Laymon Miller, distinguished consultant in noise control engineering at Bolt Beranek and Newman

Abstract

Laymon Miller was employed in Harvard’s Underwater Sound Lab (HUSL), under the direction of Professor F. V. Hunt during World War ll. When that laboratory closed, Laymon joined the consulting staff at Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN). Laymon became BBN’s leading expert on the reduction of noise and vibration in ventilating systems. One of his important jobs was noise reduction at New York’s Lincoln Center’s Philharmonic Hall. He also became expert in vibrations transmitted through the earth. In particular, he designed the vibration isolation pads used to reduce the transmission of railroad track vibrations into adjacent buildings in a number of cities, including Boston’s Back Bay and Montreal. Practically every important building acoustics project that came into BBN received his attention. He gained the reputation of more chargeable consulting time each month than any other employee. Besides mentoring numerous new BBN employees he taught highly sought after courses on noise reduction for architects, building, industrial and plant engineers, as well as for other acoustical consultants.