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is very useful training for a scientist. Critical examination of one’s assumptions leads to better questions, which, in turn, leads to better research. It’s also important to cul- tivate the self-awareness to recognize which topics are ripe for productive research and which will turn into unproductive rabbit holes. Having grown up in Michigan and gone to school in Minnesota, I like to think that my midwestern sense of practicality is helpful in this regard. According to Jon Gertner’s The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation (which I highly recommend), one of Bell Labs’ secret ingredients was midwestern scientists. Many prominent members of the ASA (e.g., Wallace Waterfall, Leo Beranek, and Richard Lyon) have fit that mold.
How do you handle rejection?
Being a perfectionist, it’s disturbing when rejection lays bare the reality of being imperfect. I’ve gradually learned to set aside rejection and criticism for a day or two so I can better calm down and put things in proper perspective. It is important not take to take the criti- cism personally or conjecture unnecessarily about the motivations of others. Once I’ve had a chance to men- tally process a critical review of a paper, I almost always realize that there are indeed aspects of the paper that need improvement or that maybe the reviewer didn’t appreciate something because I didn’t explain it clearly. Also, success in science, as with many other endeavors, often involves a competitive streak and taking pride in the quality of your work. I accept that the flip side of a healthy degree of competitiveness is struggling some- times with rejection.
What are you proudest of in your career?
Winning the ASA Lindsay Award in 1997 was my proud- est professional moment. It was very humbling because the awardees have included so many members of the ASA who went on to distinguished careers. Also, it seemed like I was leading a charmed acoustical life when I become a Fellow at the ASA 75th Anniversary Meeting in New York City. I am also very proud of helping to start JASA Express Letters, and it’s been great watching Express Letters grow under the current editor, Charlie Church.
Outside of the ASA, I received a Department of the Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 2012. As a civilian employee of the Army, I really do take pride in helping the Army accomplish its mission of protecting our freedoms.
What is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?
I’ve made plenty of mistakes but can’t think of any one mis- take that really stands out. My biggest regret is not being a better mentor for more people. I’ve benefitted from many fantastic mentors myself. But it’s not too late to improve!
What advice do you have for budding acousticians?
First, be adaptable. Since the research landscape is chang- ing at an accelerating pace, you will need a good grounding in the fundamentals but be ready to reinvent yourself repeatedly during your career. Second, push yourself to take the initiative. Shape your own research direction, make yourself indispensable, present your research at meetings, and take the lead in authoring papers. Third, try to focus on what really matters. We make decisions every day about what we do and do not work on. Make these decisions mindfully. Carve out blocks of time to think deeply, away from digital distractions.
Have you ever experienced imposter syndrome? How did you deal with that if so? Most definitely. I suspect that just about all introverted scientists have these feelings, and scientists are more often introverts than extroverts. I once heard a psycholo- gist explain that introverts feel like they are being phony and have something to hide even when they are being honest and have valuable things to say. If you take notice, you will see that others admire you for who you are.
What do you want to accomplish within the next 10 years or before retirement?
I would like to continue to advocate for a probabilistic viewpoint to outdoor sound propagation prediction, which acknowledges the importance of random vari- ability and predictive uncertainties. Although such a viewpoint is commonplace in weather forecasting and other fields, sound propagation predictions are still typi- cally presented as a single “exact” number, even though the atmospheric and terrain properties cannot be pre- cisely characterized. It is challenging to change deeply ingrained conceptual frameworks.
A couple other topics I’ve been diving into lately, and look forward to continuing in the future, are artificial intelli- gence methods incorporating a physical understanding of the wave propagation physics and the modeling of acous- tic phenomena in the Arctic.
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