Page 46 - Acoustics Today

Acoustical News
Elaine Moran
Acoustical Society of America Melville, New York 11747
Other highlights of her career at South Bank include research into noise annoyance caused by the newly opened Docklands Light Railway in the late 1980s, which influenced the drafting of the Noise Insulation Regulations for railways, and working with Trevor Cox in the 1990s on various “Public Understanding of Science” projects.
She was also a member of the Department of Health committee which wrote the 2010 report on the effects on health of environmental noise, and last year she chaired the 10th International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem in London.
The Institute of Acoustics is the UK’s professional body for those work- ing in acoustics, noise and vibration, representing more than 3,000 members who span a rich diversity of back- grounds, with engineers, scientists, educators, lawyers, occupational hygienists, architects and environmen- tal health officers among their number.
Leo Beranek named first Honorary Member of the Acoustical Society of China
The Acoustical Society of China has awarded Leo L. Beranek its first Honorary Membership. The award was presented to Dr. Beranek on 16 May 2012 during the Acoustics 2012 Hong Kong meeting. Dr. Beranek was cited for “his leadership, dedication and con- tributions to the science of acoustics, to education in acoustics and to the diffu- sion of knowledge in acoustics throughout the world, as well as to the promotion of Sino-US academic exchanges in acoustics.”
Leo Beranek received a doctorate from Harvard University in 1940 and directed the Electro‐Acoustic Laboratory at Harvard from October 1940 until September 1945. In 1947, he became a tenured associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and, with Richard H. Bolt, formed the consulting firm
First female President of the Institute of Acoustics
Professor Bridget Shield has become the first female President of the Institute of Acoustics in its 38-year his- tory. Professor Shield, who succeeds Professor Trevor Cox, said: “It’s a great honour and I’m looking forward to car- rying on Trevor’s work over the last two years in raising our profile and that of acoustics generally. The fact that I am the first female President will, I hope, encourage more young women into the profession. Since I joined the Institute in 1974 there has been a significant increase in the number of women members, and I intend to ensure this continues.”
Bridget Shield, is Professor of Acoustics at London South Bank University. Since joining the university (then South Bank Poly) 26 years ago, she has established a world-wide repu- tation for her research, in particular the effects of noise on children and how it affects their ability to learn. Her expertise in this area resulted in her being appointed an editor of Building Bulletin 93 and she is currently involved in helping update the regula- tions governing acoustic design stan- dards in schools.
Leo Beranek (l) and Jing Tian (r)
Acoustical News 45