Genealogy of the National Center for Physical Acoustics

Abstract

NCPA traces its roots to the Physical Acoustics Research Group which grew from the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The current Department of Physics and Astronomy acoustics effort was initiated with Prof. F. Douglas Shields who received his Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University under the direction of Prof. Robert Lageman. Professor Shields came to the University of Mississippi in 1959. He directed the dissertation of ten Ph.D. students and seven Masters students. In 1964, Prof. Shields was joined in the department by Prof. Roy Arnold who studied the ultrasonic properties of solids. Professor Arnold directed the dissertation of two Ph.D. students and six Masters students. In 1970, Prof. Randall Peters and Prof. Henry Bass joined the faculty; Bass doing acoustics in gases with a Ph.D. from Oklahoma State under Tom Winter and Peters doing solid state acoustics. The following year, Ron Carter joined the group doing solid state acoustics. Professor Bass directed the dissertation of nineteen Ph.D. students and eight Masters students. In 1976, Dr. Hans Bauer, a student of Prof. Kneser, joined the group for one year. Professor Larry Crum, a student of Prof. Stump at Ohio State, joined the faculty in 1978. In 1986, an act of Congress established the National Center for Physical Acoustics and over a period of two years, PARGUM was transferred to NCPA. Professor Ralph Goodman joined NCPA as Director in 1989. Dr. Robert Hickling and Prof. Mack Breazeale joined NCPA in 1988. Professor John Seiner joined NCPA in 1998. A listing of all additional faculty and scientists to join NCPA and the students directed by all will be presented.