New Across Acoustics Episode: Speech research methods and gender-diverse speakers

Traditionally, speech researchers have asked participants to classify speakers on a binary scale for gender. However, as our understanding of gender changes, so must our research methods. In this episode, we talk to Brandon Merritt (University of Texas – El Paso) about their research into updating research protocols to better encompass a diversity of genders and gain a more nuanced understanding of listeners’ perception of speakers’ identity.

Like the episode? Check out the related article!

JASA Special Issue on Perception and Production of Sounds in the High-Frequency Range of Human Speech

The collection for the JASA Special Issue on Perception and Production of Sounds in the High-Frequency Range of Human Speech is now available online! Thank you to Ewa Jacewicz, Joshua M. Alexander, and Robert A. Fox for serving as Guest Editors for this Special Issue.

The frequency range audible to humans can extend from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, but only the lower portion of this range – up to 8 kHz – has been systematically explored regarding speech. Challenging the notion that extended high-frequency (EHF) information has minimal functional significance, this Special Issue presents a collection of studies investigating the acoustic and perceptual utility of EHF information above this low range. The papers are divided into five categories, including EHF hearing, EHF hearing loss, EHF in speech and speaker recognition, acoustic EHF energy in fricative sounds, and ultrasonic vocalizations in mice in relation to human hearing.

Read more on this Special Issue in the Introduction and visit the collection of articles here.

JASA Special Issue

Image credit: Figure 1 from Hamza et al (2023).

January 2024 JASA Cover

The January cover of JASA is now available! Check it out:

The cover image is Figure 1, of “Microstructure-based modeling to characterize low pore density open-cell foams and its experimental validation,” by Swati Sachan and Sripriya Ramamoorthy. The top portion features the unit cell of a body-centered-cubic microlattice and the 3D periodic sample created by its spatial repetition, while the bottom shows samples of varying pores per inch.

Some other research was also highlighted on the January JASA cover:

All the articles from the cover are free to read for a month after the cover is released, so be sure to check them out! You can find the whole issue at https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/issue/155/1.

Dec JASA Cover

Celebrating Diversity in Acoustics: Select JASA Articles Free to Read for Black History Month

Black History Month publications

Acoustics is a field that thrives on diverse perspectives, and the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is steadfast in its commitment to fostering inclusivity. In alignment with this vision, the ASA asserts that everyone, regardless of their racial identity, ethnic background, gender, age, disability, religion, or national origin, deserves equal opportunities in the realm of acoustics, including access to published research. As a celebration of Black History Month, the ASA Publications Office is making select JASA articles authored by Minority/James West Fellows free to read throughout the month of February. ASA established a Minority Fellowship in 1992 with the goal of supporting minority students in their pursuit of graduate-level degrees in acoustics. The fellowship was renamed the James E. West Fellowship in 2018.

 

 

These articles not only contribute valuable insights to acoustical research, but also highlight the exceptional accomplishments of Minority/James West Fellows. The ASA looks forward to fostering continued inclusivity, collaboration, and dialogue within the acoustics community beyond Black History Month. Help us highlight the voices of black acousticians!

Popular Social Media Posts – January

The first month of 2024 has flown by, which means it’s time to review January’s most popular social media posts. The following posts got people to like, share, and perhaps most importantly, read the published research!

On the ASA Facebook page, a JASA Express Letter post featuring “Sound power of NASA’s lunar rockets: Space Launch System versus Saturn V” had really good engagement. You can visit the post first or read the article at https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0022538.

Facebook-January Social MediaFacebook

Next, a Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics (POMA) paper presented at the most recent ASA Meeting did well on Twitter (X). See the original tweet or read the paper at: https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001812.

Twitter-January Social MediaLinkedIn

Next, a Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics (POMA) paper presented at the most recent ASA Meeting did well on Twitter (X). See the original tweet or read the paper at: https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001812.

Instagram-January Social MediaInstagram

Finally, folks on LinkedIn enjoyed a post featuring an article from the 3D Sound Recognition Special issue of JASA. View the post and read the article at https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0024159.

LinkedIn-January Social MediaLinked In

In fact, many of our upcoming social media posts will be about 185th Meeting, Acoustics 23 and will contain #Acoustics23. If you will be attending, be sure to include the hashtag so that we can follow along! We are especially looking forward to the POMAs that come after the meeting!