Sickening - the worst sound in the world announced
Vomiting is officially the most horrible sound ever, according
to over a million votes cast worldwide in a mass online science experiment.
International visitors to the BadVibes website (www.sound101.org)
– a research project from the University of Salford – listened to
sounds such as a dentist’s drill, fingernails scraping down a blackboard
and aircraft flying past, before rating them in terms of their unpleasantness.
Over 1.1m votes were statistically analysed by Professor
Trevor Cox of the University’s Acoustic Research Centre, who conducted
the experiment in order to explore the public’s perceptions of unpleasant
sounds and help inform the acoustics industry.
He said: “I am driven by a scientific curiosity about why people shudder
at certain sounds and not others. We are pre-programmed to be repulsed by horrible
things such as vomiting, as it is fundamental to staying alive to avoid nasty
stuff but, interestingly, the voting patterns from the sound did not match expectation
for a pure ‘disgust’ reaction.
Acoustics courses submitted for accreditation
Accreditation is being sought from our professional body,
the Institute of Acoustics, which is licensed by the Engineering Council for
the award of Chartered and Incorporated Engineer status. We anticipate that
the accreditation process will have been completed prior to the start of the
academic year 2007. Courses being submitted for accreditation:
We are pleased to announce two new courses
for 2007.
The BSc (Hons)
Digital Broadcast Technology has been developed with help from senior
managers at BBC New Media and Technology (formally BBC Research and Development),
to provide graduates with the skills and knowledge needed to build future
broadcast systems. It is a technology driven course that combines video
and audio technology and production with computer programming and networking.
With the BBC move to Salford's MediaCity:UK,
this course is ideally placed to give students a great start in the media
technology industry.
The MSc Environmental
Acoustics has been developed to provide acoustics consultancies and
others with graduates who have the knowledge and skills to work in this
area. It has been developed in response to the skills shortage in acoustics.
It applies Salford's years of experience in acoustics consultancy, research
and teaching to provide a focussed and detailed MSc, specifically tailored
to the acoustics industry.
BBC move to Salford's MediaCity:UK confirmed.
After formal notification of the licence fee agreement, the
BBC has confirmed that it will move several major departments - Children's,
Sport, New Media, Five Live and Research and Development - out of London to
Salford by 2011. Staff at the five departments - as well as BBC personnel at
the current BBC Manchester building on Oxford Rd - will relocate to MediaCity:UK,
a new purpose-built site at Salford Quays close to the Lowry.
MediaCity:UK as a whole
is projected to provide employment for 15,500 people plus 1500 trainee posts
per year in over 1000 media-related businesses.
The Acoustics, Audio and Video group is already working with the BBC in both
teaching and research. Our BSc(Hons)
Audio, Video and Broadcast Technology has been redeveloped with help from
senior staff at BBC New Media
and Technology (was BBC Research and Development), for launch in September
2007. The BBC move to Salford will allow us to build on this realtionship.
Acoustics group invest £100k in scanning laser vibrometer
The acoustics group recently secured SRIF funding, to
buy a scanning laser vibrometer for non-contact velocity measurements.
This amazing piece of kit opens up all kinds of vibration measurement
problems which previously would have been impossible, especially in measuring
lightweight structures like headphone diaphragm oscillation (pictured),
or large vibrating noise sources such as machinery or factory facades
which might take days to measure with conventional accelerometers.
The device can scan a pre-determined grid of points
on the smallest of objects to very high accuracy, with resolution down
to nanometer level and frequency up to MHz ranges. Mark Avis, course tutor
for MSc Audio Acoustics, said ‘This device massively extends research
and teaching potential in the acoustics group. Students now have access
to a facility which is only usually available in the r&d labs of large
multinational companies. We have already identified a student project
in loudspeaker cabinet vibration and sound radiation, to be completed
this year, and the laser will be integral to a number of planned research
funding proposals and commercial test and measurement contracts.’
Salford IoA Diploma student wins ANC Best Diploma Project Award
Claire receiving her prize from ANC Chair Ed Clarke
Claire Churchill, a technical member of
Staff of the AAV Group pursued an IoA
Post Graduate Diploma in Acoustics and Noise Control in 2005-2006
at Salford Study Centre. Her project entitled “An investigation
of the functioning of anti-vibration mounts in situ under a transmission
suite" won the prestigious ANC National Prize of Best Diploma Project
for the year 2006. Claire received the Award at the IoA 2006 Autumn Conference.
The ANC (The association of the Noise Consultants) currently
awards only two annul prizes for the best project report for the IoA Diploma
and the best paper written and presented by a young author at an IoA meeting.
These prizes follow a rigorous nomination and selection procedure and
represent National Elite of the work by IoA Diploma students and/or young
researchers.
