PHARM: An Environment for Physical Acoustics Research and Mentoring

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Dr. Kent Gee, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Mentoring Environment Overview

PHARM (PHysical Acoustics Research and Mentoring) has been operating partially with support from a MEG grant since 2009. 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. Within the acoustics community, “physical acoustics” refers to a number of subfields (e.g., outdoor sound propagation, aeroacoustics, nonlinear acoustics). These research areas are relatively new at BYU. During this phase of the mentored research environment, 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. These projects will be described in greater detail below.

Another aspect of PHARM has been regular meetings to a) discuss research in physical acoustics and b) close interaction with faculty to discuss student writing. The research meetings are held primarily during the summer when weekly meetings of the Acoustics Research Group do not occur.

PHARM has been used in part to complement additional externally-sponsored work in physical acoustics. This balance has allowed for the pursuit of research that is related to, but slightly outside the scope of the externally-funded project. This has let additional students be involved than otherwise would be and to pursue research that will strengthen proposals in the future.

It is hoped that PHARM becomes an on-going environment within the Acoustics Research Group. A new MEG proposal to continue the mentoring environment is planned for this fall. The fact that this mentored evironment 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 primary objectives of this environment were to build upon prior successful mentoring efforts and principles, including:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Be flexible in order to take full advantage of cross-disciplinary research opportunities. Two notable examples from the previous PHARM environment included investigations of the nonlinear physics of Balinese musical instruments and initial studies of the shock-wave acoustics of chemistry demonstrations. Multiple refereed publications with student authors will come from these studies, which weren’t foreseen as viable options when PHARM was first proposed. The previous PHARM environment provided an umbrella under which students could explore exciting, publishable applications of the physical principles covered during tutorial meetings.

It is noted that PHARM represents a different type of mentored environment than might be traditional, given the scope of the dollars involved. 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 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. Note, however, that not every project was directly supported by MEG funds. External funds from NASA, ONR, college mentoring funds, ORCA scholarships, and NSF REU monies also were used. These projects include:

  • Propagation of high-amplitude noise in a long duct
  • Development of an equivalent source model for military jets
  • Development of a classroom demonstration of acoustic shocks
  • Development of a loudspeaker line-array demonstration
  • Acoustical characterization of exploding balloon demonstrations
  • Measurements and analysis of explosions at the Bonneville Salt Flats
  • Analysis of microphone systems for rocket noise measurements
  • Testing and analysis of full-scale rocket motors
  • Acoustical study of a Balinese gamelan instruments
  • Acoustical temperature measurements of rocket noise
  • Correlation, time-reversal, and intensity analyses of military jet noise data
  • Study of the hammered dulcimer

These projects have largely met the desired objectives. Nearly every project has been or will be presented at the CPMS Student Research Conference and a 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

The students that have directly participated in PHARM-related projects are listed below. The large number stems from the fact that multiple students usually participate in a field test. For example, we had 15 students participate in a test at the Bonneville Salt Flats during Summer 2011. By using MEG funds, the scope of the measurement was expanded and more students included in measurement trip. Below is a list of undergraduate students directly involved with PHARM activities. Graduate students are not included.

BYU Undergraduate Students

  • Jessica Morgan
  • Julia Vernon
  • Michael Muhlestein
  • Troy Taylor
  • Ben Christensen
  • Blaine Harker
  • Stuart Harper
  • Jazmine Myres
  • David Hart
  • Garrett Porter
  • Shanell Reynolds
  • Trevor Jerome
  • Rachael Bakaitis
  • Ken Bostwick
  • Josh Bodon
  • Trevor Stout

REU Students and Teachers

  • Jessica Morgan
  • Chris Ross
  • Brad Moser
  • Chris Bronson

PHARM Student Awards

  • 2012, David Hart, BYU ORCA Research Grant
  • 2012, Ben Christensen, BYU ORCA Research Grant
  • 2011, Ben Christensen, BYU ASA Student Chapter Undergrad Poster Award  2011, Jessica Morgan, ASA Noise Young Presenter Award
  • 2011, Michael Muhlestein, NASA Rocky Mountain Research Fellowship
  • 2011, Blaine Harker, BYU ORCA Research Grant
  • 2010, Jessica Morgan, Four Corners APS Paper Award
  • 2010, Julia Vernon, Four Corners APS Paper Award
  • 2010, David Krueger, Four Corners APS Paper Award
  • 2010, Jarom Giraud, Four Corners APS Paper Award
  • 2010, Julia Vernon, ASA Noise Young Presenter Award

Academic Deliverables

The following deliverables listed below do not include senior theses/capstone reports or CPMS Student Research Conference presentations.

