- on on Mr. Steinbrück. Due to the societal consequences of hearing loss, the ENT clinic had given the visit the fit- ting motto of “society of the hard of hearing”. There are however already technical and surgical solutions for tho- se a#ected. This was demonstrated by the conversation with 11-year-old Julius, who immediately impressed the top SPD politician with his charming and direct nature. Fi-

16 CLICK | November 2013 First annual conference of the JRA The Joint Research Academy in Biomedical Engineering development was the topic of the talk by Prof. Armgard and Science of Hearing and Sensory Systems (JRA) is the von Reden of Leibniz Universität Hannover. organisation for the structured training and career advan- cement of the next generation of scientists in the Cluster The meeting also served as a place for the next genera- of Excellence Hearing4all. It includes doctoral students, tion of scientists involved in the cluster of excellence to postdocs and junior professors and provides various op- get to know each other. This was facilitated not just by portunities for further qualification. The first annual con- the talks and poster contributions, but also by the dis- ference of the JRA took place at the Catholic Academy in cussions during the convivial evening get-togethers. The Stapelfeld from August 22 th to 24 th 2013. Its participants next generation of scientists at Hearing4all will help to included not only several project leaders from the cluster shape the future workshops and annual conferences of of excellence and other guest speakers, but also 42 of the JRA and will thus be able to contribute their own ideas the next generation of scientists from Hearing4all. to the development of the cluster of excellence.

In order to cope with the high level of interdisciplinarity in the cluster of excellence and the very di#erent spe- cialist backgrounds of its employees, project leaders from the cluster of excellence o#ered introductions to Hearing4all‘s topics. The talks by four external speakers o#ered an overview of the current developments in the specialist areas relevant to the cluster of excellence. Prof. Jörg Lücke from Technische Universität Berlin gave an introduction to statistical modelling of stimulus pattern analysis and its technical application. Prof. Bernd Edler of the University of Erlangen/Nuremberg gave an overview of computer aided modelling of the hearing system. Prof. DeLiang Wang of Ohio State University in Columbus intro- duced methods of speech separation. Finally, Prof. Halpin from the Harvard Medical School in Boston gave insights into methods for diagnosing dead regions in the cochlea. “Gender and diversity” as a challenge for research and

H4A training More than 50 ENT specialists, carers and patients took The next training session of the Cluster of Excellence in part in the training by the ENT clinic and the new Cluster Hanover on Wednesday, 20 November 2013 will focus of Excellence Hearing4all in April. Clinic director Prof. Prof. on the topic of “objective methods of testing hearing”. h.c. Dr. Thomas Lenarz, middle ear implant expert Prof. The venue will be announced in advance on the website Hannes Maier and Prof. Anke Lesinski-Schiedat, medical of the ENT clinic. director of the German Hearing Centre in Hanover, spoke on the topic of “failing the hearing screening – modern hearing systems for all ages”. Part of the talk about de- mography, dementia and hearing systems expanded the audience to professionals from the fields of seniors and care.

Current Job openings are advertised on the cluster’s website www.hearing4all.de

November 2013 | CLICK 17 CAREER

Studying in Auditory Valley The hearing process in humans is an extraordinarily complex phenomenon, the biophysical properties of which are not yet precisely known. Getting to the bottom of this phenomenon and being able to turn the vision of “hearing for all” into reality needs physicists, biologists, medical doctors, engineers and psychologists working together on new knowledge and solutions. In order help create the next generation of qualified scientists, the network partners in Auditory Valley o#er a wide range of study options in and around the field of hearing.

Hear the future – that is the central aspect of all degree The Oldenburg and Hanover sites with their di#erent de- courses and areas of work in and around the subject of gree courses o#er di#erent entry points into audiologi- hearing. Both university hearing research and the hea- calresearch, audio research and acoustic research or a ring-system and audio industry are sectors with a future. route into the hearing system, audio and acoustic indus- Due to the international renown of the institutes in Audi- try. Depending on the emphasis of the theory or research tory Valley, graduates of the degree courses involved are subject (human, animal, computer), the choice extends in great demand on the employment market and, depen- from traditional physics to engineering physics, hearing ding on their subject and own achievements, can choose technology & audiology, assistive technologies to biolo- between the following career options and employers in gy, psychology and medicine. the following areas: More information is available on the following websites Ŷ International hearing aid and CI industry Ŷ Hearing aid acoustics www.uni-oldenburg.de Ŷ University (research and teaching) www.mh-hannover.de Ŷ Non-university research institutions www.uni-hannover.de Ŷ IT industry www.hoertechnik-audiologie.de Ŷ Audio industry Ŷ Biomedical engineering Ŷ School & educational establishments Ŷ ENT clinics Ŷ Audiological centres Ŷ Biomedical and pharma industry

18 CLICK | November 2013 FORECAST

DGA and DAGA2014 in Oldenburg

The congress‘s guiding theme is “hearing for all”. This is firstly intended to reflect the fact that the Annual Ger- man Congress on Acoustics (DAGA) as the largest Ger- man-language congress on acoustics is taking place at the same time as the annual meeting of the German Society for Audiology (DGA). Secondly, it takes up the motto of the Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all which was established in Oldenburg and Hanover in 2012. Renowned scientists will present the latest findings of their research in plenary lectures and structured ses- sions and will outline the development and application of new and original methods for the protection, diagno- sis, care and rehabilitation of hearing damage.

Oldenburg sees itself as a “City of Hearing” with a unique mixture of institutions covering research, edu- cation and development across all aspects of hearing. Oldenburg is where the first school for the deaf in Ger- many was founded as well as its newest medical fa- culty in 2012. The first DGA annual meeting took place here in 1999, and the city has also played host to Infos DGA DAGA congresses in 1986 and 2000. www.dga-ev.com The DGA annual meeting on the Wechloy campus over- laps with the DAGA Congress on the Haarentor campus Infos DAGA on 12 and 13 March – the campuses are connected www.2014.daga-tagung.de by two bus lines and the nature reserve „Haarennie- derung“.

HörTech 2014 training programme

22.01-24.01. Crash course on audiological engineering for beginners 20.03-22.03. Compact information for audiometrists 25.04 Paediatric audiology 1 23.05. Oldenburg language tests 17.09-19.09. Crash course on audiological engineering for beginners 21.11. Paediatric audiology 2

More information is available at www.hoertech.de

November 2013 | CLICK 19 CLUSTER OF EXCELLENCE IN THE A UDITORY V ALLEY

www.research-in-germany.de

Auditory Valley o)ces The o5ces act as the contacts and coordinators for all Auditory Valley work. The o5ces have a broad range of tasks as active coordinators and points of contact for Auditory Valley. The team of sta# from HörTech gGmbH and the Hanover Medical School research topics and trends, bring innovative minds together, determine Auditory Valley‘s strategic orientation, make sure the activities have a focus and work to give the region‘s expertise a clear profile.

Auditory Valley Hannover Auditory Valley Oldenburg Dr. Johannes Stein Dr. Michael Buschermöhle Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1 Marie-Curie-Straße 2 30625 Hannover 26129 Oldenburg Telefon: 0511-5323 809 Telefon: 0441-2172 200

www.auditory-valley.de