Christmas Job- Wind Turbine Vibration

The Acoustics Group are undertaking long term vibration monitoring on a Proven 6 kW roof-top wind turbine. Noise and vibration limited have loaned us a Rion VX54 vibration meter to test our wind turbine over the holiday.

Institute of Phyiscs funded iScience course

The Acoustics Group is involved in providing content for the new iScience course at London South Bank University, funded by the Institute of Physics. The BEng course will run from Sept 2008, Acoustics will be taught to the 2nd year students.

Acoustic Group Purchase Portable PA System

Christos Nestoras is working on optimised PA systems for classrooms. His research is now in the final stage, testing 4 Yamaha active speakers in various classroom types to improve speech intelligibility.

New Acoustics Equipment

Recently the Acoustics Group purchased a new dodec loudspeaker from Noise-and-Vibration. It has already been tested in Dukes Hall at the Royal Academy of Music. We don't waste time!

External Examiner for ISVR

Dr Stephen Dance will be the new external examiner for ISVR, Southampton University for 3 years 2007/8 to 2009/10. He will be responsible for undergraduate courses in Acoustics Engineering and Acoustics and Music.

5 Abstracts submitted to IoA Conference

Five abstracts have been submitted to the Institute of Acoustics Spring Conference- Widening Horizons in Acoustics Research. The papers are from 2 MSc students: iPods and Roof-Top Wind Turbines and 3 PhD students: Auralisation, Audiometry and Quieter Noise Measurements. See you all on 10/11th April in Reading

Health Surveillance of Musicians

The Acoustics Group undertaking health surveillance of the 1st years at the Royal Academy of Music. We'll see you all again at the end of your course!

Steve gives seminar at the Royal Academy of Music

On 11th September 2007 Steve Dance gave a seminar to the Freshers at the Royal Academy of Music in Dukes Hall. The subject was Noise Exposure of Musicians. He had to give it twice due to the high attendance!

Georgia Zepidou wins ASA Student Prize

Georgia has been awarded a students prize by the Acoustical Society of America for her dissertation on rehearsal rooms. Usually the medals are only given to Americas, so well done. The picture is from Madrid. Very cool.

PhD students at the 19th ICA in Madrid

After a long summer break, the students attended the International Congress on Acoustics in Madrid. A good time was had by all! Thanks to Women in Engineering and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Graduation 2007

Dr Stephen Dance meets LSBU Chancellor Trevor MacDonald.

Institute of Sound and Vibration Short Course

The Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at Southampton University will be running a short course- Noise Control from 10-14th September 2007. Dr Stephen Dance is a guest lecturer and will be presenting on 14th September entitled, "Sound Propagation in Factories".

MSc Acoustics Graduation 26th July 2007

This year graduates include: Luke Robertson, Antoniois Argoudelis, Hayriye Yilmaz and Georgia Zepidou. I will hope to see you at the ceremony on 26th July 2007, St George's Church. As ever, lots of students have asked for extensions: Guiseppe Aliberti, Eric Karas, Phil Wash, Alkesh Solanki, Pradeep Mistry and Salvador Morant.

Women in SET Travel Awards success for Emma

Emman Greenland has been awarded a travel grant from Women in Science, Engineering and Technology. Emma is also going to ICA congress in Madrid, September 2007. Well Done!

International Travel Grants awarded

Dr Stephen Dance, Louis Gomez, Georgia Zepidou and Christos Nestoras each have won International Travel Grants from the Royal Academy of Engineering. Stephen and Christos will be spending the award on a conference in Madrid. Louis won a more substantial award for a conference in Cairns, Australia.

Dr Stephen Dance wins Schultz Prize from ASA

Dr Stephen Dance was awarded the Theodore John Schultz Teaching Grant given by the Robert Bradford Newman Student Award Fund through the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). The proposal was entitled, “A web-based noise control prediction model for rooms using the method of images”. Well Done!

