ASA PRESSROOM

Acoustical Society of America
141st Meeting Special Events

[ SESSIONS | LECTURES | WORKSHOPS | COURSES ]
[ COMPETITIONS | TOURS | LISTENING SPACES ]


SPECIAL SESSIONS


ASA PLENARY SESSION


A plenary session will be held Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom. The Gold Medal will be presented to Herman Medwin, the Helmholtz-Rayleigh Interdisciplinary Silver Medal will be presented to William M. Hartmann and the R. Bruce Lindsay Award will be presented to Andrew J. Oxenham.


Certificates will be presented to the Fellows elected at the Newport Beach Meeting of the Society.


HOT TOPICS SESSION


On Wednesday afternoon, 6 June, a Hot Topics session (3pID) will be held starting at 1:55 p.m. and ending just before the start of the Plenary Session. Papers will be presented on current topics in the fields of Architectural Acoustics, Noise, Structural Acoustics and Vibration and on Research Trends in Acoustics.

SPECIAL LECTURES


SPECIAL HISTORY LECTURES


The Committee on Archives and History will jointly sponsor two special lectures on the history of acoustics with the Technical Committee on Psychological and Physiological Acoustics. History of physiological acoustics'' will be presented by Murray B. Sachs on Tuesday, 5 June, at 11:10 a.m. on Tuesday, in Grand Ballroom. "History of psychological acoustics" will be presented by Ira J. Hirsh on Thursday, 7 June, at 11:10 a.m.


In 1997, the ASA Committee on Archives and History conceived a plan for a series of invited lectures on each of the technical areas of the Society which would document the significant achievements and milestones of each of its thirteen technical committees during the Society's first 75 years. With the cooperation of the technical committees, distinguished individuals are selected to review the history of their particular technical specialty and present a lecture which shows how that activity has developed and has contributed to the Society at large and to the broad field of acoustics as well. To date a total of six history lectures have been presented, two each at the 138th, 139th and 140th meetings. At each subsequent meeting two additional lectures will be scheduled including those in Psychological and Physiological Acoustics at this meeting.


The invited lecturers have been asked to prepare a written manuscript of their lectures which will be published in a commemorative book for the 75th Anniversary of the Society to be celebrated in 2004. The Archives and History Committee and the individual technical committees/group welcome comments and suggestions on both the History Lecture Series and on the proposed ASA Diamond Anniversary Book. Volunteers to assist the committees would be most welcome too. Contact Henry Bass, Chair, Committee on Archives and History, pabass@sunset.backbone.olemiss.edu


TUTORIAL LECTURE


A tutorial presentation on Demonstrations in Acoustics will be given by Thomas D. Rossing, of Northern Illinois University, Uwe J. Hansen of Indiana State University and a team of Chicago-area physics teachers on Monday, 4 June, at 7:00 p.m. This is the twenty-ninth in a series of Tutorial Lectures intended to provide attendees with some understanding and appreciation of areas of acoustical research other than their own specialties. A registration fee is charged to defray partially the lecture expenses. Students with current IDs may register for at a discounted fee. Only those who have pre-registered in advance of the meeting are assured of receiving copies of the lecture notes at the meeting. Use the registration form to register for the tutorial lecture.


DISTINGUISHED LECTURE


Bernard Widrow of Stanford University, who is a pioneer in developing algorithms for adaptive beamforming will present a Distinguished Lecture titled "A microphone array for hearing aids" on Tuesday, 5 June, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in session 2pSP.

SPECIAL WORKSHOPS



TUTORIAL WORKSHOP ON OCEANOGRAPHY


The "Oceanography Workshop/Mini-Tutorial" series continues on, featuring two lectures on the applications of sonar technology to water column oceanography studies. The two distinguished speakers are Larry A. Mayer who will speak on "Multibeam sonars: applications to fisheries research" and Manell E. Zakharia, who will speak on "Wideband and correlation techniques and their application to fisheries acoustics. Existing prototypes and future trends." This mini-tutorial lecture format, which has been well received at the last three meetings in will again focus on how acoustics serves as a critical tool in performing ocean science. These one-hour lectures will form keynote talks for the Monday AO special sessions on Acoustical instrumentation for water column measurements.

SPECIAL COURSES



SHORT COURSE ON APPLIED DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING IN ACOUSTICS


A short course on applied digital signal processing in acoustics will be held Friday, 8 June, 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 9 June, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in PDR 9.


This short course is designed to develop digital signal processing (DSP) techniques that are applicable to acoustical signal processing problems. The discussions range from basic digital signal processing techniques such as digital filtering and the fast Fourier transform (FFT), to more advanced approaches such as spectral estimation and adaptive processing, to some of the even more sophisticated adaptive and model-based techniques. The intent is to provide an overview which will provide the participant with additional details of a particular approach to investigate them further. At each stop along the way various DSP techniques will be applied to acoustical applications. Participants will obtain a basic understanding of the approaches and their applicability discussed from the practitioner's perspective, rather than that of a DSP expert.


The course instructor will be Dr. James V. Candy, Chief Scientist for Engineering and Director of the Center for Advanced Signal and Image Sciences at the University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He has published over 125 journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports as well as written two texts in signal processing, Signal Processing: the Model-Based Approach, (McGraw-Hill, 1986) and Signal Processing: the Modern Approach, (McGraw-Hill, 1988).


