Accurate prediction of noise levels from new developments such as roads, railways and industrial plant requires the involvement of an acoustics specialist.
Schools, concert halls, hospitals, residential buildings, offices and leisure facilities – all need careful acoustic design to make them sound good and keep out nearby noise.
Understanding noise and vibration is vital to our work life and health.
The design of acoustic instrumentation requires knowledge of electronics and computing and an understanding of how acoustic measurements are made
Many specialists working in this field are involved in helping people with listening or speaking difficulties to communicate better.
The use of ultrasound waves can be used in many ways – from the destruction of tumour tissues or kidney stones to the measurement of properties on the sea bed.
Understanding the ways that sounds are produced by instruments or voices either singly, or when performed in combination with others, is a complex acoustic process.
The design and management of amplified sound in public venues is one of many areas that benefits greatly from the skills of an expert electro-acoustician.
Underwater sound, used by marine animals to navigate and communicate, is also an indispensable tool, both for military applications and for commercial use.
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The operation of the Institute is guided by Council through Standing Committees concerned with Education, Engineering, Medals and Awards, Meetings, Membership, Publications, and Research Co-ordination.
There are also working groups set up, as required, to work on specific tasks. Current groups include Sustainability, Amplitude Modulation, CPD, Professional Standards and Women and Families.
Council is the governing body of the Institute and meets four times a year. Council comprises the members of Executive committee, three Vice Presidents (Groups Branches, International Affairs and Engineering Division) and nine elected ordinary members. In addition, there are two young members’ representatives who serve overlapping two year terms. The chairmen of the committees are also invited to attend Council meetings to provide reports of their areas of activity. The period of time that anyone can serve on Council is limited and elections take place at the Annual General Meeting. We seek to ensure that there is as wide as possible representation on Council, but if you feel that your area of acoustics does not have a voice, why not consider standing for election?
Council members (as of September 2016)
| Member | Position (if applicable) |
|---|---|
| Ms Jo Webb FIOA | (President) |
| Prof Barry Gibbs FIOA | (President Elect) |
| Mr William Egan MIOA | (Immediate Past President ) |
| Mr Russell Richardson MIOA | (Hon Secretary) |
| Mr Daren Wallis MIOA | (Hon Treasurer) |
| Mr Jim Glasgow MIOA | (Vice President Eng) |
| Dr Keith Holland MIOA | (Vice President International) |
| Mr Graham Parry FIOA | (Vice President Groups Branches) |
| Mr Daniel Goodhand MIOA | |
| Dr Paul Lepper MIOA | |
| Dr Martin Lester HonFIOA | |
| Mrs Pamela Lowery MIOA | |
| Mrs Hilary Notley MIOA | |
| Mr Peter Rogers FIOA | |
| Miss Emma Shanks MIOA | |
| Miss Vicky Stewart MIOA | |
| Mr Richard Watson MIOA | |
| Prof Abigail Bristow FIOA (by invitation) | |
| Dr Bob Peters FIOA (by invitation) | |
| Mr Paul Shields FIOA (by invitation) |
Education
Chair: Dr Bob Peters FIOA
The Education Committee is responsible for determining and managing the Institute’s education policy and developing and promoting acoustics, and acoustics-related education and training for members and others.
Central to the Committee’s work are the Diploma in Acoustics and Noise Control and the three Certificate of Competence courses (i.e. Environmental Noise Measurement; Management of Occupational Exposure to Hand Arm Vibration; and Workplace Noise Risk Assessment).
The Committee oversees the content, delivery and assessments of the above through the accreditation of centres delivering the courses; the appointment of examiners, the organisation of examinations; the preparation and moderation of all examination assessments; the moderation of the students’ assessed work; and the preparation and publication of examination results.
The Committee oversees the administration of the distance-learning study version of the Diploma, including the preparation of the study notes and the accreditation of the centre delivering the practical work programme. The majority of distance-learning students are from the UK but some are from overseas and currently students from Dubai and Hong Kong are on the program.
