WhatisACOUSTICS?

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Since you’re already looking into acoustics, you may alreadyknowaboutthewidevarietyoftopicsitcovers.However,manypeoplemistakenlythinkthatthescienceofacousticsisstrictlymusicalorarchitectural innature.Acoustics isdefinedas thescience that dealswith theproduction,control, transmission,reception, and effects of sound. This includes noise control,SONARforunderwaterexplorationandnavigation,ultrasoundfor medical imaging, electroacoustic communication,architecture,seismology,bioacoustics,andmore.

Belowis"Lindsay'sWheelofAcoustics",createdbyR.BruceLindsaywhichdescribes thescopeofacoustics startingwiththe four broad fields of Earth Sciences, Engineering, LifeSciences,andtheArts.Theoutercircleliststhevariousbroaddisciplinesonemaystudytoprepareforacareerinacoustics.The inner circle lists the fields within acoustics to whichvariousdisciplinesnaturallylead.

WhatdoACOUSTICIANSdo?Remember that there are many different kinds ofacousticians. A bioacoustician might research birdpopulations to determine whether or not man made noisedisruptstheirbehavior.Anaudiologistcandiagnosehearingimpairments.Ahearingscientistcanconductresearchabouthearing loss prevention. An architectural acoustician coulddesign an opera house so that people in the audience canenjoythemusictothefullest.Anoisespecialistcoulddoworkto reduce noise caused by airplanes, cars and trains. Anunderwater acoustician might design sophisticated sonarhardware to explore the ocean floor while an acousticianinterestedinultrasoundcoulddevelopmedicalequipmenttodestroykidneystones.

Thisisjustasmallexampleofwhatsomeacousticiansdo!Herearethe13mainareasofstudy:

AcousticalOceanography AnimalBioacoustics

ArchitecturalAcoustics BiomedicalAcoustics EngineeringAcoustics MusicalAcoustics

Noise

PhysicalAcoustics Psychological&PhysiologicalAcoustics

SignalProcessinginAcoustics SpeechCommunication

StructuralAcoustics&Vibration UnderwaterAcoustics

WhyshouldIstudyACOUSTICS?

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The field isVERY interdisciplinary andoffersdiverse careeropportunitiesbasedonyour interestsand expertise.Acousticiansgeneratevaluableinformationwhichcanbeusedinmanyfieldstoexamineandapplythescienceofsound.Studyingacousticscanleadtojobopportunitiesin3maincategories:academia,industry,andgovernment.

⇢ Withagraduatedegreeinacousticsyoucouldteachanddoresearchatacollegeoruniversity.

⇢ Acousticiansworkindifferentdepartmentssuchasphysics,engineering,speechandhearing,mathematics,computerscience,audiology,biomedicine,oceansciences,music,andlinguistics.

⇢ Manylargecompaniesoftenemployacousticianstostudytheacousticsandvibrationsofthesystems/productsthatthecompanydevelops,maintains,orstudies.

⇢ Acousticianscanbefoundinconsultingcompaniesthatprovideservicesinbuildingacousticsandnoiseandvibrationcontrol.

⇢ Acousticiansfindcareersconductingresearchonvarioustopicsingovernmentlaboratoriesandorganizations.

⇢ AcousticiansareemployedbytheNationalInstituteforOccupationalSafetyandHealth(NIOSH),theNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration(NOAA),andMilitarybranches.

HowcanIgetintoACOUSTICIS?Take a look at “Lindsay’s Wheel ofAcoustics.”Thenumberofcoursesrelatedto acoustics at your school might belimited. General topics in physics,aerodynamics, engineering, speech andhearing, and anatomy will provide goodfoundationalknowledgeforacoustics.

Manyuniversitiesofferindividualacousticscoursesthroughdifferentdepartments,sobe sure to search the course catalogueofferingsat your institution.You canalsoget involved in research by seeking outfacultymembersatyourschoolconductingacousticresearch.

Join theAcousticalSocietyofAmerica todiscover more possibilities from activemembers of the academic andprofessional community. Participate inregional and student ASA Chapters toexploreyourfieldofinterest.AttendASAmeetings to keep up with cutting edge

Youmayneed toconsiderapplying toaninstitutionthatoffersgraduatedegrees inacoustics. On the Acoustical Society ofAmerica website, you can search theDirectory of Graduate Education inAcousticstofindtherightprogramforyou.