The registration fee is $200.00 prior to 2 May and $250.00 after 2 May and covers attendance, instructional materials and coffee breaks. Only those who have preregistered by 2 May will be guaranteed receipt of instructional materials. Any cancellation after 2 May will be charged a $50 processing fee. Registration at the meeting will be on a space-available basis but notes may not be available for at-meeting registrants. Use the registration form to register for the short course.

SPECIAL COMPETITIONS



STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION


The Technical Committee on Architectural Acoustics of the Acoustical Society of America and the National Council of Acoustical Consultants are sponsoring a student design competition which will be judged at the meeting. The competition involves the design of portions of a building where acoustical considerations are of primary importance. The submitted designs will be displayed at the Chicago meeting and judged by a panel of experts. Click here for details on the competition and submission of entries.


An award of $1,000 US will be made to the submitter(s) of the entry judged "First Honors." Four awards of $500 US each will be made to submitters of entries judged "Commendation."


Entries will be on display in Session 3aAAa on Wednesday, 6 June, beginning at 8:15 a.m. in Parlor A.

SPECIAL TOURS



TECHNICAL TOURS


Three technical tours will be offered during the week. There is no cost for participation in the tour, but space is limited, so advance registration is required. Sign up in advance of the meeting by sending your name and contact information to Ian Hoffman (fax: 708.524.2818 or email: ian@talaske.com). At the meeting, you may sign up for the tour at the ASA registration desk.


Tour participants should gather in Salon V of the Palmer House Hilton at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, 7 June, for a brief orientation prior to the start of the tour. Refer to the Technical Session Schedule for further information.


Tuesday Morning: Riverbank Acoustical Laboratories (RALTM). The RIVERBANK ACOUSTICAL LABORATORIES (RALTM) is located in Geneva, Illinois. Constructed in 1918, RALTM became the world's first independent laboratory dedicated to the science of architectural acoustics. Riverbank owner, philanthropist, Colonel George Fabyan built the laboratory for its designer, professor Wallace Clement Sabine who is acknowledged today as the father of the science of architectural acoustics and the first "modern day" acoustical consultant. RALTM is accredited by The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) administered by the Department of Commerce, National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP). Also of interest is RAL 's museum dedicated to the Science of Architectural Acoustics. The Acoustical Society of America officially sanctioned the museum in 1989. A tour through the facilities will include the original reverberation chamber, the transmission loss facility and the John Kopec Museum of Architectural Acoustical Testing. The tour is limited to the first 50 people that sign up (due to the size of the bus). The bus will board at the Lower Exhibit Hall lobby entrance of the Palmer House Hilton on Tuesday, 5 June, at 8:30 a.m. and the bus will depart at 8:45 a.m. The tour will be conducted from 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Lunch will be provided at Riverbank. The bus will return to the Palmer House by 2:00 p.m. [Complimentary bus transportation for this tour has been provided by Bruel & Kjaer.]


Wednesday Morning: Orchestra Hall Presentation.On Wednesday morning at 11:00 a lecture presentation will be given at Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan Avenue. Orchestra Hall, home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, was substantially rebuilt between 1995 and 1998. The lecture will be presented by members of Kirkegaard Associates, the acoustics consultants involved in the renovation, and will cover the extent, constraints, and goals of the remodeling, as well as the resultant changes in the acoustics of the concert hall.


Thursday Morning: Theatre Crawl. The Technical Committee on Architectural Acoustics is hosting a walking tour of three theatres in the Chicago Loop. The tour is scheduled as Architectural Acoustics Technical Session 4aAA on Thursday morning, 7 June, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The tour will include a mix of new and old, large and small theatres, including the historic Auditorium Theatre, the Palace Theatre and the brand new Goodman Theatre. At each facility, a tour and technical discussion will be led by the acousticians and architects who have most recently contributed to the design or renovation of the venue. There is no cost for participation in the tour, but space is limited, so advance registration is required. Sign up in advance of the meeting by sending your name and contact information to Ian Hoffman (fax: 708.524.2818 or email: ian@talaske.com). At the meeting, you may sign up for the tour at the ASA registration desk. Tour participants should gather in Salon V of the Palmer House Hilton at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, 7 June, for a brief orientation prior to the start of the tour. Refer to the Technical Session Schedule for further information.

SPECIAL LISTENING SPACES



LISTENING SPACES IN THE GREATER CHICAGO AREA


A wide selection of music spaces is available in the Chicago area. Consult the current theater listings for events occurring during the ASA meeting week. The Palmer House is surrounded by theaters and concert spaces including those at the downtown colleges and universities. DePaul's Merle Reskin Theatre is within a walk to the South, tel: (312) 922-1999 http://ttsweb.tht.depaul.edu/perform/tickets.htm, the Auditorium Theatre has no programming during the month of June. Symphony Center has programs on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (888) 294-3550. The Goodman Theatre is showing "WIT" tel: (312) 443-3800. The Schubert Theatre, The Cadillac Palace Theatre, The Oriental Theatre, and the Palace Theatre are all within reasonable walking distance to the North.

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