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Acoustical News Elaine Moran Acoustical Society of America Melville, New York 11747 Professor Bridget Shield (l), Trevor Cox (r) RWB Stephens Medal awarded to Bridget Shield Professor Bridget Shield has been awarded the RWB Stephens Medal by the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) at the IOA's 2011 conference in Glasgow. The RWB Stephens Medal, named after the first President of the IOA, is awarded in odd-numbered years for outstanding contributions to acoustics research or education. The Institute of Acoustics, formed in 1974, is the UK’s profession- al body for those working in acoustics, noise and vibration. Bridget Shield is Professor of Acoustics at London South Bank University and President-Elect of the Institute of Acoustics. In the past few years her research has focused on the effects of noise and poor acoustics on children and teachers in primary schools. Bridget has many years' expe- rience of teaching, research and con- sultancy in environmental and archi- tectural acoustics. She has received many government research grants, and is the author of over 100 published papers. Her research interests have included prediction of industrial noise, community response to railway noise, concert hall acoustics, and annoyance caused by low frequency noise. Professor Shield is a member of the Acoustical Society of America and in 2007 was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Acoustics. In 2011 she was also awarded the John Connell Lifetime Achievement Award from the Noise Abatement Society, recognizing her outstanding contributions to rais- ing the profile of noise pollution as a critical environmental issue through- out her career Per Bruel Gold Medal awarded to Mardi Hastings Mardi C. Hastings, Professor at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, was awarded the Per Bruel Gold Medal for Noise Control and Acoustics by the ASME (American Society for Mechanical Engineers) in November 2011. Dr. Hastings was cited “For research and international leadership in marine bioacoustics, particularly the increased understanding of effects of underwater noise on marine life and for research efforts leading to the mitigation of anthropogenic sound in the ocean.” The Per Bruel Gold Medal for Noise Control and Acoustics was established in 1987 in honor of Dr. Per Bruel, who pioneered the development of sophisti- cated noise and vibration measuring Mardi C. Hastings and processing equipment. The medal recognizes eminent achievement and extraordinary merit in the field, includ- ing useful applications of the principles of noise control and acoustics to the art and science of mechanical engineering. Mardi Hastings received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University and a Ph.D., also in Mechanical Engineering, from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her current research inter- ests include fluid-structure interactions, effects of sound on the marine environ- ment, and marine bioacoustics. She is coauthor, with Whitlow Au, of Principles of Marine Bioacoustics, (Springer-Verlag, 2008) and author of over 50 other publi- cations. Dr. Hastings has served on the National Academy of Sciences Study Panel on Ocean Noise and Marine Mammals (2001-02) as well as on vari- ous committees and boards of scientif- ic organizations. She was a member of the Institute of Noise Control Engineering Board of Directors (2007- 10), ASME Noise Control & Acoustics Division Chair (1998-99), Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Executive Council (2003-06), and Chair of the ASA Animal Bioacoustics Technical Committee (2000-03). She currently serves as President of the Acoustical Society of America (2011-12). Mardi Hastings is a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and has received several awards and distinctions including the National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award (1988), Society of Automotive Engineers Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award (1993), The Ohio State University College of Engineering Lumley Research Award (1996), and the U.S. Federal Highway Administration Environmental Excellence Award (2005). ASME is a not-for-profit member- ship organization that enables collabo- ration, knowledge sharing, career 48 Acoustics Today, October 2011