Acoustical engineering

In this interview organized through the Acoustical Society of America, Per Brüel discusses his life and career, focusing especially on his introduction to the field of acoustical instrumentation and his work in industry. It also discusses his association with ASA and other national acoustical societies. Brüel recalls his upbringing in Jutland, education at what is now called the Technical University of Denmark, experiences during World War II, early R&D work in Sweden, and his relationship with figures such as P. O. Pedersen and Viggo Kjær. He also discusses his work on architectural acoustics and the origins and successes of such Brüel & Kjær products as the constant percentage analyzer, level recorder, and condenser microphone, as well as his criticisms of the A-weighting curve used in noise measurement. He reflects on Brüel & Kjær management issues, including his division of responsibilities with Kjær, how they made decisions jointly, relations with universities, advertising, and the strategic decisions leading up to the sale of the company in 1992. The interview concludes with discussions of Brüel’s interest in cars and flying, his family, and his activities following the sale of Brüel & Kjær.

Interview with Allan Pierce, Professor Emeritus at Boston University and President of the Cape Cod Institute for Science and Engineering. Pierce recounts his childhood in Kansas and New Mexico, where his father worked on building aircraft during World War II. He remembers tinkering with a chemistry set as a child and building his own little radio. Pierce describes his undergraduate studies in physics at New Mexico State University and winning an NSF Fellowship to attend MIT for free for his graduate studies. Upon completing his PhD, Pierce recalls working for RAND Corporation on defense-related issues at the height of the Cold War, as well as his burgeoning interest in acoustics. Pierce describes his career trajectory that took him to Avco Space Systems Division, the Mechanical Engineering Department at MIT, and Georgia Tech. He recounts his research in a variety of fields such as helicopter noise, sonic booms, wind turbines, and underwater acoustics. Pierce talks about the genesis of his famed acoustics textbook and speaks in detail about several topics in the book, such as the wave theory of sound, plane waves, and room acoustics. Pierce describes moving to Penn State, then Boston University, and finally the formation of the Cape Code Institute. He also reflects on his time as Editor in Chief of the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. The interview concludes with Pierce reflecting on his unique historical perspective and appreciation for acoustics, and how he has seen the ASA change over the years.

In this interview organized through the Acoustical Society of America, Malcolm Crocker recounts his childhood in England during World War II and attending the University of Southampton for his undergraduate and master’s degrees in the aeronautical engineering program. Crocker then worked at Wyle Labs in Huntsville, Alabama, before returning to England to complete his graduate studies at Liverpool. He describes accepting an offer to join the faculty at Purdue University, where he stayed for years before he was offered a position as department head at Auburn University, where he eventually took emeritus status. Crocker discusses his involvement in the Institute of Noise Control Engineering (INCE) and his role as a founder of INCE International. He also details his activity within the Acoustical Society of America, where he has served on the Noise Committee and the History Committee.

Interview with Diane Kewley-Port, Professor Emeritus at Indiana University in the Speech and Hearing Department. Kewley-Port recounts her involvement in the Acoustical Society of America over the years, including serving as Chair of the Speech Technical Committee, member of the Executive Council, and Vice President. She describes her childhood in Cleveland and her early interest in science and engineering. Kewley-Port then discusses her undergrad and graduate years at University of Michigan, as well as the year she spent working in Denmark for a Danish computer company. She also talks about her time as a research assistant in the Neurocommunications Lab at Johns Hopkins, as well as at Haskins Laboratories, before pursuing her PhD at City University of New York. Kewley-Port reflects on how important ASA has been throughout her career, especially the mentorship and support she has received. 

In this interview, Chuck Ebbing discusses his career and involvement with the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). Ebbing discusses his time at Purdue University as an undergraduate student where he studied electrical engineering. He details his time working at Carrier and his work designing anechoic rooms. He speaks about his time in the U.S. Army and his experience attending guided missile school. Ebbing discusses getting his master’s degree at the Cornell Aeronautical Lab where he built and designed a magnetostrictive transducer. He describes his time as a member of ASA where he worked on a standard regarding air conditioning measurements. Lastly, Ebbing discusses his displeasure with ASA’s lack of encouragement for creativity. 

Ungar’s family leaves Vienna for St. Louis fleeing the Nazis. College at Washington University is interrupted by Army service in postwar Europe. Takes up mechanical engineering on return to Washington University. Master’s degree while employed at Sandia Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM. PhD at New York University where he briefly teaches. Joins Bolt, Beranek and Newman in late 1950s. Also joins the Acoustical Society of America rising to the presidency. Family and leisure activities.

In this interview, Paul Schomer of Schomer and Associates is interviewed by Rich Peppin of the Acoustical Society of America. Schomer discusses his family and childhood; his graduate education at UC Berkeley; his history with the Acoustical Society of America; and the changing relationships between the ASA and researchers in government, industry, the military, and academia.

Educational background -- Cornell College, Iowa (1932-1936), Harvard University (1936-1940) with Frederick V. Hunt as thesis advisor; acoustics research at Harvard; teaching position at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (from 1947); formation of Bolt, Beranek and Newman (1948); research on electro-acoustics, architectural acoustics, acoustical impedance, aircraft acoustics, high altitude acoustics; community noise and noise control for aircraft; consulting projects including U. N. General Assembly room acoustics design (1950), Cleveland wind tunnel (1950-1951), Lincoln Center concert hall, San Diego concert hall; review of historical and modern concert hall designs; outdoor amphitheaters; president of Channel 5 television in Boston (1972-1983).