Acoustics at the Georgia Institute of Technology

Abstract

Acoustics at Georgia Tech spans multiple schools, including Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Psychology, Music, Physics, Mathematics, and Architecture. The program began over 50 years ago and strengthened considerably in the 1960s and 1970s after Eugene Patronis, Ben Zinn, and Allan Pierce joined the faculty in the Schools of Physics, Aerospace Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, respectively. Since then hundreds of students in acoustics have graduated and hold positions in academia and industry around the world. Currently the School of Mechanical Engineering has twelve academic and eight research faculty with primary interest in Acoustics and Dynamics. Areas of research include architectural acoustics, psychoacoustics, noise control, environmental acoustics, sustainable systems design, underwater acoustics, bioacoustics, ultrasonics, active/passive control, fluid-structure interaction, nonlinear acoustics, acousto-optics, micromachined sensors and actuators, vibration of nonlinear and frictional systems, shock and vibration isolation, structural acoustics, wave propagation, and structural health monitoring. Masters and Ph.D. level programs are offered in addition to various undergraduate courses. The depth of knowledge at Tech facilitates a variety of collaborations, allowing students a multi-disciplinary education in the science and application of acoustics. Student interactions are further facilitated by a number of organizations on campus, including a student chapter of the ASA.