PHARM: An Environment for Physical Acoustics Research and Mentoring

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Kent L Gee and Tracianne B Neilsen, Physics and Astronomy

Mentoring Environment Overview

PHARM (PHysical Acoustics Research and Mentoring) has been operating partially with support from a MEG grant. The primary purpose of this mentoring environment is to provide undergraduates in Physics and Applied Physics opportunities to gain experience in fundamental areas of physical acoustics. It has also included students in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and Mathematics. Within the acoustics community, “physical acoustics” refers to a number of subfields (e.g., outdoor sound propagation, aeroacoustics, and nonlinear acoustics). A large number of students have been able to participate in projects related to these areas. Many of these projects have been and are being documented for presentation at conferences and submission of manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals.

In part, PHARM has complemented externally sponsored work in physical acoustics. This has encouraged research that is related to, but outside the scope of the externally funded project. The PHARM This has let additional students be involved, to expand the number of available graduate student peer mentors, and to pursue research that will strengthen proposals in the future. As part of PHARM, we have weekly research meetings with students, often in one-on-one settings and have discussed course selection, internships, graduate schooling, and career options.

PHARM has become an on-going environment within the Acoustics Research Group. The fact that this mentored environment does not depend solely on internal funds allows a relatively large number of students to be included in its scope. Furthermore, PHARM has been included in the broader impacts sections of NSF and other proposals.

Evaluation of Academic Objectives

The PHARM objectives build upon prior successful mentoring principles, including:

  1. Look for research projects that complement current externally-funded research that graduate students are involved in. This allows graduate students to effectively assist in mentoring opportunities and give undergraduate students access to facilities not ordinarily feasible.
  2. Be flexible in order to take full advantage of cross-disciplinary research opportunities. The PHARM environment provides an umbrella under which students could explore exciting, publishable applications of the physical principles covered during tutorial meetings. The video analysis of hammered dulcimer strikes and balloon explosions are examples of this.
  3. Establish the expectation from the beginning that students will present and publish their work as undergraduates. This provides students with a clear vision and the realization that they can do significant research as undergraduates. It also provides faculty members with motivation to ensure that the research students engage in is of sufficient depth to be publishable.

It is noted that PHARM represents a different type of mentored environment than might be traditional, given the limited financial scope. It did not focus on a single research project, but rather was meant from the beginning as a student/mentor-focused “umbrella” under which students could participate in meaningful physical acoustics research. This could be seen as a strength of the environment, rather than a weakness, because of the flexibility involved in matching student interests and strengths to a project. To this end, a large number of projects have direct ties to PHARM and the students involved, while leveraging external funds from NASA, ONR, CPMS mentoring funds, and ORCA scholarships. These projects are listed below, along with presentation or publication year in parentheses:

  1. High-speed video analysis of the hammered dulcimer hammer strikes (2014)
  2. Several analyses of military jet noise data that went beyond the scope of an ONR-funded project, including
    1. Sensitivity analysis of an equivalent source model (2013, 2014)
    2. Application of time-reversal analysis (2014)
    3. Spatial variation of large-scale spectra (2014)
    4. Vector intensity analysis (2013, 2014)
    5. Examination of stability of atmospheric parameters (2014)
  3. Shock waves
    1. High-speed video analysis (pending)
    2. Mach stem identification (2014)
    3. Blast wave attenuation outdoors and comparison with theory(pending)
    4. Radiation of shock waves from a pipe (2013)
    5. Development of shock-wave metrics and application to sound propagation in a pipe(2013, 2014)
  4. Studies of rocket noise able to be taken beyond the scope of a rocket noise analysis project, including
    1. Numerical simulations of the nonlinear propagation of rocket noise (2013, 2014)
    2. Examinations of the effect of ground reflections on the measured spectra (2014)
    3. Determination of vector probe responses for intensity calculations and anechoic chamber measurements (2014)

These projects have largely met the desired objectives, with the caveat that one proposed project – ultrasonic bubble dynamics – was not completed due to Dr. Derek Thomas (a visiting faculty listed as co-PI on the MEG proposal) leaving BYU a semester early. Nearly every project has been or will be presented at the CPMS Student Research Conference and a regional or national professional meeting. Many have been published or are being prepared as journal manuscripts. These manuscripts will essentially fulfill capstone or thesis requirements within our department and bring greater visibility to the department and university. The research performed will be used to strengthen external proposals.

