Video: More than Babies, Ultrasound Used to Deliver Drugs, Treat Tremors

First used to sniff out submarines, technology expands biomedical acoustic uses

For More Information:
Keeta Jones
516-576-2364
kjones@acousticalsociety.org

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2020 — Ultrasound is probably most associated with a parent’s first glimpse of a baby in the womb. However, a new video from the Acoustical Society of America showcases the technology’s abilities to do more than just show images of our insides.

This video is the second in a series celebrating the International Year of Sound.

Research into the medical uses of ultrasound uncovered its ability to be used as a precision scalpel, to destroy tumor and cancer cells, and to treat brain diseases and numerous other conditions. Biomedical acoustic scientists are using ultrasound to deliver medicine to specific areas in the body, increasing the effectiveness of the drugs and reducing the impact on healthy cells.

[https://youtu.be/7VEqpXg2t6w]

Because it is noninvasive in most cases, patients who undergo medical procedures that use ultrasound can recover more quickly from those procedures. Ultrasound is also used during surgical procedures to inform medical personnel about what is happening inside the body.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound therapies are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of uterine fibroids and essential tremors, to alleviate pain from bone metastases, and for the ablation of prostate tissue. Numerous clinical trials are underway with the goal expanding the number of approved treatments.

According to the National Institutes of Health, ultrasound is also being investigated to close wounds and stop bleeding, break up clots in blood vessels, and temporarily open the blood brain barrier so that medications can pass through.

Fun Facts About Ultrasound

• First technological use in 1917 as an attempt to locate submarines
• Accidentally killed fish during World War II when high intensity waves were used as sonar systems
• Used for medical purposes since the 1940s
• Clinical use requires sound waves between 800 kHz and 10 MHz (800,000 Hz to 10,000,000 Hz)
• Ultrasound imaging is amongst the cheapest and most portable approach to medical imaging
• Gel applied to the skin prevents air pockets from forming between the transducer and the skin
• Diagnostic ultrasound images can be 2D, 3D or 3D in motion
• Therapeutic ultrasound is being developed not just for treating humans but also for treating animals

To learn more about ultrasound and the field of biomedical acoustics, visit https://exploresound.org/2020/04/biomedical-acoustics/.

About Acoustical Society of America

The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is the premier international scientific society in acoustics devoted to the science and technology of sound. Its 7,000 members worldwide represent a broad spectrum of the study of acoustics. ASA publications include The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (the world’s leading journal on acoustics), Acoustics Today magazine, books, and standards on acoustics. The society also holds two major scientific meetings each year.

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SOUND 2020 EXTENDS INTO 2021

With the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic already leading to the postponement of several events being organized for the International Year of Sound, the IYS 2020 Steering Committee has issued the following statement:

It is very unfortunate that the spread of the coronavirus in the whole world coincided with the beginning of the International Year of Sound. We all understand that health is our highest priority and that it is very important to follow the orders and restrictions issued by the World Health Organization and the National Health Authorities. Among these restrictions is the reduction of the unnecessary trips and the cancellation of larger group gatherings. These measures are already in effect in many countries and we cannot predict how long they will continue.

In view of these, it is evident that many of the events scheduled for the IYS 2020 must be either cancelled or rescheduled. As these events all around the globe provide the main tools we have in our hands to inform the people on the importance of sound for our world, and in order that the objectives of the IYS 2020 are fulfilled without restrictions we propose the following :

Extend the celebration of the IYS 2020 into the year 2021. This means that events originally scheduled for the 2020 can be rescheduled for the 2021 and still be part of the IYS 2020 celebration. This will also give the flexibility for the organizers of events yet to schedule to plan the event for 2021.

Ask the organizers of the events proposed to celebrate the IYS 2020 to respect the measures and restrictions issued by the WHO and the Health Authorities in their own countries and where necessary reschedule the already planned events and gatherings.

Postpone the deadlines for the submission of the proposals for the students competition to the end of the year 2020. The evaluation of the proposals will be done in the beginning of the 2021 and the announcement of the winners will be in 2021 in association with a major international acoustics meeting in 2021. Sergio Luzzi has agreed with this proposal.

Cancel the plans for the ICA summary/overview event of the IYS 2020 which was to be scheduled during the 2020 ASA November meeting in Cancun and reschedule for a suitable international meeting in 2021.

In the mean-time, our IYS 2020 web-site will be fully functioning with information on the status of the planned events and their rescheduling.

Using the words of Sergio Luzzi regarding the extension of the schools competition:

“We must guarantee to the world that the Year of Sound is not cancelled by the virus and that right after this difficult period, the beautiful “sound of the world” will be heard again by everyone.”

