A few minutes with INCE Fellow and Current President Dr. Judy Rochat
There are similarities between a well-oiled machine and a well-oiled institute: creating efficiencies in the physical designs, collaborations in past and present research, and proper maintenance. Bringing knowledgeable groups and individuals together to expand our industry’s potential has been a focus of INCE Fellow and President Dr. Judy Rochat’s career.
Dr. Rochat’s contributions to the industry have included both government and private-sector evaluations, prediction-model development, field measurements, policy development, standards development, professional instruction, and noise and vibration control for transportation systems. In addition to her roles within INCE, she also participates in the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and will be a keynote speaker at the Inter-Noise Conference this coming August in Japan.
Dr. Rochat earned a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Acoustics from Penn State and a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Mathematics from the University of California at San Diego. Read on to learn more about Judy’s ideas for INCE.
Q. As current President of INCE, what initial goals do you have for the organization?
Efficiency. The Executive Staff, Board of Directors, and Committee Chairs are continuing to work together to find ways to reduce costs, expand attendee and volunteer opportunities, increase educational options, and maintain a balanced operational budget. While our annual conferences generate income, they also have a good amount of costs associated with them. We are working to find more efficient ways to look at past and future opportunities, such as the newly launched Building Acoustics webinar program, to streamline some of the efforts. We are also looking for more opportunities for the sponsors of INCE to participate.
Q. What has being an INCE Fellow meant to you?
When I look at the names of those that have come before me, it gives me a great sense of honor. It is a confirmation from my peers about how our contributions add value and help advance our industry. It makes a difference to those now, but also creates a path for those to come. Recently, we have formed a committee to discuss how we, the Fellows, can better serve the Institute, including becoming mentors. One of the first ways is to be more visible and accessible. We are planning to be in the INCE booth throughout NOISE-CON, to answer questions in our specialties. We are also looking for nominations for those that may meet the qualifications of Fellow.
Q. What are you excited about for the upcoming NOISE-CON event?
I am excited about INCE co-locating and participating in joint sessions with the Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE) and the TRB. There will be great opportunities for attendees of all groups to sit in on presentations/sessions throughout the week as well as come together and participate in workshops to discuss a wide range of topics around transportation – measuring, modeling, predicting, and more. The Conference will take place in Grand Rapids, Michigan from May 15th to 18th – I hope to see many INCE members there.
Q. Final question . . . When you aren’t busy with committee meetings and consulting, where can you be found?
I really enjoy hiking on the local trails and spending time with my family and friends. We live near the water, and one evening, at low tide, we were able to go a little farther on one of the trails which led us to a cave at the end of a cove that you can’t normally get to. The views were stunning.
To learn more about INCE-USA or to find out how to become a member click here
INCE Member Spotlights are an occasional series highlighting an INCE member doing interesting work. Let us know who we should talk with next, email courtney.schoedel@salasobrien.com.
