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From the Editor
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on mentoring at an ASA meeting, and he asked me to work with him because he knew that mentoring has been some- thing that I have focused on during my academic career. Al- though not about acoustics per se, mentoring is fundamental to all we do at the ASA, and we hope that members will find the article provocative and help them think about their roles as mentor and mentee.
Adrian KC Lee then writes about language processing in the human brain. KC provides wonderful insight into how hu- mans extract signals from noise, using as a starting point the idea that during ASA socials, our brains have to pick out the words of people we are talking to despite the din of 500 other conversations going on within the same room.
From the President
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The most time-consuming little tasks are probably the ap- pointments. There are many standing and ad hoc committees within the ASA. Each year, some of the members roll off their committees: every three years, the term of the committee chair expires, and there are unexpected resignations of both members and chairs. The task of finding appropriate replace- ments is a collaborative and time-consuming one.
There have been several difficult situations, and I have had to make a few tough decisions. There may be some people upset with me, but I have always tried to act with the best interests of the Society in mind. I hope my involvement has helped to smooth things over. Fortunately, the happy experiences as president far outweigh the not-so-happy experiences.
Serving the Society, whether as president or in any other capacity, can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience. The ASA is fueled by many volunteers, and there is satisfaction working together with dedicated people on a common cause. I have always enjoyed helping keep the ASA, my professional home for nearly four decades, a flourishing, vibrant, and pro- gressive Society. One of the special joys of being president is
In the last article, Brenda Lonsbury-Martin, Barden Stagner, and Glen Martin provide insight into otoacoustic emissions (OAEs). The authors nicely tie the basic science of under- standing with how they are applied clinically, and they share the importance of this tool for understanding hearing and hearing loss.
Finally, permit my reminder that I am always open to ideas for new articles for AT. And, with the advent of Sound Per- spectives, I would also like to hear from people who would be interested in possibly writing essays that focus on topics related to the ASA and its mission or other topics that might be of interest to ASA members.
being involved in honoring colleagues through the awarding of medals, prizes, and fellowships.
Serving as ASA President was a daunting challenge. But I was not unprepared. Like all presidents before me, I had years of apprenticeship on various committees, gaining the necessary familiarity with ASA structure, procedures, and people. Everyone’s path is a bit different. In my case, I started as a member of several administrative and technical commit- tees (TCs), and then served a term as the chair of the Noise TC. This was followed by election to a term on the Executive Council followed by a term as ASA vice president.
Throughout the preceding years and my term as president, I was privileged to work with many interesting and dedi- cated people, particularly Elaine Moran and Susan Fox at ASA headquarters. I sometimes got unnecessarily mired in details, and a quick chat with them brought the big picture back into focus. Serving as president has been an honor, a year of interesting challenges, and one of the highlights of my career. Was it worth it? Absolutely! Would I do it again? Hmmm, perhaps once is enough.
10 | Acoustics Today | Fall 2017