Living sustainably involves meeting the needs in the present without compromising the needs of the future. This applies to social, environmental, political and economic domains. Environmental resources underpin social and economic standards with political ideologies seeking to find ways to manage these domains.

The role of engineers is to deliver technology which makes the best use of resource available to benefit humankind. Many advances in...

March 2018

International Women’s Day 2018 is a good time to reflect on the role of gender in our industry.

Headlines from Hollywood have highlighted extremes of ugly behaviour that still occur in the workplace, but we also have to tackle the less prominent issues of gender balance, responsibility and opportunities.

A recent poll of UK construction companies...

By Rodger Munt, edited by Angela Lamacraft & Mike Lotinga, December 2017

Dr Rodger Munt FIOA is a retired scientist with 45 years of research experience. As a long-standing employee of the former Royal Aircraft Establishment, he led successive research teams where vetting of scientific reports for non-technical customers was routine. He regularly sees the reports issued to local...

Luis Gomez-Agustina, September 2017

It is well accepted and understood that acoustics is the physical underlying phenomenon and vehicle of music production, performance and composition. It deals with the aural interactions between the instruments, performer, listener and the environment where sound is produced.

This essential link between acoustics and musical performance, however, appears to have been ignored or taken largely for granted by...

Mike Lotinga - July 2017

As the Wimbledon 2017 finals approach this weekend, it’s the time of year to revisit the annual debate: to grunt or not to grunt?

Tennis ‘grunting’ is a popular but controversial subject, such that it even has its own Wikipedia page. Maria Sharapova’s shrieks...

Adam Price, January 2017

One of the areas in which the IOA is doing a great job is in explaining to the world that acoustics is more than just musical or architectural in nature.  If you’re involved in acoustics then you’ll know that it’s a discipline that covers everything from bioacoustics to ultrasound imaging.

But even the well-informed may be surprised to find out how we’re using acoustics – and specifically ultrasound – at Ultrahaptics....

Stuart Dryden – October 2016

On my first day in consultancy I didn’t even get a desk before I was despatched to join the company’s multi-disciplinary engineering team working in the client’s office on a new Wafer Fabrication Facility. As you might know (and I was soon to find out) this requires very low levels of vibration in the fabrication area and highly filtered laminar airflow provided by extremely large fans typically installed on the floor below....

Ben Saunders - August 2016

For the uninitiated, the job title of acoustic consultant implies an expert advisor, a fountain of knowledge or some kind of walking library. From personal experience, this can seem very daunting to those looking to start their career. While a working knowledge of acoustics and academic proficiency is important, there are many skills that underpin the role that are equally as important.

One of my first experiences of acoustic...

James Hill - May 2016

Whilst it’s not often I buy a textbook based on a catchy title, Robert Apfel’s “Deaf Architects & Blind Acousticians” is one that has always stuck in my mind. More often than not, I recall it as “Blind Architects and Deaf Acousticians”, perhaps due to my own questionable hearing abilities but perhaps the mix-up is not as far-fetched as one might think.

Cymatics, speaking simply, is...

Vicky Stewart - March 2016

I am so thrilled to be writing this month’s YMG blog for you on inspiring the next generation, it is a subject close to my heart.

In addition to my day job as an Acoustic Consultant at Atkins, I have been regularly volunteering in schools since about 2008. Last year I was a finalist in the STEMNET awards and I have just started a new role as national coordinator for all school volunteering for Atkins.

...