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applied science. The finalists were com- peting for approximately $3M in cash awards as well as other recognition. ASA participated as one of more than 60 Special Award Organizations (SAO), to select winners in the special area of acoustics. Since 1978, ASA has been par- ticipating in ISEFs.
Among the more than 1500 finalist projects, a manual and electronic search was conducted to identify vari- ous projects related to acoustics. Specific searches with keywords related to specialized areas in acoustics were conducted. A total of 55 projects were identified, Notes taken on all projects were compared as a group and addi- tional interviews were conducted, as the various teams were ranked.
First and second cash prizes of $1,500 and $500 respectively, were awarded to two students, while certifi- cates of honorable mention were given to two additional teams. The winner of the first prize was Myles Withay Mitchell, Limavady Grammar School, Limavady, Northern Ireland, for his project entitled, “Misbehaving Waves: The SurReal Thing.” Mr. Mitchell suc- cessfully described his experimental technique of building an acoustic array using empty soda cans and a series of microphones as receivers to accom- plish focusing of audio sound using time-reversal techniques. He grounded his work on research related to time reversal reported by Mathias Fink et al.
from France. The second winner was Ivan Seleznov, from Specialized School No. 22, Mykolai Ukraine, for his proj- ect entitled, “An ‘EXTRA’ Sense: Ultrasound Glove Assisting Spatial Orientation of the Visually Impaired.” This engineering acoustics based proj- ect described the development, charac- terization and evaluation of microcon- troller based 40 kHz sources worn as a glove, with the system providing vibra- tory feedback to the visually impaired to navigate obstacles while walking.
Honorable Mention awards were given to two additional teams. Akshat Boobna, from Amity International School, New Delhi, India, entitled, “Finding Best Speaker Position Using New Algorithms to Determine Acoustic Properties of a Room.” Mr. Boobna demonstrated the use and validation of a robust algorithm to optimize the loca- tion of speakers in a room in a day-to- day setting. The software is designed to be implemented using a smartphone application. A duo, Tomohiko Sato and Takahiro Yomono, from Hiroshima Prefectural Fuchu Senior High School, Fuchu-shi, Japan, described, through an interpreter, their mathematical analysis and experimental validation of wave phenomena observed behind a stick- like object moving through water. Their research was entitled, “ ‘V-shaped Wave’ Generated by a Moving Object: Analyses and Experiments on Capillary Gravity Waves.”
(L to R): Ivan Seleznov, Inder Makin, Myles Mitchell
ASA judging team presents prizes at Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
A team of individuals, led by ASA member Inder Raj S. Makin, represent- ed the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) in its role as a Special Awards Organization (SAO), at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held in Phoenix, AZ, 12–17 May 2013. The ASA judging team included Inder Makin, Bruce Towe, and Yi Zhou. Inder Makin was Chair of the judging team and presented the awards on behalf of the ASA at the SAO ceremony.
This was the 64th ISEF where more than 1500 high school students (grades 9–12), from around the world were selected as the finalists to present their research in different areas of pure and
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