Powell receives 2012 Newman Student Medal

Posted on August 24, 2012 by NAGadmin

Congratulations to Eric Powell, recipient of a 2012 Newman Student Medal for Merit in the Study of Architectural Acoustics!  Eric completed a study for his Master’s of Architectural Engineering degree on “Optimization of Low Frequency Responses by Modeling in Rectangular Rooms Using Absorption for Modal Damping” this past May and has since been working as a consultant with Paradise Theater Design.

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Welcome to the 2012-13 academic year!

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Lily Wang

The end of spring semester and the summer have come and gone so quickly… and we have LOTS of Nebraska Acoustics Group news to share with you from the past 4 months … but first, a post to kick-off the 2012-13 academic year!

I am again giving extra credit to third year students in the AE 3300 “Building Acoustic Fundamentals” class who tweet or blog about how building acoustics impacts their lives… check out the hashtag #AE3300 on twitter periodically this semester.

 

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NAG at the NCAC 50th Anniversary Meeting in Dallas

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Lily Wang

A group of NAG members attended the 50th Anniversary meeting of the National Council of Acoustical Consultants in Dallas, TX, on April 13-15, 2012.  It was an excellent conference, including tours of (1) Meyerson Symphony Hall and (2) the Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.  The NCAC was especially welcoming to the students who attended, noting that they are the future of the acoustical consulting field.  It was a wonderful networking opportunity for our students, with consultants and manufacturers!  Thanks to all in NCAC!

Christopher Ainley, Megan Christensen, James Cottrell, Josh Thede, and Lily Wang at the NCAC 50th Anniversary Meeting

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Hart and Cottrell named recipients of 2012 Leo Beranek Student Medals

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Lily Wang

Congratulations to our students, Carl Hart (graduate level) and James Cottrell (undergraduate level), who have been selected as recipients of the 2012 Leo Beranek Student Medal for Excellence in the Study of Noise Control, sponsored by the Institute of Noise Control Engineering!  This is the second year of this award program, and we are pleased that these students have been recognized for their good work!

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NAG Meeting 04-18-12

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Lily Wang

The last official NAG meeting of the 2011-12 academic year!  We were pleased to welcome Marta Pulfer, the 7th grader who won the 1st place ASA award from the Greater Nebraska Science and Engineering Fair, to our meeting.

Adam Buck presented on the research he’s pursuing, regarding the just noticeable difference of reverberation time.  He’s in the midst of conducting subjective tests, so if you’re interested in participating, please let him know!  Also, the acoustic nugget was taken from the auditory listserv (which you should join, if you aren’t already a member) – it’s a link to a survey on how individuals start liking new music, from the Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience lab at McGill University.

We’re eagerly planning our annual End-of-the-Year Party, this year at Boulder Creek Amusement Park – putt putt golf is the game du jour.  Stay tuned for the post in a few weeks…!

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Cottrell and Dougherty present at UNL Undergraduate Research Fair

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Lily Wang

James Cottrell and James Dougherty presented posters at the UNL Undergraduate Research Conference on April 5, 2012.  Both have received funding from the UNL Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experience (UCARE) program.  James Cottrell has been studying how varying the material configuration within classrooms can impact the acoustical environment, and James Dougherty has been working on simulating sound propagation down elbows in HVAC systems using COMSOL. The posters were well-received … good job, James and James!

James Cottrell at UNL Undergraduate Research Conference

James Dougherty at UNL Undergraduate Research Conference

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Welcome to Dr. Kai-Ming Li from Purdue University

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Lily Wang

The Nebraska Acoustics Group has been pleased to host Dr. Kai-Ming Li, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, as a visiting scholar for a portion of the spring semester.  Dr. Li presented a lecture on ‘Outdoor Noise Propagation’ on Wednesday, April 4.

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Visit to Kauffman Center in Kansas City

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Lily Wang

The University of Nebraska’a Acoustical Society of America (ASA) student group was very excited to receive a grant from the UNL Durham School to support a weekend trip for 17 members to visit the newly opened Kauffman Center in Kansas City for a performance and tour.  This new performing arts facility, with acoustics designed by Nagata, opened just last fall.  We procured some of the very last tickets for the Saturday, March 31 concert of Bronfman playing Mozart, many of which were located in the choral loft behind the orchestra.  Here are some photos taken in the stunning new facility:

UNASA Members at Kauffman Center Concert

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Sunday morning after the concert, we participated in a joint tour of the Kauffman Center with the University of Kansas student group, organized by the amazing Bob Coffeen.  Many thanks to Charlotte (our Kauffmann Center tour guide), Casey Cassias (BNIM), and Bill Whitman (W.L. Cassell & Associates), who led us on a fabulous 1.5 hour tour all around the facility, highlighting the engineering design of the facility.

Our sincere thanks to Bob Coffeen for giving us a tour the previous day, as well, of the Johnson County Community College Performing Arts Center – a facility that he designed.  It was a fabulous weekend all in all (except for one not-so-wonderful burgling incident… but let’s not dwell on that!)

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NAG Meeting 3-28-12

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Lily Wang

Hyun Hong gave the featured presentation at our 3/28/12 NAG meeting on simulating absorptive properties of porous materials.  The Acoustic Nugget was on how dementia may be linked to hearing loss (all the more reason to protect your hearing, young ones!)

And Matt Blevins invited NAG members to participate on the first planned foray of our newly instituted “NAG Measurement Team” which plans to make ‘outreach’ type measurements in our local area periodically through the school year.  The target: Morrill Hall at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln campus on April 13… stay tuned for more on that!

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NAG Meeting 03-14-12

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Lily Wang

Ahhh, the end of a semester!  April is notoriously difficult, and so it is with upkeep of this blog!  Our group has been tremendously busy, and here finally are some posts on our activities.

NAG met on 3/14, right before spring break.  Eric Powell had an opportunity through his internship to visit Harman International headquarters in California, and shared with us his experiences on that trip, including a link to Harman’s ‘How to Listen’ blog.

Carl Hart shared this meeting’s acoustic nugget: “Nine Flying Robots Play 007 Theme”   What will robots be able to do next?!  And James Cottrell presented on his MAE project, studying how material placement can impact classroom acoustics.

Timothy Hsu, a PhD candidate at Georgia Tech advised by NAG alum Dr. Erica Ryherd, came for the Durham School PhD Symposium on the following day (3/15) and many of us were happy to welcome him to Nebraska and attend his presentation on “The Links Between Acoustics and Human Outcome Measures in Hospitals”.

Coming up soon on the NAG calendar… a trip to Kansas City to visit the new Kauffman Center!

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