Student Participants

BYU Graduate Student Peer Mentors

  • Alan Wall
  • Ben Christensen
  • Trevor Stout
  • Michael Muhlestein
  • Brent Reichman
  • Eric Whiting
  • Blaine Harker

BYU Undergraduate Students

  • Julia Vernon
  • Jazmin Myres
  • David Hart
  • Trevor Jerome
  • Rachael Bakaitis
  • Josh Bodon
  • Kyle Miller
  • Joseph Thaden
  • Sam Hord
  • Hsin-Ping Pope
  • Darren Torrie
  • Michael Pearson
  • Rachel Bakaitis
  • Cameron Vongsawad
  • Kevin Leete
  • Spencer Perry
  • Zachary Anderson
  • David Merrell
  • Menley Stewart
  • Trevor Stout

REU Students and Teachers

  • Chris Ross
  • Sarah Young (BYU-I)

PHARM Student Awards (Undergraduate students Bolded)

  • 2014, Blaine Harker, NASA Rocky Mountain Research Fellowship
  • 2014, Blaine Harker, AFRL ORISE Graduate Research Fellowship
  • 2014, Jazmin Myres, INCE Leo Beranek Award for Excellence in Noise Control Studies
  • 2014, Brent Reichman, AFRL ORISE Graduate Research Fellowship
  • 2013, Alan Wall, INCE Leo Beranek Award for Excellence in Noise Control Studies
  • 2013, Ben Christensen, NASA Rocky Mountain Research Fellowship
  • 2013, Jazmin Myres, ASA Robert Young Research Award
  • 2013, Ben Christensen, BYU Grad Expo Grand Prize Winner
  • 2013, Jazmin Myres, BYU ORCA Research Grant
  • 2012, Alan Wall, ASA Structural Acoustics Paper Award
  • 2012, Jazmin Myres, Four Corners APS Paper Award

Academic Deliverables involving PHARM students

The following deliverables listed below do not include numerous senior theses/capstone reports or CPMS Student Research Conference presentations. Nor does it include publications that were entirely within the scope of an externally funded project. Student authors are bolded.

Peer-Reviewed Articles 2013 – 2014

  • B. O. Reichman, M. B. Muhlestein, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, and D. C. Thomas, “Evolution of the time-derivative skewness of nonlinearly propagating waves,” submitted to J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (2014).
  • D. C. Thomas, B. Y. Christensen, and K. L. Gee, “A phase and amplitude gradient estimation method for acoustic vector quantities,” accepted to J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (2013).
  • M. B. Muhlestein, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, and D. C. Thomas, “Evolution of an average steepening factor for nonlinearly propagating waves,” accepted to J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (2014).
  • J. H. Macedone, K. L. Gee, and J. A. Vernon, “Managing auditory risk of acoustically impulsive chemistry demonstrations,” J. Chem. Educ., in press (2014).
  • M. B. Muhlestein, D. C. Thomas, and K. L. Gee, “Time-domain effects of rigid sphere scattering on measurement of transient plane waves,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 136, 13-21 (2014).
  • C. P. Wiederhold, K. L. Gee, J. D. Blotter, S. D. Sommerfeldt, and J. H. Giraud, “Comparison of multimicrophone probe design and processing methods in measuring acoustic intensity,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 135, 2797-2807 (2014). http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4871180
  • S. B. Perry and K. L. Gee, “The acoustically driven vortex cannon,” Phys. Teach. 52, 146-147 (2014). http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.4865515
  • B. M. Harker, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, A. T. Wall, S. A. McInerny, and M. M. James, “On autocorrelation analysis of jet noise,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 133, EL458 – EL464 (2013). DOI: 10.1121/1.4802913
  • C. T. Vongsawad, T. B. Neilsen, and K. L. Gee, “Development of educational stations for Acoustical Society of America outreach,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 20, 25003 (2014); http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4882076.
  • T. B. Neilsen, K. L. Gee, D. M. Hart, and M. M. James, “Sensitivity analysis of an equivalent source model for military jet aircraft noise,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 20, 045002 (2014). http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4865249
  • M. B. Muhlestein, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, and D. C. Thomas, “Prediction of nonlinear noise propagation from a solid rocket motor,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 18, 040006 (2013). http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4828827
  • K. L. Gee, R. J. Kenny, T. B. Neilsen, T. W. Jerome, C. M. Hobbs, and M. M. James, “Spectral and statistical analysis of noise from reusable solid rocket motors,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 18, 040002 (2013). http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4789401

