| Biography |
|---|
| Hi, my name is Zachary Trefler. I am 17 years old, in grade 12 at Waterloo C.I. in southern Ontario. I am mainly interested in physics and computer science, but all sciences fascinate me (University has meant tough decisions). Besides science, I am reading books constantly, as well as running, wood-carving and kite-flying. I also talk to people sometimes. My project, WaveFire, was my attempt to improve voice recognition, or more accurately, speaker verification (SV). I've shown that many machine learning algorithms used for SV are vulnerable to fake data. By giving an SV algorithm training experience with intentionally fake data using the WaveFire model, the algorithm grows much more robust. I am continuing to improve WaveFire, making it increasingly generalizable and user-friendly. To other students doing science fair projects, I would advise you to simply try to learn more about whatever you are curious about. The questions will flow naturally, and eventually, answers will follow. Work hard, work smart, and don't stop! |
| Zachary Trefler
VoiceShield: Teaching Computers to Distinguish Real Data From Fake
| Challenge: | Information | | Category: | Senior | | Region: | Waterloo-Wellington | | City: | Waterloo, ON | | School: | Waterloo Collegiate Institute | | Abstract: | Voice recognition systems powered by machine learning are widely used to secure critical data, e.g. on smartphones and in banking systems. But can they be fooled? My research reveals a critical vulnerability: adversarial machine learning techniques can generate convincing faked audio prints. I then introduce a novel method for voice recognition systems to flag fake data, thus reducing this risk. |
| Awards | Value | Canadian Acoustical Association Award
Senior
Sponsor: Canadian Acoustical Association | $1 000.00 | Excellence Award - Senior
Bronze Medal
Sponsor: Youth Science Canada | | Challenge Award - Information
Senior
Sponsor: Youth Science Canada | | Carleton University Entrance Award
Senior Bronze Medallist - $1,000 Entrance Award
Sponsor: Carleton University | $1 000.00 | University of Ottawa Entrance Scholarship
Senior Bronze Medallist - $1000 Entrance Scholarship
Sponsor: University of Ottawa | $1 000.00 | Western University Scholarship
Bronze Medallist - $1000 Entrance Scholarship
Sponsor: Western University | $1 000.00 | | Total | $4 000.00 | |
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