Abstract submitted for ASA in Chicago on Graduate Studies

The Acoustical Society of America is holding 179th Meeting in Chicago 11-15th May 2020. The Acoustics Group were asked to present at the meeting in the poster session entitled, "Graduate Studies". The paper we decided upon is "Masters course in Environmental and Architectural Acoustics in London: A route on to our PhD programme". Professor Peter Mapp has kindly agreed to present the work. Lucky him!

Four Potential Fully Funded PhD Scholarships in Acoustics

The School of the Built Environment and Architecture are offering 4 fully funded PhD scholarships open to all - UK, EU or International students. The Acoustics Group have three possible research topics 1) additive manufacture and acoustics, 2) low carbon materials and sound attenuation and 3) urban noise from rotary aircraft. The deadline is 20 Jan 2020. There's also a fourth in ultrasonic imaging of tissues in the School of Engineering. Here are the links LSBU, and FindaPhD

Noise exposure abstract accepted for 27th ICSV, July 2020

An abstract of an article submitted to the 27^th International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV) has been recently accepted by the congress reviewing panel. The abstract has been written by Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina and is entitled “Noise exposure from explosions during handling of small volumes of Hydrogen-Air mixture ”. The international acoustics conference will take place in Prague, Czech Republic, from 12 to 16 July 2020. We hope to see you at the conference.

Abstract accepted for 27th at ICSV Prague

An abstract of an article submitted to the 27^th International Congress on Sound and Vibration has been recently accepted by the congress reviewing panel. The abstract has been written by PhD candidate Suzana Zekic and PhD director of studies Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina. It is entitled “Developing Test Procedures for the Characterisation of the Acoustic Properties of Alternative Ventilation Ducts”. The international acoustics conference will take place in Prague between 12 and 16 July 2020. We hope to see you at the conference.

Summing Up Acoustics 2019

We thank you all for your support over 2019. To summarise our busiest year ever: Links with the Institute of Acoustics strengthened further with LSBU hosting 3 key evening meetings delivered by leading professors, as well as IOA and MSc students presenting their work to London branch in January and July. Three papers were published on metadiffusers, stethoscopes and bone vibration, as well as 20 conference papers from staff, PhD candidates, IOA and MSc students. The conferences were held in Milton Keynes, Madrid, Aachen, Ischia, and Bristol. Prizes were won by PhD candidate Rodrigo Sanchez-Perez for applying lecturing technology, Grame Littleford won the Newman Medal for his Masters thesis, and Visiting Professor Peter Mapp was awarded the IOA Engineering Medal. In addition the whole team won the BuroHappo prize. Both the IOA and CIBSE re-accredited the courses where acoustic is taught. Sponsorship and support was extended by both the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal Opera House. We welcomed back Suzana Zekic from Imtech as a PhD candidate and we sadly said goodbye to Dr Bob Peters. Next year will be momentous as we start our new Apprenticeship in Acoustics course and welcome PhD candidate Luciana Alves who is over from Brazil. Happy New Year to you all.

Institute of Acoustics Engineering Medal Winner!

Every two years the Institute of Acoustics awards the Engineering Medal to a member for their outstanding contribution in the field of acoustical engineering. This year's winner is Professor Peter Mapp for his work in electro-acoustics. Peter will be presented with the award when he gives the keynote at Reproduced Sound this coming November!

Air Quality and Noise Pilot Study

On a cold and damp day, 13th December 2019, a pilot test around Borough in London was undertaken. The test was to use noise and an identifier  of temporal and spatial air population. Working with Dr Luc Dekoninck of Ghent University a team of PhD students measured sound levels a fixed points whilst mobile air quality and sound levels were sampled around the local area. The work will later be compared to that measured by the MAGIC project. Hot chocolate was offered to keep everyone going! 

Acoustics Associates Christmas Lunch

The annual  Acoustics Group Christmas lunch was held on 11th December 2019 as a thank you to those who helped over the past year. These included UKAN committee members, judges of student projects and of course the PhD student who we rely on when random things happen!

