Plenary Sessions

Surprises in Acoustics and Psychoacoustics

Eric Heller
Professor of Physics, Harvard University and author of Why You Hear What You Hear

Some acoustical phenomena have received incomplete or misleading explanations over the years. Other explanations could be improved considerably. This seems to be true in almost any field. In acoustics, examples include pitch perception, the trumpet bell and its role in its bright sound, location of sound or noise sources, and several involving the role and nature of resonance in sound production, and the role of vocal tract formants in speech and whistling will be discussed. The talk will end with an idea for broadband, passive noise cancellation for apartment and condo ceilings.

Community Acceptance of Novel Aircraft

Mary Ellen Eagan
President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of HMMH

There has never been a more exciting time to be in aviation, with the introduction of novel aircraft categories proceeding at a blistering pace. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS, or drones), Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), and supersonic flight offer new modes for package delivery, short-haul travel, and long-haul travel.

Each of these modes presents challenges to integration into the National Airspace System (NAS) and community acceptance. Each also has unique acoustical profiles that pose challenges both for describing their effect and for shaping policies to address potential community concerns. A significant amount of research and work is required to allow these novel aircraft to smoothly integrate into the NAS. With an industry roadmap of key areas of focus to drive research, standards development, and other work in these areas forward, this integration and socialization can move forward effectively.

Measuring Sound with Mobile Apps: Challenges and Opportunities

Benjamin Faber
Owner/Manager, Faber Acoustical, LLC

The ubiquity of mobile computing devices, including smartphones and tablets, along with their media-centric design and function, presents unprecedented opportunities for access to sound and vibration data in locations across the globe. These opportunities are not without their challenges, including choosing a device; getting relevant signals into, and out of, the device; choosing from a multitude of available apps; ensuring that the data is of sufficient quality to be truly meaningful, and helping users understand how to get best results. Relevant capabilities and limitations of modern mobile devices will be presented and the challenges and opportunities explored, including some practical suggestions for how to address them.

About the Speaker
Benjamin Faber studied energy-based active noise control as both a student and a faculty research associate in Brigham Young University's Department of Physics and Astronomy. Ben left BYU in late 2006 with BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics, respectively, and is co-inventor on 5 awarded patents related to his ANC work there. In early 2008, Ben began developing real-time acoustical analysis apps for iPhone, to be published in its new App Store, successfully landing two apps in the store on its opening day. Since then, Ben has been developing hardware and software solutions for acoustics-related measurement devices and apps. He is the owner of Faber Acoustical, LLC, which specializes in developing intuitive software apps for performing real-time signal analysis, measurement, and data acquisition, particularly for Apple’s macOS and iOS platforms. Ben is the proud father of five sons and one daughter-in-law.