Michael Taroudakis and Marion Burgess

Co-Organisers IYS 2020

IYS Opening Ceremony

Kick Off International Year of Sound with U.S. Opening Ceremony at American Center for Physics on Feb. 13

Media, scientists, audio enthusiasts, students and community members are invited to attend.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information:
Keeta Jones
516-576-2364
kjones@acousticalsociety.org

COLLEGE PARK, Md., February 7, 2020 — The International Year of Sound (IYS 2020) is a global initiative to highlight the importance of sound-related sciences and technologies. The U.S. opening ceremony will be held Thursday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. EST at the American Center for Physics, located in College Park, Maryland.

Sponsored by the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) and its Washington, DC Regional Chapter, the ceremony will have presentations about sound-related issues as well as a public showing of a video highlighting how scientists are reducing the impact of noise pollution on the natural world.

Victor Sparrow, president of ASA, said the new video being viewed during the celebration showcases how we, as humans, have altered the world around us without even realizing it.

“Sound plays an important role in all human activities, and applications of acoustics are found in almost all aspects of modern society,” Sparrow said. “However, there is a concern about too much sound, which then becomes noise, and it needs to be controlled to ensure acceptable and safe living environments for people and nature.”

The animal sounds video is the first in a series being produced by ASA to celebrate the International Year of Sound and raise awareness into how acousticians work to improve the world through the science of sound.

The U.S. opening ceremony will also feature two presentations. Josef Rauschecker, a professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Georgetown University, give in a talk, “Auditory Perception and Action,” at the event.

“Whether we speak, sing, or play a musical instrument, sound production has to be linked to auditory perception,” Rauschecker said. “I will discuss how the brain controls these complex behaviors.”

In a separate talk, Gary Gottlieb, vice president of the Audio Engineering Society, will outline the evolution of audio — where it has been and what is on the acoustical horizon. A second video at the event, “What Makes Frozen Lakes Sing?” is a 2016 ASA Science Writing Award winner and explains the strange twang that frozen lakes create.

The evening will include refreshments and live music by String Poets. Please RSVP if attending on the ASA Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/events/1471661962993102/) or online at http://evite.me/GhGqB15TmD.

The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is the premier international scientific society in acoustics devoted to the science and technology of sound. Its 7,000 members worldwide represent a broad spectrum of the study of acoustics. ASA publications include The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (the world’s leading journal on acoustics), Acoustics Today magazine, books, and standards on acoustics. The society also holds two major scientific meetings each year. For more information about ASA, click here.

IYS and ASA Combined Logo

Link to ASA Brand Toolkit

Link to ASA Brand Guideines

Media contact for ASA’s IYS details: kjones@acousticalsociety.org

Social media handles

IYS hashtags: #IYS2020

IYS Press Releases

Upcoming U.S. IYS / ASA Events in 2020

13 February, 2020: US Opening Ceremony
The ASA Washington DC Regional Chapter will be hosting the US International Year of Sound Opening Ceremony on Thursday, February 13th, 6pm – 9pm in the American Center for Physics (One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740).

World Hearing Day — 3 March 2020

International Noise Awareness Day — Wednesday, 29 April 2020 

9–10 May 2020: ASA School 2020
ASA School 2020 is a two-day course for graduate students and early career acousticians being held in Itasca, Illinois. Visit https://acousticalsociety.org/asa-school-2020/ for application information.

11–15 May 2020: ASA Spring meeting
The 179th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America will be held in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Jam Session in Chicago
The College of Fellows will host the ASA Jam Session on Wednesday, 13 May, at 8:00 p.m. Bring your axe, horn, sticks, voice, or anything else that makes music. Musicians and non-musicians are all welcome to attend. A full PA system, backline equipment, guitars, bass, keyboard, and drum set will be provided. All attendees will enjoy live music, a cash bar, and all-around good times. Don’t miss out.

Listen Up and Get Involved!

Monday, 11 May, 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.: Technical Tour to Riverbank Laboratories
Participants are asked to make a $10 donation to the Acoustical Society of America Early Career Leadership Campaign (CAECL) when they register for the meeting. Click here for more details.

11–15 May 2020: Gallery of Acoustics
The Gallery will consist of a collection of images, videos, audio clips, and narrations of images and/or sounds generated by acoustic processes or resulting from signal and image processing of acoustic data. Visit the ASA meeting website for submission guidelines: acousticalsociety.org/asa-meetings

11–15 May 2020: Hands-on Workshop: Wiki4YearOfSound2020
During the 179th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. Workshop attendees will learn the basics of Wikipedia editing, make substantive changes to Wikipedia articles within their area of expertise, and find out more about the Wiki Education Foundation’s classroom program.

11–15 May 2020: Without the Past, There is no Present or Future – The Story of Historical Instruments. A display of historical instruments and photographs will be on display at the 179th ASA Spring meeting.

11–15 May 2020: Biomedical Acoustics Workshop: Time-domain ultrasound simulation in biological tissue using k-Wave
There is no fee to participate, however, participants must register online or use the printed registration form at the time of registering for 179th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. See full details here.

PASS 2020

9 – 13 November 2020: ASA Fall meeting
The 180th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America will be held in Cancun, Mexico.