Page 64 - Winter 2020

ASK AN ACOUSTICIAN
new ideas or better arguments for my existing ones. I keep going.
What are you proudest of in your career?
It has been a privilege to have mentored numerous bright and talented young people, several of them from underrepresented groups in the sciences. I have had the pleasure of guiding several women in research projects, both during their graduate and undergraduate studies. I take great pride in their accomplishments during and after their time at NJIT. I follow their career paths and keep in touch; notes that they send me decorate my office. Similarly, I have found it rewarding to address middle- and high-school students and to inspire them (I hope!) about pursuing careers in STEM. On several occasions, students have approached me afterward, star- tled and excited about careers in math that they had never imagined.
And, of course, I am exceedingly proud of the bright 23-year-old woman that my husband and I have raised in parallel to our careers, who has often inspired me to work harder so that I could become a better role model for her and her peers.
What is the biggest mistake you’ve
ever made?
Overthinking everything. Writing a paper or research proposal was sometimes a particularly lengthy endeavor. Should I include the last figure? How about adding one more reference? And how about this email I need to send? How will I convey my message? Once I realized it, I stopped it and became more efficient and effective.
What advice do you have for budding acousticians?
Enjoy the journey into a multifaceted field. Attend con- ferences and listen to talks from all areas of acoustics; seek collaborations and cross-fertilization. Take risks and explore new directions.
Have you ever experienced imposter syndrome? How did you deal with that if so? Yes, I did, in the very beginning of my career as a faculty
member. With the advice of a wonderful colleague and
mentor, I realized that the first person I needed to per- suade that I truly belonged in a challenging academic environment was myself. Everything followed smoothly after that.
What do you want to accomplish within the next 10 years or before retirement?
I plan to continue with all my activities: research, teach- ing, and administration. What I would particularly like to accomplish is the mentoring of more undergraduate students in research. There is a spark when undergradu- ates are exposed to research questions and asked to work alongside graduate students, postdocs, and faculty. Sev- eral are inspired to go on to graduate school and some continuing to work in acoustics. Others tell me that their research experience and participation in research teams in their undergraduate years enables them to work more effectively in groups in their jobs in industry. A worth- while experience all around.
Bibliography
Frederick, C., Villar, S., and Michalopoulou, Z.-H. (2020). Seabed classification using physics-based modeling and machine learning The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 148, 859-872.
Lin, T., and Michalopoulou, Z.-H. (2016). A direct method for the estimation of sediment sound speed with a horizontal array in shal- low water. IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering 42, 208-218.
Michalopoulou, Z.-H., Pole, A., and Abdi, A. (2019). Bayesian coherent and incoherent matched-field localization and detection in the ocean. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 146, 4812-4820.
Piccolo, J., Haramuniz, G., and Michalopoulou, Z.-H. (2019). Geo- acoustic inversion with generalized additive models. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 145, EL463-EL468.
Contact Information
Zoi-Heleni Michalopoulou michalop@njit.edu
Department of Mathematical Sciences New Jersey Institute of Technology 618 Cullimore
Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA
Micheal L. Dent mdent@buffalo.edu
Department of Psychology University at Buffalo
State University of New York (SUNY) B76 Park Hall
Buffalo, New York 14260, USA
64 Acoustics Today • Spring 2021