Acoustics Group team up with Edinburgh University on Royal Opera House project

On the 9th December 2019 the Acoustics Group and Dr Brian Hamilton  of Audio and Acoustics Group of University of Edinburgh agreed to team up. The project with funding from the Royal Opera House is to deliver computer simulations of the auditorium using new GPU powered wave based models to allow realistic Virtual Reality environments to be built. 

Journal paper published in Applied Acoustics

On the 7th December 2019 Dr Haydar Aygun published a new scientific paper in Applied Acoustics in the April 2020 edition. The research is entitled, "The quality and reliability of mechanical stethoscopes and Laser Doppler Vibrometer to record tracheal sounds" and it is a joint work with Alek Apolskis of Socoteck UK. Here's the link.

Abstract submitted to Forum Acusticum 2020

PhD candidate Eric Ballestero and Dr Brian Hamilton have submitted an abstract to Forum Acusticum 2020 to be help in Lyon April 20-24th. The papet will cover there joint work on the validation of an FDTD model to simulation the performance of a meta diffuser. We hope they both enjoy Spring in France

Noise control in Off Shore platforms by Spectrum Acoustics

Chris Anderson Principal consultant of Spectrum Acoustics , delivered on 5th Dec 2019 an informative seminar to the 2019-20 LSBU Diploma students.  The session discussed in detail noise control and acoustic design in off shore platforms.  Chris shared some  useful consultancy and commercially laden insights which complemented very well the  technical and practical aspect of the talk. The was facilitated by Diploma course director Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina after a conversation on future collaborations with Spectrum Acoustics when they visited LSBU careers fair in Nov 2019.

Collaboration on a sonic art talk by Sonible

On the 29th November 2019 a collaboration between acoustics and sonic art was held at the South Bank Sound Lab sponsored by the UK Acoustics Network. A talk was given on immersive audio using the IKO speaker. Demonstrations of specially composed pieces were presented to illustrate the new capabilities of the speaker system.

Core Tetra Microphone Tested with own MATLAB code

The Acoustics Group now has a A format surround sound microphone for room acoustics measurements from Core instruments- the Tetra Mic. The B formating code was completed in MATLAB by PhD candidate Eric Ballestero this week and proved to work well! Testing in orchestra pits will start in the new year!

A new working group is formed by the LSBU Acoustic Group

On 02 Dec 2019 the first meeting of a new working group to assist developing test methods to determine  acoustic properties of ventilation ducts took place at the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) head quarters in London. The working group has been created by Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina, LSBU PhD candidate and Imtech engineer Suzana Zekic and head of research at CIBSE Dr Anastasia Mylona.  

The group is formed by ten industry experts in building services noise and mechanical ventilation senior engineers.  Our thanks to the members and Anastasia for facilitating the meeting , the great venue  and the delicious lunch !         

Abstract submitted to Institute of Acoustics 2020

The Institute of Acoustics annual conference is to held at the Chester Crown Plaza, 14-15th May 2020. Professor Stephen Dance is organising the Music related session and his students, Georgia Zepidou and Douglas Shearer have submitted an abstract entitled, "Sound exposure of staff at the Royal Academy of Music". We hope to see you in Chester!

Abstract submitted to ICBEN 2020

Every three years the conference on Biological Effects of Noise is organised. In 2020 this will be hosted by the Karolina Institute in Stockholm, 15-18 June. Prof Stephen Dance and Georgia Zepidou have submitted a paper on "Sound exposure of St Paul's Cathedral Choristers". We hope it will be an insightful meeting!

NTI UK manager presents to the LSBU Diploma students

Charles Greene UK general manager of acoustic instrumentation manufacturer NTI Audio, delivered an informative and useful workshop to the 2019-20 Diploma students.  The session demonstrated some  less well known but useful features of the XL2 sound level meters. Charles shared some good practice and advice on some common mistakes while measuring in the field. The workshop took place on 21st Nov 2019 and was organised by Diploma course director Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina.

Visiting Professor Mapp presents at the 35th Reproduced Sound

The 35th Reproduced Sound conference organised by the Institute of Acoustics was held in Bristol 19-21 November 2019. This year Visiting Professor Peter Mapp gave two papers, "Acoustics and Audio Survey of some English Churchs" and  a paper on "What we do if we didn’t have STI ?". The audience of 80 enjoyed the presentations.