60th Anniversary Celebrated

The Department of Engineering Systems has just celebrated their 60th Anniversary of the National College of Building Services. At the event Emma Greenland won the best poster award. Well done Emma.

Wind Turtbine Erected at Elephant & Castle

A 6kW wind turbine has been successfully installed on the roof top of the Heygate Estate at Elephant & Castle. It will be monitored by the Acoustics Group over the summer of 2007 to determine noise nuisance.

Seminar at Royal Academy of Music

The Acoustics Group, Dr Stephen Dance, PhD student Georgia Zepidou and Masters' student Salvador Morant gave a seminar on the risks of excessive noise for the classical music students at the Royal Academy of Music. This was a foretaste of an annual series of lectures at the Academy for all Fresher students.

Prof Shield made Vice President of IoA

Professor Bridget Shield has become International Vice President of the Institute of Acoustics. Well done and good luck on the Executive Committee.

Environmental Measurement for Elephant Ready to Go

Environmental measurements for the regeneration of Elephant & Castle are ready to roll. Initially a weather proof CEL 593 Sound Level Meter will be on the roof to measure background noise, whilst simultaneously a twin 593 will measure the levels inside a flat immediately beneath the meter. In addition, a Nor121 will measurement the weather conditions at roof top level. A Masters student, Linda, is taking the noise measurements, whilst another Sustainable Masters Student, Chris, monitors the wind conditions.

The second stage will start in June when the first of two wind turbines will be installed.

New Acoustics & Lighting Technician

John King this week became the new Acoustics and Lighting technician. He is helping with the wind turbine experiment for the regeneration of Elephant & Castle area over the summer. During June to September the acoustics lab is being refurbished.

Telent / LSBU at Belsize Park

Louis Gomez and Christos Nestoras were in Hampstead on 9th May 2007 with their supervisor Dr Stephen Dance taking low level MLS noise measurements during the day (for once).

Telent / LSBU at Angel Tube Station

PhD researchers Louis Gomez and Christos Nestoras ventured, on a Sunday 29th April, down to Angel to test a theory on Low Level Noise Measurements using MLS based signals. There supervisors, Sal Murano and Stephen Dance where present to verify the measurements. All was successful... I can see an international conference paper forming in there minds:)

KTP with Sound Research Laboratories and the Royal Academy of Music Successful

On Friday 27th April a collaborative project between LSBU, Sound Research Laboratories and the Royal Academy of Music was given the go ahead. The project is partially funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, SRL and the Eastern Region Development Agency. The project will develop noise mitigation technologies for classical musicians to meet impending legislation requirements.

Honorary Fellowship from the Institute of Acoustics

Prof Bridget Shield was award an Honorary Fellowship from the Institute of Acoustics at the Spring Conference held in Cambridge on 23rd April 2007.

Acoustic Students Day Out at Globe Threatre

The Architectural Acoustics Students visit the Globe Theatre in Londo, UK. Ian took the picture.
Our ex-PhD Russell Richardson measured the theatre in 1997 to establish the quality of the space

Recruiting for 2007/8

The MSc Environmental and Architectural course is recruiting for 2007/8 for both part-time and full-time students. The course starts 25th September 2007.

The course has an emphasis on applied acoustics relevant to practitioners, and provides ideal training for a career in acoustics as a consultant, environmental health officer, environmental engineer, building services engineer or sound engineer.

The MSc comprises eight taught units and a major project, the PgDip includes eight taught units but no major project, the PgCert is four taught units. The taught units include specialist units in measurement and behaviour of sound, subjective and environmental acoustics, noise control, architectural acoustics and environmental space, plus general units on research methods and management.

The major project maybe in any area of acoustics of interest to the student, and is often related to the current university research or acoustic consultants activites in acoustics.

