Acoustics Research that Makes a Splash

As summer heats up in the northern hemisphere, many of us will head to the nearest body of water to cool off. While you relax on the beach (or by the community pool), why not read some fun research about sound and water?

One game children will play at the pool is to try to listen to another person talking while both the speaker and listener are underwater. Kids who attempt this game will quickly realize that things sound different underwater. The cause is not only the fact sound propagates differently in water than it does in air, but that the human hearing system functions differently underwater as well. Brandon M. Casper and Matthew A. Babina’s Acoustics Today article, “Human Hearing in the Underwater Environment,” gives an overview of what researchers have learned about how we hear underwater. (Be sure to check out the image that was featured on the cover of that issue, which shows a person submerged in a tank of water during an early experiment of human underwater hearing.)

In fact, some researchers have actually gone a step further from previous research regarding human underwater hearing by considering how underwater soundscapes can be used as a means of artistic expression. The Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics article “Floors of Heaven: A case study of an underwater acoustic soundscape for recreational purposes” shares an underwater music piece that was installed in a swimming pool and discusses how soundscapes can be delivered in underwater environments. Who knows? Maybe in a few years, we’ll all be listening to concerts under the sea!

Finally, for those who enjoy spending their summer days scuba diving, some exciting new research was presented at the recent ASA meeting in Ottawa and was written up in the lay language paper, “Listening for bubbles to make scuba diving safer.” The paper reports on an ultrasound device that can help divers avoid decompression sickness, which occurs when divers ascend deep water.

Of course, there’s a whole Technical Committee in the ASA dedicated to Underwater Acoustics, so if you’d like to read more on how sound propagates through water, you’ll find plenty! (May we suggest starting with the AT Collection on Underwater Acoustics?)

AT Spring 2022 cover

New Across Acoustics Episode: Student Paper Competition – Sydney

This episode, we talk to a new round of POMA Student Paper Competition winners from the 185th ASA Meeting in Sydney about their exciting research endeavors:

  • An analysis of how drums convey emotion
  • A method to assess stress caused by vibration in acoustic black holes
  • An improved estimator for background noise in underwater signals
  • A model to help remove distortion from the sound fields of parametric array loudspeakers
  • A numerical study of a little-understood phenomenon in bowed-string instruments

Like the episode? Read the associated articles:

  • Zeyu Huang, Wenyi Song, Xiaojuan Ma, and Andrew Brian Horner. “The emotional characteristics of bass drums, snare drums, and disengaged snare drums with different strokes and dynamics.” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 52, 035005 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001834
  • Archie Keys and Jordan Cheer. “Experimental measurements of stress in an Acoustic Black Hole using a laser doppler vibrometer.” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 52, 065003 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001829
  • David Campos Anchieta and John R. Buck. “Robust power spectral density estimation via a performance-weighted blend of order statistics.” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 52, 055006 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001849
  • Wenyao Ma, Jun Yang, and Yunxi Zhu. “Identification of the parametric array loudspeaker system using differential Volterra filter.” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 52, 055005 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001850
  • Shodai Tanaka, Hiroshi Kori, and Ayumi Ozawa. “A mathematical study about the sustaining phenomenon of overtone in flageolet harmonics on bowed string instruments.” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 52, 035006 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001835

Congrats to our student winners!

New Across Acoustics Episode: Measuring the Big Impact Vibration Has on Tiny Microphones

The tiny microphones used inside hearing aids can be very sensitive to vibration of the device, resulting in annoying feedback. Testing how sensitive these microphones are to vibration has been a problem that plagued engineers. In this episode, we talk to Charles King and Chris Monti of Knowles Electronics about their innovation to measure microphone vibration sensitivity.
Like the episode? Check out the related article!

Announcing the Winners of the Acoustics 2023 Sydney POMA Student Paper Competition

Helen Wall Murray

POMA Manuscript Manager

helenwallmurray@acousticalsociety.org

The core purpose of the competition is to highlight the relevant and cutting-edge research happening across the many disciplines of the ASA, and to draw attention, specifically, to the achievements of young acousticians. Ultimately, the Society hopes this initiative will continue to increase involvement with POMA across the membership and provide an efficient, speedy and valuable path to publication for many first-time authors.

POMA Student Paper Competition

The Proceedings on Meeting of Acoustics (POMA) Editorial Board is pleased to announce the winners of the 4th consecutive POMA Student Paper Competition based on presentations given a the 185th Meeting of the ASA, Sydney, Australia, 4-8 December 2023.

Of the 13 student submissions entered, five papers were chosen from three different technical areas:  Musical Acoustics, Signal Processing and Structural Acoustics.  Five technical committees were represented in total, and, once again, the papers were all of high quality and are now published and available for viewing in POMA Volume 52.

