Curriculum
Neuroscience, Technology and Society, XXXVIII series
Grant sponsor
Università degli Studi di Padova
Supervisor

Massimo Grassi
Co-supervisor
s
Antonio Rodà
Contact
lucrezia.guiottonaifovino@studenti.unipd.it

Project description
Sonification is “the use of nonspeech audio to convey information such as that used in the interpretation of scientific results”. Data sonification is “the transformation of data relations into perceived relations in an acoustic signal for the purpose of facilitating communication or interpretation”. Nowadays, astronomy is no longer the science of observable phenomena: we are 'blind' to most of the phenomena of the universe and converting invisible data into visible data is —in principle— not more accurate nor efficient than converting and delivering the same data for and to the other senses. Sonification, for example, is particularly suitable for the representation of time-series data while sight is occupied with other tasks, such as monitoring transient events. My doctoral project is the first attempt to collect and evaluate formal data about the effectiveness of sonification in conveying astronomical phenomena. This will provide important benefits to sonification since most tools rely on subjective criteria that are often not the most effective way to reach the expected outcomes. This project has several positive implications. It will improve the sonification of astronomical data, whether it is for making the dissemination of the subject more appealing, providing astronomers and amateurs with more effective sounds for the analysis of astronomical data, or allowing visually impaired students to access scientific data without visual graphs. This will ultimately benefit both the dissemination of science and scientific research.