An honours degree in science or engineering, music technology, audio technology, or environmental health, or IoA Dipolma in Acoustics and Noise Control (or relevant life/work skills) Email: dances@lsbu.ac.uk

New Members for the Institute of Acoustics

Emma Greenland and Louis Gomez, PhD researchers, have received membership to the Institute of Acoustics. Well Done! They join Prof. Bridget Shield who is Fellow of the IoA, and Dr Stephen Dance and Anne Carey who are Members of IoA.

Inter-Noise 2007 at Istanbul

An invited paper has been submitted for Inter-Noise 2007 at Istanbul by Bridget and Emma. The paper is on acoustic designs of Open-Plan schools. It's looking like a busy summer for the Acoustics Group research team!

ICA 2007 Madrid, 5 papers submitted

ICA 2007 in Madrid will be attended by Bridget, Steve, Georgia, Emma, Christos and Louis. Five abstracts have been submitted. All of us are looking forward to the largest acoustics conference of the calender.

KTP with Sound Research Laboratories and the Royal Academy of Music Submitted

A Knowledge Transfer Partnership grant application has been submitted in collaboration with Sound Research Laboratories and the Royal Academy of Music. The grant was developed to meet the new noise at work legislation, which is enforced for entertainment from April 2008. The idea is to protect the classical music students from excessive noise exposure from their own instruments. Fingers crossed.

New Acoustic Equipment from Norsonics

New acoustics equipment has been purchased for the Acoustics Lab. Norsonics gave the MSc Environmental and Architectural Acoustics students a demonstration of the latest developments on 13th March 2007. Since then, the Acoustics Group has purchased a Nor 121 dual channel real-time 1/3 octave analyser and a Nor 140 sound level meter. This equipment is reserved for the use of the researchers and postgraduate students.

Career Progress of this years MSc Acoustics Students

Great news, all of this years full-time MSc Environmental and Architectural Acoustics students have secured jobs. This year, this was achieved after 6 months of starting the course, an improvement of 3 months from last year. Well Done, but you haven't yet finished the course!

Low Noise Measurements in a Ticket Office

PhD students, Louis Gomez and Christos Nestoras collaborated on a project to establish the accuracy of low noise eSweep and MLS measurements at Telent's Bermondsey workshops on Wednesday 28th March 2007, to simulate an Underground ticket office. KTP public relations Stephanie Luxmore joined us to create content for the latest marketing brochure for London South Bank University. The KTP supervisors Sal Murano and Dr Stephen Dance where there with their employuee/student, Hussein Aied, who is studying on the MSc in Environmental and Architectural Acoustics.

Collaboration between the Acoustics Group and Royal Academy of Music

The Acoustics Group will be giving a seminar, to classical musicians of the Royal Academy of Music, on the dangers of excessive noise exposure during May 2007. In the next academic year, we will audiometrically test the hearing of all new students at the Royal Academy using our laboratory. This forms part of the risk assessment undertaken by JEM Safety Management

Urban Wind Turbines at Elephant and Castle

The Masters' students working in Acoustics and Sustainability are collaborating on a 'real' project to redevelop Elephant and Castle. The research is sponsered by Southwark Council, London South Bank University and Norsonics. Under the Mayor's 10% renewable energy policy new developments need sustainable options to be approved for planning. Wind energy is one such example. However, planning permission will only be given if noise annoyance in the community is acceptable. Currently, you can find us on the roof of buildings logging the background noise level before the installation of a test wind turbine, which should produce 6 kW of electricity

Telent plc Research for Tubelines sponsered by DTI

London Underground is being refurbished and updated.
Telent, ex-Marconi, is updating the Security, Emergency and Public Address systems.
London South Bank University specialises in speech intelligibility and architectural acoustics, so formed a partnership with Telent under the sponsership of the DTI using the KTP scheme. This started on 1st Feb 2007.
Heathrow was the first station to be investigated

Welcome to Acoustics at London South Bank University

Welcome to the Acoustics blog, part of the London South Bank University policy of keeping you informed of the progress of our research efforts. This efforts directly feed into the courses run by the Department of Engineering Systems, in particular the MSc in Environmental and Architectural Acoustics