The Committee also works to create and validate training programmes to meet specific needs. An example would be “The Certificate of Proficiency in Anti-Social Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004 - Noise Measurements” which is currently providing training for Local Authorities in Scotland.
The membership of the Education Committee
The Chairman of Education Committee is appointed by Council.
The ex-officio Committee members are: the Institute’s President; the President Elect; the Education Manager; the Institute’s Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary; and (at its discretion) a representative of the Engineering Council.
In addition there are: the five chairmen* of the committees responsible for the Diploma programme, the three Certificates of Competence, the Diploma Distance Learning mode, plus the Diploma Project Examiner and the Senior Tutor for the Diploma Distance Learning mode. (* These appointments require ratification by Council.)
The IOA's Education Committee may invite up to six corporate members to achieve a representative balance between education, industry and consultancy.
Where specific, fixed term, tasks have been identified, Education Committee may co-opt up to three corporate members to fulfil those tasks.
Chair: Mr James Hill MIOA
The Engineering Division Committee’s purpose is to promote professional engineering within the Institute of Acoustics and advise the Council on all engineering matters, to put forward members for registration in the Chartered Engineer and Incorporated Engineer sections of the Engineering Council Register, and to act as a forum for co-ordinating the activities of the Institute of particular interest to engineering.
With authority delegated by the Council of the Institute, it acts directly and independently on Engineering Council registration matters to ensure that the principles relating to registration in UK-SPEC are implemented and to establish and maintain criteria to be met by members of the Institute applying for registration as Chartered Engineer or Incorporated Engineer.
A generation ago, acoustics engineering specialists came from the ranks of the other professional engineering institutions - IEE, IMechE and ICE - or from a physics background. Over the past 20 years, more than one thousand acoustical engineering graduates have been educated at Southampton and Salford universities, many of whom are now employed in acoustical engineering throughout the world.
Professional engineering is important as a sector within IOA and acoustics engineers have an important role to play within the field of engineering, with its increasing interests in the environment, human-machine interaction and safety. The IOA believes that professional acoustics engineers are now recognised by industry and society in their own right as valued specialists and that it is in all parties' interests that they be recognised within the engineering profession by Engineering Council registration.
Although its small size limits the scale of contribution which IOA can make to the wide spectrum of professional activities associated with the Engineering Council, the Engineering and Technology Board and the other engineering institutions, the opportunity to be involved in such initiatives is highly valued and where specialist contributions are needed, the Institute will take a proactive role.
Chair: Ms Jo Webb FIOA
The Executive Committee is set up to provide an effective liaison between the Council and the management services of the Institute. With the approval of the Council it will: 1. Formulate proposals for policy and action relating to the managerial and financial activities of the Institute for presentation to the Council. 2. Monitor the implementation of the policy decisions of the Council, review the management accounts to ensure that the operations remain on budget and ensure that corrective actions are taken so that operations remain within budget. 3. Take executive action on any matter considered too urgent to await consideration at the next regular or extraordinary Council meeting. Such action will be formally reported to Council at its subsequent meeting. 4. Appoint the Chief Executive / Secretary of the Institute and agree the remuneration and conditions of employment of the Secretariat. 5. Within the budget approved by Council and on recommendation from the appropriate subcommittees confirm the appointment of personnel to paid posts within the Institute; agree their remuneration and the granting of Honoraria for services provided. Members of the Executive: (As of September 2016) Ms J Webb FIOA (President) Prof B Gibbs FIOA (President Elect) Mr W Egan MIOA (Immediate Past-President) Mr R Richardson MIOA (Hon Secretary) Mr D Wallis MIOA (Hon Treasurer) Mr A Chesney, Chief Executive
Chair: Ms Jo Webb FIOA
The Institute of Acoustics annually honours people whose contributions to acoustics or to the Institute have been particularly noteworthy.
The medals and awards programme has evolved over the years and is wide ranging in its acknowledgment of academic achievement, practical engineering applications and innovations, student achievement and contributions to the Institute and to the world of science and technology.
It is overseen on behalf of Council by the Medals and Awards Committee, which is chaired by the President. Nominations may be made at any time either on standard forms available through the Institute's office or by writing direct to the President.
