Page 9 - Winter 2020

introduce members to agencies that they might not know about but that might actually be a source of funding for their work or perhaps collaborative work with other members.
The first of these essays is by Debara L. Tucci, director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Commu- nication Disorders (NIDCD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. The NIH is an agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services. I invited Dr. Tucci to contribute this lead essay in part because the NIDCD provided me funding for much of my career but mostly because the NIDCD has supported many
ASA members, including a number of our past presidents and our current president. I am therefore quite familiar with the NIDCD’s research on hearing and speech sci- ences as well as the NIDCD’s research on communication disorders and in the areas of taste and smell. The NIDCD has a profound impact on ASA members as the source of research and training funds to many members in animal bioacoustics, physiological and psychological acoustics, and speech acoustics.
I would also like to invite ASA members to suggest other funding agencies we might invite to provide essays. Or, if anyone reading this issue of AT is a funder, feel free
to suggest that you do an article. The only ground rules are that the article must provide a broad overview of a program or agency that funds a large number of ASA members, perhaps across multiple technical committees. And I’d be glad to have an essay about foundations and funders outside of the United States as long as they have an impact on a substantial number of ASA members.
I also want to emphasize the interest of AT in having more essays on diversity and accessibility. This can be about ASA in particular or generally in relationship to STEM issues. If any member has a topic that they would like to write about, please get in touch with me. I am particularly interested in getting essays that discuss personal experiences, as Tyrone wrote in his essay in this issue, but other topics are most welcome.
Finally, I am announcing a one-time AT “contest.” Some- where in this issue is an advertisement that is in another language about books. The first person to find that statement and send the correct translation (as per the translation provided by the author of the statement) to the AT editor (apopper@umd.edu) will be mentioned in this column (along with the translation) in the summer issue and receive a small prize (a gift card) from the ASA. Good hunting!
It’s silent
in outer space.
When NASA wanted silence on earth, they called us.
When NASA decided to launch a new anechoic testing chamber here on earth, they chose Eckel Noise Control Technologies to build it. Eckel has a universe of expertise in noise control that includes building The Quietest Place on Earth for Microsoft, as awarded by the Guinness World Records.
For anechoic and hemi-anechoic chambers, or portable testing chambers and reverb rooms, we are the trusted provider of advanced noise control systems. Let our down-to-earth team help your testing facility achieve out-of-this-world success!
• Anechoic and Hemi-Anechoic chambers
• Portable testing chambers
• Reverb rooms
Delivering Sounds Solutions since 1952.
eckelusa.com • sales@eckelusa.com • T: 617.491.3221
Spring 2021 • Acoustics Today 9