14 September 2004

Making sense of the confused conversations of a suicide cult, the desperation of an emergency call, establishing the true identity of a speaker and evaluating the authenticity of ‘lost’ recordings by music legends features in a free seminar being presented at Charles Darwin University tomorrow.

The top of this image is from the Branch Davidian case Dr Yonovitz worked on; the bottom is a sound spectograph or voiceprint used in the science

Dr Al Yonovitz, a Lecturer in Psychology at Charles Darwin University, will present the free seminar: The Sounds of Crime - the science of forensic acoustics.

“In my presentation, I will be using actual evidence material from many high profile cases including 911 calls, drug possession and selling, Internet solicitation, singer authenticity and capital murder,” he explained.

Dr Yonovitz holds a doctorate in psychological acoustics and has been involved in the area of forensic audio and video for over 25 years. His credits also include having mentored the first African American Astronaut to ‘walk in space’ and the Young Territory Citizen of the Year.

However, he believes that the challenge of a court case and establishing a scientific basis for truth is as exciting as an academic pursuit in applied or basic science.

“The application of scientific principles in laboratories often find relevance to courtroom problems related to both criminal and civil legal issues,” Dr Yonovitz remarked.

“The use of the specialised equipment for research and resources at Charles Darwin University has permitted assistance to both law-enforcement agencies and defence lawyers as well.”

At Charles Darwin University, Dr Yonovitz’s primary research is in the area of providing the best possible hearing for Territorians with a focus into better hearing for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Dr Yonovitz’s research and teaching includes working as the Unit Head in Ear Health and Education at the Menzies School of Health Research and the District Manager for Australian Hearing. He has authored or co-authored over 100 publications/paper presentations and has been the recipient of over 25 grants.