James W. Beauchamp Award for Interdisciplinary Research

Established 2024

James W. Beauchamp

James “Jim” W. Beauchamp was Professor Emeritus in both the School of Music and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois. Dr. Beauchamp received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Michigan, in 1960 and 1961 respectively. In 1965, he graduated from the University of Illinois with a PhD in electrical engineering.

He joined the electrical engineering faculty in 1965. Shortly after, he took a leave of absence which he spent working in Stanford's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. He returned in 1969 to his joint appointment in electrical engineering and music.

During his tenure at Illinois, he served as director of the School of Music's Experimental Music Studios, during which time he headed the Hybrid Computer Project and the Computer Music Project. Dr. Beauchamp was a fellow of both the Audio Engineering Society and the Acoustical Society of America. He was also a visiting scholar at Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics and a visiting researcher at the Institut de recherche et coordination in acoustique musique (IRCAM) in Paris.

DESCRIPTION:

The James W. Beauchamp Award for Interdisciplinary Research was established by one of his former students, Robert Maher, to honor the memory of James W. Beauchamp, a member of the electrical and computer engineering faculty for 30 years. He also served in multiple roles in the School of Music (Director of the School of Music's Experimental Music Studio, 1969-1973; the PLACOMP Music Synthesizer Project (1973-81), and the Computer Music Project, 1984-1993). This award is to be made annually in his honor.

Dr. Rob Maher joined the Montana State ECE faculty in August 2002, after serving on the faculty of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Colorado-Boulder, and working as an entrepreneur and engineering manager in private industry. He holds a BS degree from Washington University in St. Louis (1984), an MS degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1985), and a PhD from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1989), all in Electrical Engineering. Professor Beauchamp was his doctoral advisor and inspired Dr. Maher to pursue an interdisciplinary focus which has continued to be a guiding force in his career to this day. Dr. Maher’s research and teaching interests are in the area of digital signal processing, with particular emphasis on applications in digital audio, audio forensic analysis, digital music synthesis, and acoustics.

REQUIREMENTS:

1. The recipient shall be pursuing their PhD in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering;
2. The recipient shall be a doctoral degree candidate who has successfully passed their qualifying exam; and
3. The recipient shall be engaged in interdisciplinary creative work that transcends traditional department boundaries including, but not limited to, cross-disciplinary research in engineering and the fine arts.

APPLICATIONS:

The online application forms will be advertised on My.ECE. A complete application should consist of the student’s resume, his/her list of publications, and 2 letters of recommendation (one from the research adviser).

SELECTION PROCESS:

All applications for the Award will be reviewed by the ECE Graduate Awards and Fellowship Committee based on the above criteria.

AWARD:

The recipient(s) will be recognized during an annual Student Awards Banquet in the spring. All student recipients are featured on the second floor of the ECE Building's Student Honors Wall.

Past Recipients of the Award