Chair: Mrs Hilary Notley MIOA
The Meetings Committee meets four times a year. Its main purposes are to plan and preside over the framework of workshops, meetings and conferences that are organised by the Institute of Acoustics’ Secretariat and oversee the annual programme of these events.
The Committee seeks to ensure that the range and subject matter of events is suitably balanced across all members’ areas of interest and that the quality of meetings and venues is high. Feedback from meeting questionnaires (filled in by attendees) is reviewed and acted upon.
The Committee also considers strategic issues such as meeting fees, guidelines for meeting organisers, etc with a view to offering proposals for Council approval.
The annual programme of meetings provides significant revenue for the Institute. The Committee monitors the financial performance of meetings and reviews progress against annual targets.
A significant proportion of the impetus for meetings originates from enthusiastic members of the Groups and Branches. The Committee seeks to encourage and facilitate this process, alongside the great support provided to the meeting organisers by the Institute Secretariat.
Chair: Mr Paul Shields FIOA
The main activity is looking at all applications for membership, making recommendations to Council for the election of corporate members (FIOA and MIOA) and approving the election of non-corporate members (AMIOA, TechIOA, Affiliates and Students) and Sponsor members.
Complaints under the Institute's Code of Conduct are investigated, and recommendations to Council are made if the complaint is upheld and penalties against the member concerned may be appropriate.
The Committee oversees matters concerning Continuing Professional Development both for individual members and in relation to any such scheme operated by employers. Liaison is maintained with the Engineering Division Committee in respect of granting Chartered and Incorporated Engineer status.
Publications
Chair: Mr Daniel Goodhand MIOA
The Publications Committee has responsibility for all publications that are produced by the IOA, including:
- Acoustics Bulletin
- Proceedings
- IOA website
- Members Register
- Buyers' Guide
- E-newsletter
Chair: Prof Abigail Bristow FIOA
Mission and activities
The mission of the committee is to ‘improve the status and awareness of acoustics research in the UK and to improve communications between researchers’. The Committee meets twice a year to discuss various research matters. These matters include, but are not limited to, the following items:
- monitoring and improving the national status of acoustics as an academic discipline and research area;
- investigating possibilities for a more coordinated approach by Institute members to Research Councils and other funding bodies both within and outside the UK;
- encouraging the formation of research networks in acoustics both within and outside the UK;
- ensuring regular (at least annual) interaction between the Institute, Research Councils, Defra, PHE and Innovate UK including advice on the extent and location of UK acoustic research;
- advising and reporting to Council on any matters relating to research activities in acoustics that impact on the Institute's activities.
The Committee has a 2-tier membership structure. There is a core group (tier 1) of Committee members. The names of tier 1 members appear on the attendance list. These members attend regularly the committee meetings and contribute systematically to the operation of the RCC. Tier 2 members are those members of the Institute who play a role in this Committee and can be invited to attend some meetings of this Committee to assist with various matters which require additional acoustics and acoustics-related expertise. Tier 2 membership can be more appropriate for younger members, those members who are not based in the UK and other IOA members who cannot regularly attend the RCC meetings.
Tier 1 Committee Members
Chair - Professor Abigail Bristow FIOA [a.l.bristow@surrey.ac.uk]
Prof Keith Attenborough HonFIOA
Dr Anne Bernassau
Dr Andrew Bullmore MIOA
Dr Alan Curtis MIOA
Dr Benjamin Fennech MIOA
Professor Kirill Horoshenkov FIOA
Dr Alan McAlpine
Mrs Hilary Notley MIOA
Mr Jon Richards FIOA
Mr Mike Swanwick FIOA
Dr Shahram Taherzadeh MIOA
Mr Stephen Turner HonFIOA
Dr Duncan P Williams MIOA
Joining a professional body such as the Institute of Acoustics is a great way to make some useful contacts, give yourself the best professional opportunities and make an impact on your career.
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The Institute offers a range of professionally recognised courses for those interested working in any aspect of acoustics.
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