Royal Academy of Music Sound Dosimetry

Over two weeks during late November 2019 the staff at the Royal Academy of Music have had their sound dose measured by Prof Stephen Dance and PhD candidate Doug Shearer. So far dosimetry of opera singing (Caitlin Hulcup and Julia Partela Pinon) brass, jazz, conductor, woodwind and strings has been undertaken. Next week the auditions will be measured!

1st Hearing Conservation Association Conference Announcement

Prof Stephen Dance is delighted to announce the 1st Hearing Conservation Association Conference will be held on 8th April 2020 at the Royal Academy of Engineering. The event is jointly sponsored by the UK Acoustics Network by the Biomedical and Room and Communication Special Interest Groups. The full programme will be finalised in early 2020- so keep an eye out!

Construction vibration nuisance court case talk at LSBU

The November 2019 IOA London Branch meeting featured a talk on a famous court case on construction vibration nuisance. The talk was presented by William Minting and was entitled “Hiscox  vs Pinnacle, 11 years on:  Progress in Construction Operation Regulation”. The meeting hosted by Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina at LSBU, was well received  by many members of the concerned industries and local authorities. Attendees showed clear interest in the topic during the question time and discussions.

Sound and Performance Study Group visits the Royal Opera House Linbury theatre

On the 18th November 2019 the Sound and Performance Study Group visited the Royal Opera House newly refurbished Linbury theatre. This allowed the members to play with the settings of the newly installed artificial reverberation system through some beautiful singing. A great experience of a unique installation!

Artists and Engineers join forces to create Immersive Sound

A UK Acoustics Network sponsored event at the South Bank Sound Lab will be held at Elephant Studios on the evening of 29th November 2019. The event combines art and science through an immersive audio demonstration and lecture using the IKO sound system. We hope artists and engineers can join and enjoy the event. Book here!

Luis delivers a guest lecture at the Architectural Association

As part of an academic collaboration recently established by Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina between LSBU and the famous UK Architectural Association School (AA), Luis gave a guest lecture on 14 Nov 2019 to  AA architecture students entitled Acoustics considerations in the design of an Urban Greenhouse

The interactive session also included demos and ample tutorial time where students approached Luis for advice on their concepts and designs. The students showed strong interest in the topic judging by the numerous consultations.

LSBU November 2019 Open Day at the Acoustics Lab

London South Bank University held an Open Day on Saturday 09 November 2019 for future applicants for our courses. Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina , Course Director for Diploma in Acoustics and Noise control and IOA Certificate of Environmental Noise measurements, led the tours around various laboratory facilities.  In the Acoustics laboratory he showed prospective applicants around the facilities and carried out several demonstrations. There was time to talk about the acoustics courses and acoustics units taught in other relevant courses. The prospective applicants were impressed by the aural experiences in the different chambers and they showed curiosity and interest in acoustics.

Luis awarded Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy

The UK Higher Education Academy (HEA) has recently awarded the grade of Senior Fellow to Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina. Senior Fellowship is awarded to professionals who meet the requirements of the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) for teaching and supporting learning in higher education. Seniors fellows present a thorough understanding of effective approaches to teaching and learning support as a key contribution to high quality student learning. Congratulations goes to Luis. Well done!

2nd Annual UK Acoustics Network

On 1st November 2019 the UK Acoustics Network had their 2nd annual meeting at the Guildhall, London. The Network exists to provide opportunities for industry to engage the academic community. Acoustics Group were well represented with Professor Dance leading the Special Interest Group in Room and Communication Acoustics, and Dr Aygun for Biomedical Acoustics. The meeting concerned UKAN+  and the International Year of Sound 2020!

Vocal and Hearing Testing of Opera Singers

On the 30th October 2019 the Royal Academy of Music Opera singers visited the laboratory to undertake a sing/listening/vocal test series. Royal Academy of Music sponsored PhD candidate Doug Shearer and Professor Dance run a battery of tests to understand how hearing and singing are related. Look out for the paper... coming soon!

Graduation 2019

On the 28th October 2019 at the Royal Festival Hall the Masters students in Environmental and Architectural Acoustics were formally awarded their degrees. Prof Stephen Dance and Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina caught on with the students discussing career moves, fun projects and collaborations. We wish them the best of luck in the future!

