Christian Giguère

Full Professor
Room : RGN 3056
Phone : (613) 562-5800 ext. 4649
Fax : (613) 562-5428
E-mail : cgiguere@uottawa.ca

Biography

Christian Giguère was trained as an engineer and has worked in the fields of acoustics, biomedical engineering and audiology for the past 20+ years. During this time, he has had the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research at more than six different universities (Laval, UBC, Toronto, Cambridge, Utrecht, Ottawa). His personal and collaborative achievements include the development of an anthropomorphic acoustic test fixture (ATF) to measure the attenuation of hearing protectors, a software tool for the analysis and control of HVAC noise in buildings, a mathematical model of sound transmission through the peripheral auditory system (AIM), the development of a System for Evaluating sound Localization Acuity (SELA), two software tools to analyze the efficacy of acoustic warning signals in noisy workplaces (Detectsound, AlarmLocator), the development of methods to establish hearing fitness standards for workers in noisy occupations, and a predictive model of speech recognition in noise for workers wearing hearing protectors. Since 1995, Dr. Giguère is faculty member with the School of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Ottawa. He is also cross-appointed at the School of Information Technology and Engineering (SITE). Dr. Giguère is president of the Canadian Acoustical Association (CAA) and co-chair of the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Noise (ICBEN).

Research Interests

• Speech communication in noise from talker to listener
• Perception of warning sounds in the workplace
• Processing of acoustic signals in hearing aids
• Sound localization, distance perception and binaural listening

Publications

• Giguère, C., Laroche, C., Vaillancourt, V., and Soli, S.D. (2009). “A predictive model of speech intelligibility in noise for normal and hearing-impaired listeners wearing hearing,” Proceedings of INTER-NOISE 2009, Ottawa, ON, Canada (23-26 August), 9 pp.
• Giguère, C. and Dajani, H.R. (2009). “Noise Exposure from Communications Headsets: The effects of external noise, device attenuation and preferred listening signal-to-noise ratio,” Proceedings of INTER-NOISE 2009, Ottawa, ON, Canada (23-26 August), 8 pp.
• Dajani, H.R. and Giguère, C. (2009). “Estimation of Instantaneous Jitter and Shimmer Using An Auditory-inspired Pitch Detection Algorithm,” Proceedings of 16th Int. Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV), Kraków, Poland (5-9 July), 8 pp.
• Giguère, C., Laroche, C., Soli, S.D. and *Vaillancourt, V. (2008). “Functionally-based screening criteria for hearing-critical jobs based on the clinical HINT test,” Special Issue on Assessment of Speech Communication Handicap, International Journal of Audiology 47: 319-328.
• Vaillancourt, V., Laroche, C., Mayer, C., Basque, C., Nali, M., Eriks-Brophy, A. and Giguère, C. (2008). “Development of the Canadian French Hearing in Noise Test,” Special Issue on Assessment of Speech Communication Handicap, International Journal of Audiology 47: 383-385.
• Vaillancourt, V., Laroche, C., Giguère, C., Soli, S.D. (2008). “Establishment of age-specific normative data for the French version of the HINT for children,” Ear & Hearing 29(3), 453-466.
• Behar, A., Giguère, C. and Kelsall, T. (2008). “Measurement of noise exposure from headsets,” Proceedings of NoiseCon 2008, Dearborn (MI), USA (28-31 July), 7 pp.
• Giguère, C., Laroche, C., *Al Osman, R. and Zheng, Y. (2008). “Optimal Installation of Audible Warning Systems in the Noisy Workplace,” Proceedings of 9th Int. Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem (ICBEN), Mashantucket (CT), USA (21-25 July), pp. 197-204.
• Laroche, C., Giguère, C., Soli, S. and Vaillancourt, V. (2008). “Establishment of fitness standards for hearing-critical jobs,” Proceedings of 9th Int. Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem (ICBEN), Mashantucket (CT), USA (21-25 July), pp. 210-218.
• Chen, G., Giguère, C. and Aboulnasr, T. (2008). “Investigation of Volume Control for Hearing Aids Using a Modified Coherence Speech Intelligibility Index Measurement,” Proceedings of IEEE Int. Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), Victoria (BC), Canada (12-15 May), 4 pp.
• Zheng, Y., Giguère, C., Laroche, C., Sabourin, C., Gagné, A. and Élyea, M. (2007). “A psychoacoustic model for adjusting the level and spectrum of acoustic warning signalization in the workplace,” J. Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 4: 87-98.
• Laroche, C., Giguère, C., Al Osman R. and Zheng, Y. (2007.) “Detectsound and AlarmLocator: practical tools to install warning devices in noisy workplaces,” First European Forum on Efficient Solutions for Managing Occupational Noise Risks, Lille, France (3-5 July). Proceedings of Noise-At-Work 2007, pp. 875-882.