Ritchie School Students' Interdisciplinary Path Through Engineering and Music

Meet Yazzy Simons, a senior at Ritchie School of Engineering & Computer Science (Ritchie School), majoring in computer science with minors in mathematics and music. This past summer, she started her passion project: building a formant synthesizer called SES 01. Named after the Turkish word for “voice,” SES 01 is a synthesizer designed to mimic vocal sounds using multiple filters. It features knobs that control pitch, volume, vocalizations, vowel sounds, reverb, and mood; allowing it to sing and speak. 

“The goal of the project was to explore how a machine can make human sounds and what it means to express yourself within the constraints of life,” she says. 

Yazzy coded the synthesizer to operate within specific parameters but also introduced randomization. The result was a system that, while limited in range, still found ways to express itself, mirroring the human experience of expressing oneself within life’s boundaries. 

Ritchie School faculty and Electrical and Computer Engineering Chair, Dr. Goncalo Martins, has been mentoring Yazzy through this project. With his help, Yazzy has learned about Digital Signal Processing (DSP), including how to build filters. He not only taught her about DSP with the context of creativity and music, but he also helped her understand it from the perspective of her computer science and coding knowledge. 

For Yazzy, music is about expression and engineering is about creation. By using tools like modulation and filtration in her code, she has built something that connects both fields. 

“Through modulation and filtration in my code, I’ve built something that bridges both worlds - an engineered system that’s musically expressive,” she says. 

Her path to an interdisciplinary engineering and music major was not as straightforward. When she started her computer science program, she struggled to find a specific area she was passionate about. So, she took some time off and even considered switching her major to music. However, this project helped her realize that she didn’t have to choose one or the other. 

“Through this project, I realized that I don't really have to compromise what I'm passionate about and what I feel I'm good at. I decided to find the intersection of music and engineering.” 

For Yazzy, enrolling in DU was not a quick decision. Both her parents and her college counselor suggested DU, but for different reasons, its strong engineering and art/music programs. Eventually, Yazzy picked DU because of the small class sizes and vibrant student life. While at DU, she has not only excelled in her creative pursuits, but she also has also found a supportive community and faculty that helped her pursue her interdisciplinary passions. 

After graduation, she plans to move to Los Angeles so she can keep pursuing music and audio programming. And her slice of wisdom for the new students? 

“Think outside the box and explore what makes you happy.”