Acoustics Group

A lot of my research involves high-amplitude noise, like jets, rockets, explosions, and sonic booms. Other possibilities exist - email me to set up an appointment.  Numerous publication opportunities are likely.

I'm *always* looking for new students in this area. Right now I'm looking for 2-3 students.

I am working with Dr. Transtrum and graduate students on a project to use machine learning and geospatial features (nighttime radiance, precipitation, forests, etc.) to predict ambient soundscapes throughout the U.S., and eventually, globally.  We have a need for 1-2 outdoor-oriented students interested in conducting making sound measurements in different urban and rural environments, formatting the data outputs, analyzing them, and helping to feed them into the machine learning models created by the graduate students. 

This project, with Dr. Transtrum, combines machine learning with crowd noise at sporting events. We want to detect cheering, booing, or even the beginning of crowd violence. This could involve taking data, analyzing them for features that relate to crowd engagement or sentiment, or developing new machine learning models.

We are currently looking for two students, one on the acoustics side for measurement and analysis, and one on the machine learning side.

Passive acoustic monitoring of wildlife has many purposes, but include studying population health, size, and dynamics.  We're currently doing research at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, looking at how water and other environmental factors impact bird choruses.  We may also be starting to do rocket noise-related research - as launches can affect noise sensitive species - in California.

I'm looking for a student interested in measurements and analysis.

I'm working with the Office of Naval Research and Air Force Research Laboratory to develop better physics-based mathematical models for noise exposure at indoor and outdoor shooting ranges.  

Why?  Because 12% of marines exit basic training with significant hearing loss. This research directly protects soldiers...as they work to protect us!

Looking for a student on this project.

Dr. Grant Hart and I are studying the noise from rockets and launch vehicles.  There is a LOT of interest in rockets right now as many companies around the world are developing new launch vehicle technologies. This involves potentially exciting measurements and a lot of collaborative data analysis opportunities.

We are looking for a couple students.

We study the noise radiation from turbulent jet engine exhausts.  We've studied the F-22, the F-35, and the T-7A using lots of different methods for the Air Force and the Navy.

I'm looking for 1-2 students to join this group of ~5 students. 

My research group is called PASCAL. Read about it here.

Large arrays of hydrophones in the ocean can be used to locate acoustic sources.  The reliability of these localization algorithms depends on the degree to which the ocean environment is correctly parameterized in the models.  

The computational models for sound propagation in the ocean depend on the ocean environment.  My work involves using sound from the ocean to estimate the ocean environment.  One part of the research works on determining the sensitivity of different seafloor parameters and determining which seafloors make a big enough difference on the sound propagation to be detected.  The other part explores optimizations and how machine learning can be used to identify seafloor properties from different types of sounds.

I am currently looking for two students to join my computational underwater acoustics research.  Research in this area will provide a strong foundation in computational skills, numerical modeling, and deep learning, all of which will prepare students for additional opportunities in industry, national laboratories, and graduate school.

Our underwater acoustics lab (U117) has a fully automated system for making acoustic measurements in our water tank (12 ft long by 4 ft wide).  Currently measurements are being made test which numerical models accurately predict sound propagation in the tank at ultrasonic frequencies.  The big upcoming goal is to be able to test machine learning algorithms for source localization and environmental variability using ultrasonic tank measurements.

I am currently looking for two students to join my underwater acoustical measurement group.  The opportunity to do experiments in a water tank at ultrasonic frequencies offers a solid foundation for students interested in studying ultrasound or other medical physics fields in graduate school.  In addition, the experience with measurement protocols, programming the robotic arms, and analyzing the data with signal processing techniques provide a good foundation for many technical jobs.

The combination of elemental radiator theory and laser vibrometry to measure sound power of arbitrarily-shaped structures

The acoustic measurement and physical modeling of percussion instruments to understand and predict their sound radiation

the study of seizure dynamics in the brain to understand their spatial and temporal characteristics and predict the onset of severe seizure events

The use of acoustic intensity in the near- and far-field of a rocket launch to localize the acoustic source

The study of energy dissipation mechanisms in vibrating beams and plates