Conference Proceedings/Presentations 2010 – 2012

  • K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, A. T. Wall, and N. J. Eyring, “Teaching principles of outdoor sound propagation using football game measurements,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 19, 025007 (2013). http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4788646
  • C. T. Vongsawad, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, and B.Y. Christensen, “Use of the hammered dulcimer to demonstrate physical acoustics principles,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 135 , 2249 (2014) ; ahttp://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4877367
  • C. T. Vongsawad, T. B. Neilsen, and K. L. Gee, “Development of educational stations for the Acoustical Society of America outreach activities,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 4015 (2013) ; http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4830650.
  • D. C. Thomas, B. Y. Christensen, and K. L. Gee, “Methods for estimating acoustic intensity in rocket noise fields,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 4058 (2013) ; http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4830809.
  • T. B. Neilsen, K. L. Gee, D. M. Hart and M. M. James, “Sensitivity analysis of an equivalent source model for a military jet aircraft,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 4127 (2013) ; http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4831158.
  • K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, M. B. Muhlestein, A. T. Wall, J. M. Downing, M. M. James, and R. L. McKinley, “On the evolution of crackle in jet noise from high-performance engines,” AIAA paper 2013-2190, May 2013. DOI: 10.2514/6.2013-2190
  • A. T. Wall, K. L. Gee, and T. B. Neilsen, “Modified statistically optimized near-field acoustical holography for jet noise characterization,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 19, 055013 (2013). http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4798951
  • K. J. Bodon, D. C. Thomas, K. L. Gee, R. C. Bakaitis, D. T. Blackstock, and W. M. Wright, “Radiation of finite-amplitude waves from a baffled pipe,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 19, 045076 (2013).
  • B. M. Harker, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, A. T. Wall, S. A. McInerny, and M. M. James, “Autocorrelation analysis of military jet aircraft noise,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 19, 040072 (2013).
  • T. B. Neilsen, K. L. Gee, A. T. Wall, M. M. James, and A. A. Atchley, “Comparison of supersonic full-scale and laboratory-scale jet data and the similarity spectra for turbulent mixing noise,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 19, 040071 (2013).
  • T. A. Stout, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, A. T. Wall, D. W. Krueger, and M. M. James, “Preliminary Analysis of Acoustic Intensity in a Military Jet Noise Field,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 19, 040074 (2013).
  • D. M. Hart, T. B. Neilsen, K. L. Gee, and M. M. James, “A Bayesian-based equivalent sound source model for a military jet aircraft,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 19, 055094 (2013).
  • B. O. Reichman, M. B. Muhlestein, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, and D. C. Thomas, “Evolution of the derivative skewness for high-amplitude sound propagation,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 135, 2381 (2014) ; http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4877869
  • B. M. Harker, B. E. Anderson, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, and M. M. James, “Application of time reversal analysis to military jet aircraft noise,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 135, 2382 (2014); http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4877870
  • B. Christensen, D. C. Thomas, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen and M. Stewart, “Experimental validation of a new intensity estimation method,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 135, 2406 (2014); http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4877970
  • T. A. Stout, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, B. Y. Christensen, D. C. Thomas, and M. M. James, “An equivalent source model for the sound intensity in the vicinity of a high-performance military aircraft,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 135, 2406 (2014) ; http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4877973
  • J. K. Whiting, K. H. Fortney, T. B. Neilsen, and K. L. Gee, “Software usage for synthesized sound in acoustics education,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 135, 2159 (2014) ; http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4877005
  • M. B. Muhlestein, K. L. Gee, T. B. Nielsen and D. C. Thomas, “Evolution of the wave steepening factor for high-amplitude sound propagation,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 3981 (2013); http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4830507.
