Architectural Acoustics at RPI

Ziqi CHEN Receives Prestigious Leo L. Beranek Student Medal (Year 2025

Our Ph.D. candidate, Ziqi CHEN, received the prestigious Leo Beranek Student Medal of Year 2025 for excellence in noise control research. This award recognizes Ziqi's work in Bayesian estimation of dissipation and sound speed in tube measurements, which have the potential to provide drastically increased accuracy in acoustic material characterization. His work has been published at the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 155, 2646-2658 (2024)]. Ziqi has presented his research progress at various national and international conferences, including ASA Ottawa Meeting 2024, InterNoise 2024, NOISE-CON 2024, ICA 2025, InterNoise 2025, NOISE-CON 2025. Congratulations, Ziqi!

Our Graduate Program has been well represented by the Graduate Students and the Faculty's presentations (altogether 12) at the 25th Internatioanl Congress on Acoustics joined with the 188th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, followed by the Satellite International Symposium on Music and Room-Acoustics held in New Orleans, in Late May 2025. Highlighted are grad. Students.

RPI Student Team Won the Top Honor of 2025 ASA Student Design

Graduate student team Kevin Messigner and Matthew Ripley of Graduate Program in Architectural Acoustics, has won the FIRST Honor of 2025 Student Design Competition, sponsored by The Technical Committee on Architectural Acoustics of the Acoustical Society of America.

The award was announced at the 188th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America joined with the 25th International Congress on Acoustics held in New Orleans, LA, May 19th -23rd, 2025. The RPI team has competed with many international student teams. This top honor of the competition reflects their excellence in architectural acoustics design on a 700-seat theater, located at Lopez' alma amter, Yale University. Additional details about the competition can be found on the website of the Robert Bradford Newman Fund (http://www.newmanfund.org).

We offer our congratulations to the RPI winners, Matt, and Kevin!

Graduate class 2024-25 explored excellent acoustics in Troy Music Hall (TMH) on Mar 21st. Thanks to TMH director Jonathan Elbaum, and staff, the Graduate Program in Architectural Acoustics at RPI has been benefitting from the TMH over years.

RPI Graduate Tim Perez promoted at THRESHOLD again

Tim Perez, graduate student (Class'11) of RPI-Graduate Program in Architectural Acoustics, is promoted to Partner of Threshold. Tim joined Threshold, a acoustical consulting firm in Chicago area, thirteen years ago. Interested at first in acoustics, he gravitated to AV where his expertise expanded in step with the firm, he has played an indispensable role in growing and strengthening Threshold's AV group. His insight, calm demeanor, and dry wit are an asset to the partnership and bode well for Threshold's future -- according to Threshold's announcement.

Congratulations, Tim!

Graduate Student Phebe S. Cunningham Received Prestigious Awards

Phebe S. Cunningham, graduate student (Class'23) of RPI-Graduate Program in Architectural Acoustics, has been awarded the 1st Prize of the Student Paper Presentations from the Technical Committee on Architectural Acoustics of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). She presented her research within the scope of her MS thesis project on meta-absorbers at the 186th ASA Meeting in Ottawa, May 2024. Her presentation is titled "Absorptive performance of layered metasurfaces using microslit panels" coauthored by Phebe S. Cunningham, , Ziqi Chen and Ning Xiang. Due to her outstanding research work on acoustic meta-absorbers, Phebe has also been awarded WSDG-RPI Student Award 2024.

RPI graduate class explores concert-hall acoustics in Ozawa Hall, Lenox, MA, getting deeper understanding of binaural and spatial evaluations of acoustic properties in the hall. Upper: Prof. Ning Xiang introduces challenges to the graduate students when inspecting multi-channel room impulse responses. Lower: Richard Rindel, experienced acoustic consultant, explains the graduate class that great cares must be given when setting up the spatial and binaural microphone systems.

Dave Conant, RPI School of Architecture's alumni (75's), Principal of McKAY CONANT HOOVER Inc., lectured during RPI 200 year's Anniversary at the Graduate Program in Architectural Acoustics on Sept. 27th 2024.

Dave's lecture addresses Room-Acoustical Design in Performing Arts (creative solutions). In addition, Dave went on to discuss creativity in Teaching and Learning with RPI architectural acoustics students.

John Storyk lectured at RPI

John Storyk, eleven-time TEC Award winner, lectured on '55 Years of Architecture and Studio Designs' at RPI. RPI School of HASS and the Graduate Program in Architectural Acoustics co-hosted John's lecture on April 9th 2024.

John's lecture continued when the RPI team of the Graduate Program in Architectural Acoustics visited Studio A and B (designed by WSDG) at Berklee College in Boston on April 11th (see Photo above).

Dr. Peter D'Antonio lectured at RPI Architectural Acoustics Program

Dr. Peter D'Antonio, Wallace Clement Sabine Medalist (2023 from the ASA), lectured on '50 Years of Musical, Diffraction Physics and Acoustical Memories' at RPI Graduate Program in Architectural Acoustics on Mar. 12th, 2024.

Dr. D'Antonio combined his passion for music and his diffraction physics experience to create an innovative career in architectural acoustics and pioneered the science of sound diffusion. His theories and innovations led to practical applications, transforming recording studios, educational facilities, worship spaces, performance venues, and home theaters. Peter was inducted into the recording industry’s TECnology Hall of Fame in 2013. We are honored and privileged to have the opportunity to listen to Peter's lecture.

John O'Keefe from Univ of Toronto lectured our graduate students on Feb. 22nd. In the evening his lecture continued in the Troy Music Hall, after the class listened to the evening performance by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine.

John we enjoyed your visit and lectures very much!