Page 51 - Acoustics Today Summer 2011

his investigations and deeply integrate them into the Vassar College curricu- lum, providing hands-on laboratory experiences and research mentoring for undergraduate students. The grant also supports the expansion of Bradley’s efforts to introduce acoustics topics to secondary school students and cultivate their interest in the sci- ences, with particular attention to stu- dents of color and others underrepre- sented in the sciences.
Highlights of what Bradley’s NSF award will make possible include: The creation of 10 undergraduate summer research positions at Vassar; the addi- tion of $150,000 in acoustics research equipment for the Vassar physics department; a collaboration with the IBM Acoustics Laboratory in Poughkeepsie; and the extension of a physics workshop series for ethnic minority high school students from the Bronx, NY.
In advance of Bradley joining the physics and astronomy department in 2007, Vassar built a new acoustics labo- ratory to support his teaching and research, with state-of-the-art computa- tional and experimental equipment and facilities. Bradley’s current research objective is to characterize the behavior of reflected sound energy from surfaces used in acoustically sensitive spaces, like concert halls and classrooms.
David T. Bradley earned a B.A. in Physics from Grinnell College, and he completed his Ph.D. at the Architectural Engineering program, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with the aid of sever- al fellowships, including the Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowship.
David is a member of the Acoustical Society of America and served as Chair of the Student Council from 2004-05. He is a member of the Technical Committee on Architectural Acoustics and a former member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity.
Philip W. Robinson Awarded Fulbright Grant
Philip W. Robinson, a Ph.D. stu- dent at the graduate program in archi- tectural acoustics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been awarded a Fulbright grant to continue his research into the effects of architectur-
William Kuperman
Philip W. Robinson
Sound and the Sea. Since 1993, The Oceanography Society has presented this award to recognize significant origi- nal contributions to the understanding of physical ocean processes related to sound in the sea; significant original contributions to the application of acoustic methods to that understanding; and/or outstanding service that fosters research in ocean science and instru- mentation contributing to the above. He will receive the award at the fall meeting of the Acoustical Society of America to be held 31 October-4 November in San Diego, CA. He will also be recognized during the Ocean Sciences meeting in Salt Lake City, UT, in February 2012.
Dr. Kuperman is a Professor of Oceanography and Director of the Marine Physical Laboratory of the University of California San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Dr Kuperman’s achievements were noted in a letter supporting his nomina- tion: “Bill Kuperman is at the forefront of a revolution in our understanding of wave scattering physics. This revolution is changing such diverse fields as med- ical imaging, seismology and oceanogra- phy. Practitioners now use chaotic scat- tering fields as coherent lenses and ran- dom noises as coherent sources. Complex propagation environments that once confounded the interpretation of received signals are now said to “enrich their information content”. Bill and colleagues have discovered how to extract this information and are opening new avenues for the remote sensing of
al enclosures on listeners’ perception of sound. His research will take place at the Aalto University of Science and Technology in Helsinki, Finland.
Robinson, a member of the Acoustical Society of America, received a BArch. from Wentworth Institute of Technology in 2004 and an M.Sc. in architectural acoustics from Rensselaer in 2009. His work will further knowl- edge that will be used in acoustic appli- cations from concert halls to home the- aters to telecommunications systems.
Robinson will begin his research in Helsinki in August 2011 and remain at the Aalto University of Science and Technology for two semesters.
The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, provides funding for students, scholars, teachers, and profes- sionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and sec- ondary schools. The program was established to increase mutual under- standing between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills.
William Kuperman selected 2011 recipient of The Walter Munk Award
William Kuperman has been select- ed as the 2011 recipient of the Walter Munk Award for Distinguished Research in Oceanography Related to
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