  • Z. Anderson, B. M. Harker, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, and M. M. James, “Correlation analysis of military aircraft jet noise,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 4094 (2013) ; http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4830954.
  • T. A. Stout, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, A. T. Wall, and M. M. James , “Intensity analysis of peak-frequency region in noise produced by a military jet aircraft,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 4159 (2013) ; http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4831245.
  • J. S. Myres, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, and A. T. Wall, “Creation of coherent complex pressure measurements through overlapping scan-based measurements,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 3981 (2013) ; http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4830506.
  • B. M. Harker, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen and M. M. James, “Preliminary phased-array characterization of near-field military jet aircraft noise,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 4099 (2013) ; http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4830974.
  • T. A. Stout, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, D. C. Thomas, B. Y. Christensen, and M. M. James, “A new method of estimating acoustic intensity applied to the sound field near a military jet aircraft,” Four Corners APS Meeting, Orem, UT (2014).
  • B. M. Harker, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, A. T. Wall, and M. M. James, “Phased-array measurements of military jet noise,” Four Corners APS Meeting, Orem, UT (2014).
  • M. Pearson, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, B. O. Reichman, M. M. James, and A. R. Salton, “ Influence of source level, peak frequency, and atmospheric absorption on nonlinear propagation of rocket noise,” Four Corners APS Meeting, Orem, UT (2014).
  • B. O. Reichman, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, and J. Thaden, “Comparison of nonlinear, geometric, and absorptive effects in high-amplitude jet noise,” Four Corners APS Meeting, Orem, UT (2014).
  • J. Thaden, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, and B. O. Reichman, “Determining Atmospheric Absorption for Jet Noise Analysis,” Four Corners APS Meeting, Orem, UT (2014).
  • D. Torrie, B. Y. Christensen, E. Whiting, K. L. Gee, and T. B. Neilsen, “Comparing Two Methods Used in Calculating Acoustical Intensity,” Four Corners APS Meeting, Orem, UT (2014).
  • S. K. Hord, T. B. Neilsen, and K. L. Gee, “The effect of finite impedance ground reflections on horizontal full-scale rocket motor firings,” Four Corners APS Meeting, Orem, UT (2014).
  • K. M. Leete, J. R. Pendlebury, S. Young, K. L. Gee, T.B. Neilsen, “Evidence of Mach-like Reflections From Exploding Balloons,” Four Corners APS Meeting, Orem, UT (2014).
  • T. B. Neilsen, K. L. Gee, H. C. Pope, B. M. Harker, M. M. James, “Finely resolved spatial variation in F-22 spectra,” 168th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Indianapolis, IN (2014).
  • T. A. Stout, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, D. C. Thomas, B. Y. Christensen, M. M. James, “A new method of estimating acoustic intensity applied to the sound field near a military jet aircraft,” 168th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Indianapolis, IN (2014).
  • B. O. Reichman, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, J. J. Thaden, M. M. James, “Comparison of nonlinear, geometric, and absorptive effects in high-amplitude jet noise propagation,” 168th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Indianapolis, IN (2014).
  • B. M. Harker, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, A. T. Wall, M. M. James, “Correlation lengths in deconvolved cross-beamforming measurements of military jet noise,” 168th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Indianapolis, IN (2014).
  • M. F. Pearson, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, B. O. Reichman, M. M. James, A. R. Salton, “Influence of source level, peak frequency, and atmospheric absorption on nonlinear propagation of rocket noise,” 168th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Indianapolis, IN (2014).

Summary of Findings

PHARM continues to be a success. Students are enthusiastically engaged in research and writing, recognizing that they have opportunities to publish as undergraduates. A focus on mentored research and publication of results as the primary objective of the MEG has resulted in significant research productivity by undergraduate students in a variety of worthwhile areas. Students have pursued graduate school and internships and employment with Boeing, Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, and the Naval Air Command.

Funds Usage Summary

CATEGORY EXPENDITURE
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT WAGES $11,300
GRADUATE STUDENT MENTOR $2,320
2014 SALT FLATS FIELD TEST AND SUPPLIES $3,150
LABORATORY TESTING $1,500
PAPER PAGE CHARGES $750
2013 MONTREAL CONFERENCE TRAVEL $600
TOTAL: $19,620