MAGIC Project Partner Meeting, Cambridge

On the 24th October 2019 Prof Stephen Dance represented London South Bank University at the EPSRC funded MAGIC Partners Project meeting at the stunning pretty Downing College, Cambridge. At the meeting the recent air quality and noise measurements around the LSBU campus were presented. Discussions were then held on the next stage of the 5 year project.

Visit to the Acoustics Group by Dr Luc Dekoninck

Between 23-25th October 2019 Dr Luc Dekoninck of Ghent University was invited to visit London South Bank University to discuss cross disciplinary research. During his visit with Prof Stephen Dance he had meetings with Dr Elsa Aristodemou to discuss air quality and traffic based noise emission. The visit was sponsored by the UK Acoustics Network. An EPSRC research proposal has been submitted based on the discussions.

Abstract Accepted for CIBSE ASHRAE Technical Symposium 2020

An abstract submitted to the CIBSE-ASHRAE 2020 Technical Symposium has been recently accepted by the Symposium reviewing panel. The abstract has been written by PhD candidate Suzana Zekic and director of studies Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina and is entitled “Developing Test Procedures for the Characterisation of the Acoustic Properties of Alternative Ventilation Ducts”. The international conference will take place at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland 16-17 April 2020 and Luis and Suzana  hope to see you there

Welcome 2019-20 IOA Diploma students

The 2019-20 IOA Diploma course at LSBU has commenced. Course director Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina welcomed students and introduced the course. This is sixth time that LSBU runs the IOA Diploma course since it was reinstated in Sept 2013. Seventeen students have joined this  2019-20 intake..  This cohort has again a varied composition comprising of Music Technology, Audio Engineering, Environmental Science and Mechanical Engineering students.  Two weeks into the course the students are settling in well and enjoying the lab experiments , lectures and lab facilities. We wish you a great learning experience and enjoyable time at LSBU

Presentation on the Music Exposure of Choristers

At the Institute of Acoustics Musical Acoustics meeting 9th October 2019, Professor Stephen Dance presented his research on the Music Exposure of Choristers to a packed audience at Henry Wood Hall. He explained that choristers have a high sound exposure but did not work standard hours, standard week or a standard year. Lots of questions were posed about the recommendation to St Paul's Cathedral. 

PhD candidate Doug Shearer presents at Musical Acoustics

On the 9th October 2019 PhD candidate Doug Shearer presented his final research to the Institute of Acoustics Musical Acoustics Group meeting. The meeting was held in Henry Wood Hall, London. He talk covered the history of the hall and various acoustic solutions that have been implemented or trailed to improve the low frequency response of the hall.

Impulse sources talk at Musical Acoustics

Research into impulse sources used in room acoustic testing was presented by Dr Luis Gomez-Agustina at 2019 IOA Musical Acoustic conference. The event took place on 9th October in a musical rehearsal hall near LSBU in London. After the talk Luis demonstrated the strengths and weaknesses of several alternative impulsive sound sources to the entertainment of the audience.

2nd Symposium on Acoustic Metamaterials

Between 9-11^th October 2019 the island of Ischia, Italy played host to the 2^nd Symposium on Acoustic Metamaterials. The event was organised by Young Researchers in Acoustic Metamaterials in association with University of Salerno and supported by EU Cost project DENORMS and the EPSRCAcoustic Network. The meeting was organised by PhD candidate Eric Ballestero and targeted Early Career Investigators. Six sessions were organised along with 5 plenary lectures given by international leaders in the field. We hope everyone had fun and learnt about the latest advances

Open Day event held at the Acoustics Lab

London South Bank University held an Open Day on Saturday 5th October 2019 for future applicants for our courses. Dr Haydar Aygun, Course Director for the Masters in Environmental and Architecture Acoustics led the event talking to the prospect students about the course. We hope to see you all again soon!

Masters students attend Ecophon led event

The students were kindly invited to an Ecophon led Continued Professional Development event on the 1st October 2019 in central London. The event, "Acoustic design insights from the experts" bought together biophilic design, acoustics and dementia, and the impact of low frequency soundn on special educational needs. The finale was a talk by Professor Erling Nilsson who flew in from Lund University. 