On behalf of ASA and POMA, we congratulate the following students on their winning papers:

Signal Processing

Robust power spectral density estimation via a performance-weighted blend of order statistics
David Campos Anchieta; John R. Buck
Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 52, 055006 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001849

Signal Processing

Identification of the parametric array loudspeaker system using differential Volterra filter
Wenyao Ma; Jun Yang; Yunxi Zhu
Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 52, 055005 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001850

Musical Acoustics

The emotional characteristics of bass drums, snare drums, and disengaged snare drums with different strokes and dynamics
Zeyu Huang; Wenyi Song; Xiaojuan Ma; Andrew Brian Horner
Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 52, 035005 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001834

Musical Acoustics

A mathematical study about the sustaining phenomenon of overtone in flageolet harmonics on bowed string instruments
Shodai Tanaka; Hiroshi Kori; Ayumi Ozawa
Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 52, 035006 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001835

Structural Acoustics

Experimental measurements of stress in an Acoustic Black Hole using a laser doppler vibrometer
Archie Keys; Jordan Cheer
Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 52, 065003 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001829

Each winning student author receives an award of USD $300 and the opportunity to appear on Across Acoustics, the official Podcast of the ASA. Additionally, a special designation is added to the cover pages, articles are featured on ASA social media accounts, and each winner receives a formal certificate signed by the ASA President and the POMA Editor.

Calling all Ottawa Student Presenters!

The current student paper competition commenced after the close of the 186th Meeting of the Acoustical Society in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  Student presenters are invited to submit a corresponding paper by the competition deadline, which is approximately 30 days after the conclusion of the meeting (in this case, 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time, 17 June 2024).  For more information about the POMA Student Paper Competition (PSPC), please contact the POMA Editorial Office – poma@acousticalsociety.org.

 Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for the award, an author must:

  • be enrolled as a student at least half-time (graduates are eligible if the presented work was performed as a student within one year of the meeting). *Note that the student author does not need to be a member of the ASA to qualify.
  • be listed as the first author on the submitted abstract and POMA manuscript and present the paper at the meeting.
  • submit the POMA manuscript by the competition deadline, which is 30 days after the conclusion of the meeting.

Instructions for Consideration

  • Indicate your paper is part of the POMA Student Paper Competition by selecting this article type during the POMA submission process.
  • Ensure the article passes the initial quality check: Please use either the MS Word or LaTeX manuscript templates and follow all manuscript preparation and submission instructions. *Articles that do not pass the initial quality check are ineligible for the competition. See the submission checklist at the POMA Author Resources
  • The competition deadline is 11:59 pm 30 days post meeting. Any manuscripts received after this will be considered for publication in POMA but will be ineligible for the competition.

 

Selection Process

  • The papers will be rated by the POMA Associate Editor corresponding to the technical area in which the paper was presented. The top related papers will be evaluated by the POMA Editor, POMA Assistant Editor, and POMA Manuscript Manager and up to five winning papers will be selected. *Note that the paper judging will take place concurrently with the ordinary editorial review of a POMA submission; each judged paper will be returned with comments and a publication decision.
  • Regardless of the competition outcome, the opportunity to publish an editor-reviewed proceedings paper will enhance your CV/resume and help you take an important intermediate step toward a peer-reviewed publication.

Congratulations again to our Sydney winners! Ottawa attendees, we look forward to receiving your submissions!

From Acoustics Lay Language Paper to Publication

Acoustics Lay Language Papers are concise summaries of research presented at ASA Meetings that help bridge the gap between specialized knowledge and general understanding for science writers, educators, reporters, and inquisitive minds alike. What many potential ALLP authors may not fully grasp is the hidden potential within these summaries— the ability to serve as a springboard towards publication in Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics (POMA).

For example, the process of writing an ALLP encourages the author to think about the story they are trying to express with their research, and how to convey that story in a clear, concise fashion. That structure can then be expanded upon with more details and data to develop a POMA. Check out these POMAs to see how other authors leveraged their ALLPs:

Acoustics Lay Language Paper

By writing an ALLP, you make your research accessible to a wider audience while also taking the initial steps towards presenting research effectively for publication. Consider your ALLP as the first building block in your journey towards a publication in POMA, JASA-EL, or even JASA. It’s a strategic move that combines effective communication with broader accessibility, setting you on the path to sharing your acoustic discoveries with the world. If you will be presenting at an upcoming ASA Meeting, seize the opportunity to write an ALLP.

Read more about the ALLP program and get tips and tricks in the Acoustics Today article, Reaching Reporters, Teachers, and Bosses – Lay Language Papers and be sure to submit your own ALLP in for the 186th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and Acoustics Week in Canada, sponsored by the Acoustical Society of America and the Canadian Acoustical Association. The ideal submission deadline is Wednesday, May 1, to allow time for posting ahead of the meeting.