Graduate studies in acoustics and noise control in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University

Abstract

The acoustics community at Purdue University will be described with special emphasis on the graduate program in Mechanical Engineering (ME). Purdue is home to around 30 faculty who study various aspects of acoustics and related disciplines, and so, there are many classes to choose from as graduate students structure their plans of study to complement their research activities and to broaden their understanding of the various aspects of acoustics. In Mechanical Engineering, the primary emphasis is on understanding noise generation, noise propagation, and the impact of noise on people, as well as development of noise control strategies, experimental techniques, and noise and noise impact prediction tools. The ME acoustics research is conducted at the Ray W. Herrick Laboratories, which houses several large acoustics chambers that are designed to facilitate testing of a wide array mechanical systems, reflecting the Laboratories’ long history of industry-relevant research. Complementing the acoustics research, Purdue has vibrations, dynamics, and electromechanical systems research programs and is home to a collaborative group of engineering and psychology professors who study human perception and its integration into engineering design. There are also very strong ties between ME acoustics faculty and faculty in Biomedical Engineering and Speech Language and Hearing Sciences.