My 65 years in acoustics

Abstract

My entry into acoustics began as research assistant to Professor F. V. Hunt at Harvard University. I received my doctorate in 1940 and directed the Electro-Acoustic Laboratory at Harvard from October 1940 until September 1945. In 1947, I became a tenured associate professor at MIT, and, with Richard H. Bolt, formed the consulting firm Bolt and Beranek, that later included Robert B. Newman, becoming BBN. My most significant contributions before 1970 were design of wedge-lined anechoic chambers, systemization of noise reduction in ventilation systems, design of the world’s largest muffler for the testing of supersonic jet engines at NASA’s Lewis Laboratory in Cleveland, speech interference level, NC noise criterion curves, heading New York Port Authority’s noise study that resulted in mufflers on jet aircraft, and steep aircraft climb procedures, and publishing books titled, Acoustical Measurements, Acoustics, Noise Reduction, Noise and Vibration Control, and Music, Acoustics and Architecture. As President of BBN, I supervised the formation of the group that built and operated the ARPANET (1969), which, when split in two (using TCP/IP protocol) became the INTERNET (1984). Since then, I have written two books on Concert Halls and Opera Houses and have consulted on four concert halls and an opera house.