The Masters students 2019/20

We welcome the new Masters students to the MSc in Environmental and Architectural Acoustic course 2019/20. The students are in for lots of externally lead events, field trips and fun. Dr Haydar Aygun first crop has arrived! We wish them all the best of times.

Ecophon seminar on Classrooms for Special Educational Needs

On the 23rd September 2019 Ecophon invited the new Masters students to an event at their London Multi-purpose space on Classroom Acoustics for Special Educational Needs. The students enjoyed Swedish hospitality and three lectures from an acoustician, an architect and government civil servant.

Auditorium Acoustics Masterclass at LSBU

The September IOA London Branch meeting was hosted  by the Acoustic Group at LSBU and featured a talk by renowned acoustician Rob Harris. Rob gave a excellent overview of many aspects involved in Auditorium acoustic design. The lecture theatre was packed with 100+ enthusiastic members of the industry including many ex LSBU students. We thanks Rob for visiting LSBU and giving an excellent talk.

13th Year of the Royal Academy of Music Hearing Tests

Over two weeks in September 2019 350 students from the Royal Academy of Music will come and visit the Acoustics Laboratory. Whilst at the lab Professor Stephen Dance and PhD candidate Doug Shearer will test their hearing acuity. As a bonus sometimes we get then to play!

UK Acoustics Network Biomedical at the Royal Acadermy

On the 18th September 2019 the UK Acoustics Network Biodmedical held a workshop organised by co-lead Dr Haydar Aygun. The event was hosted by the Royal Academy of Engineering in Pall Mall, London. In total 21 delegates attended and 6 presentations were given  plus 4 posters between which excellent food and drink was provided. Looking forward to the next meeting!

Royal Academy of Music lecture series

A series of five lectures were given to the new students of the Royal Academy of Music. PhD candidate Doug Shearer gave the lectures entitled, "Hearing and the Sound of Performance". This was the 13th year for the acoustic lectures and we hope the students enjoyed it as much as we enjoying giving the presentation!

Acoustics Group at the International Congress on Acoustics

 Between 8-13th September 2019 the International Congress on Acoustics was held in Aachen, Germany. The Acoustics Group were busy chairing sessions, contributing to Technical Committees and presenting papers. The organisation was excellent, the papers of high quality and the networking personable. All the papers can be found here.

Eric presents at ICA, Aachen

On 10th September 2019 PhD candidate Eric Ballestero presented his research at the International Congress on Acoustics, Aachen. In the session Recent advances in sound absorption and diffusion of materials / devices Eric presented his research entitled, "3D printed Quadratic Residue Metadiffuser - Design and measurements of an optimized deep-subwavelength sound diffuser". The paper can be found here.

Steve Presents at ICA in Aachen

On Tuesday 10th September 2019 Professor Stephen Dance presented his research with the Royal Academy of Music at the International Congress of Acoustics in Aachen, Germany. In the session - Trends in health and safety in the musician's workplace with respect to sound exposure levels Stephen gave a paper on, "Face the Music: A 12 year study of the sound of performance and hearing of classical music". The paper can be found here.

UCL / LSBU Workshop

The second UCL/LSBU Acoustics workshop was held at the new campus HereEast in Stratford, London on the 4th September 2019. We saw the newly installed listening room and heard all about the latest Soundscape research. Proposed is cross collaboration first using joint facilities to assist with mutually beneficial research activities.

IOA London Branch at LSBU

London South Bank University is to host the inaugural Institute of Acoustics London branch seminar on Thursday 19th September 2019 6pm. Professor Rob Harris will be presenting on a life time of experience in working in auditorium acoustics. All are welcome, there is now plenty of space! PLease register here.

Professor Stephen Dance to present to the AES

The Audio Engineering Society (Scotland) has organised a Sound Exposure and Hearing evening meeting to be held at the City of Glasgow College, Glasgow on the 1st October 2019. Three speakers have been invited: Chris Steel from the Health and Safety Executive, Professor Stephen Dance from London South Bank University, and Jono Heale from ACS. You can book your place on Evenbrite.