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   A Conversation with ASA Publications Editor in Chief Jim Lynch
James H. Miller, John A. Colosi, Timothy F. Duda, and James F. Lynch
     Figure 1. Jim Lynch with several of his hobbies. Photo: T. Duda.
At the encouragement of Acoustics Today Editor Arthur Popper, a few of James F. (Jim) Lynch’s close colleagues sat down over Zoom to discuss The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (JASA), its present state, and its future. Before getting into the interview, however, it might be useful to briefly introduce the editor in chief (EIC), his academic background, and even a few of his hobbies (Figure 1).
Jim’s early years were more from blue collar New Jersey than from an academic background, and although prob- ably a bit different from that of many academics, still very enjoyable and to his mind invaluable in learning some
“people skills.” If asked where he comes from, his answer will be “Exit 12,” which is Jerseyan for which exit on the New Jersey Turnpike you got off at for a given town. His interest in science came from a toy (by his present stan- dards) telescope, science fiction books (astronomer Fred Hoyle was his favorite author), and the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City, where he spent a lot of time when he wasn’t haunting bowling alleys. His interest in science includes “pretty much everything,” which explains in part why he enjoys the breadth of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) and its publications.
On a personal level, Jim has a lovely wife, Christine; two grown daughters, Kerry and Holly; and three grandchil- dren. He is also a dedicated hobbyist. His hobbies include astronomy (where he is president of his local club), key- board music (where he is working to regain the Chopin Ballades), computer games (he has been a “raider” in WoW for years), and reading all sorts of books; he is a manic bibliophile (including technical textbooks in all areas).
©2021 Acoustical Society of America. All rights reserved.
https://doi.org/10.1121/AT.2021.17.4.57
Jim obtained his BS in physics from the Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1972 and his PhD in physics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1978. He currently holds the position of senior scientist emeritus at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Jim is a Fellow of the ASA, a Fellow of the IEEE, and former editor in chief of the IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering and of JASA Express Letters (JASA-EL). He is a recipient of the Walter Munk Award (2009), the Oceanic Engineer- ing Society Emeritus Award (2019), and the ASA Gold Medal (2021).
For more than twenty years, Jim has maintained an out- standing record of service to the ASA. In addition to his service on the Acoustical Oceanography (AO) and Under- water Acoustics (UW) Technical Committees (including AO Technical Committee chair), he served on Executive Council from 2011 to 2015, and has been on a large number of ASA committees dealing with publication policy, public relations, the Internet, nominating, medals and awards, and interaction with the former Soviet Union states. He was also technical chair of the 2006 and 2014 Providence meetings. Since 2014, Jim has served as the editor in chief of JASA.
Having introduced our editor, on to the interview!
Volume 17, issue 4 | Winter 2021 • Acoustics Today 57






















































































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