Peer-Reviewed Articles 2010 – 2012

  • J. Morgan, T. B. Neilsen, K. L. Gee, A. T. Wall, and M. M. James, “Simple-source model of high-power jet aircraft noise,” accepted to Noise Control Eng. J. (2012).
  • A. T. Wall, K. L. Gee, M. M. James, K. A. Bradley, S. A. McInerny, and T. B. Neilsen, “Near- field noise measurements of a high-power jet aircraft,” accepted to Noise Control Eng. J. (2012).
  • A. T. Wall, M. D. Gardner, K. L. Gee, and T. B. Neilsen, “Coherence length as a figure of merit in multireference near-field acoustical holography,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 132, EL215-EL221 (2012).
  • C. P. Wiederhold, K. L. Gee, J. D. Blotter, and S. D. Sommerfeldt, “Comparison of methods for processing acoustic intensity from orthogonal multimicrophone probes,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 131, 2841-2852 (2012).
  • M. B. Muhlestein, K. L. Gee, and J. H. Macedone, “Educational demonstration of a spherically propagating acoustic shock,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 131, 2422-2430 (2012).
  • B. E. Anderson, B. Moser, and K. L. Gee, “Loudspeaker line array educational demonstration,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 131, 2394-2400 (2012).
  • J. A. Vernon, K. L. Gee, and J. H. Macedone, “Acoustical characterization of exploding hydrogen-oxygen balloons,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 131, EL243-EL249 (2012).
  • S. H. Swift and K. L. Gee, “Examining the use of a time-varying loudness algorithm for quantifying characteristics of nonlinearly propagated noise (L),” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 2753- 2756 (2011).
  • M. D. Shaw and K. L. Gee, “Acoustical design of a firing range for a 30-mm Gatling gun,” Noise Cont. Eng. J. 58, 611-620 (2010).
  • K. L. Gee, J. A. Vernon, and J. H. Macedone, “Auditory risk of exploding hydrogen-oxygen balloons,” J. Chem. Educ. 87, 1039-1044 (2010).
  • K. L. Gee, J. H. Giraud, J. D. Blotter, and S. D. Sommerfeldt, “Near-field acoustic intensity measurements of a small solid rocket motor,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 128, EL69-EL74 (2010).
  • D. W. Krueger, K. L. Gee, and J. Grimshaw, “Acoustical and vibrometry analysis of a large Balinese gamelan gong,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 128, EL8-EL13 (2010).
  • M. E. Jones, K. L. Gee, and J. Grimshaw, “Vibrational characteristics of Balinese gamelan metallophones,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, EL197-EL202 (2010).
  • J. H. Giraud, K. L. Gee, and J. E. Ellsworth, “Acoustic temperature measurement in a rocket noise field,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, EL179-EL184 (2010).
  • B. M. Shafer, K. L. Gee, and S. D. Sommerfeldt, “Verification of a near-field error sensor placement method in active control of compact noise sources,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, EL66- EL72 (2010).
  • A. T. Wall, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, and M. M. James, “On near-field acoustical inverse measurements of partially coherent sources,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 11, 040007 (2012).
  • A. T. Wall, K. L. Gee, M. D. Gardner, T. B. Neilsen, and M. M. James, “Near-field acoustical holography applied to high-performance jet aircraft noise,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 9, 040009 (2011).
  • M. B. Muhlestein and K. L. Gee, “Experimental investigation of a characteristic shock formation distance in finite-amplitude noise propagation,” Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 12, 045002 (2011).

Conference Proceedings/Presentations 2010 – 2012

  • A. T. Wall, K. L. Gee, M. M. James, K. A. Bradley, S. A. McInerny, and T. B. Neilsen, “Noise measurements in the near field of a high-performance military jet aircraft,” Proc. Internoise 2012, paper in12_605 (2012).
  • J. Morgan, T. B. Neilsen, K. L. Gee, A. T. Wall, and M. M. James, “Simple-source model of military jet aircraft noise,” Proc. Internoise 2012, paper in12_1098.
  • A. T. Wall, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, S. D. Sommerfeldt, J. D. Blotter, and M. M. James, “Statistically optimized near-field acoustical holography applied to a high-power jet,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 2492 (2011).
  • M. B. Muhlstein, K. L. Gee, and J. H. Macedone, “A pedagogical demonstration of weak-shock propagation from a gas-filled balloon explosion,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 2648 (2011).
  • K. L. Gee, J. H. Giraud, and J. D. Blotter, “Near-field energy-based measurements of small solid rocket motors,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 1743 (2010).
  • E. Herrera, D. Pilkey, K. L. Gee, J. H. Giraud, and D. J. Young, “Rocket motor microphone investigation,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 1773 (2010).
  • J. H. Giraud and K. L. Gee, “Directivity indices for rocket noise modeling: Measurement considerations,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 1772 (2010).
  • S. C. Reynolds, J. S. Myres, T. B. Neilsen, A. T. Wall, K. L. Gee, and M. M. James, “Geometric near-field characteristics of supersonic jets: Full and laboratory scales,” Proc. Internoise 2012, paper in12_1194.
  • K. L. Gee, J. M. Downing, M. M. James, R. C. McKinley, R. L. McKinley, T. B. Neilsen, and A. T. Wall, “Nonlinear evolution of noise from a military jet aircraft during ground run-up,” AIAA paper 2012-2258, June 2012.
  • A. T. Wall, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, D. W. Krueger, M. M. James, S. D. Sommerfeldt, and J. D. Blotter, “Full-scale jet noise characterization using scan-based acoustical holography,” AIAA paper 2012-2081, June 2012.
  • B. Y. Christensen, K. L. Gee, B. E. Anderson, and A. T. Wall, “Sound radiation of the hammered dulcimer, NCUR 2012, Ogden, UT, March 2012.
  • K. S. Bostwick, J. H. Giraud, K. L. Gee, J. D. Blotter, and S. D. Sommerfeldt, “Low-frequency microphone probe calibration for rocket noise measurements,” NCUR 2012, Ogden, UT, March 2012.
  • D. M. Hart, T. B. Neilsen, and K. L. Gee, “Automating the creation of equivalent sound sources for the radiated noise from a military jet aircraft,” NCUR 2012, Ogden, UT, March 2012.
  • M. B. Muhlestein and K. L. Gee, “Statistical analysis of a characteristic shock formation distance for high-amplitude noise,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130, 2513 (2011).
  • S. A. Harper, K. L. Gee, J. H. Giraud, and M. B. Muhlestein, “Statistical analysis of noise from solid rocket motors,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130, 2512 (2011).
  • R. T. Taylor, K. L. Gee, J. H. Giraud, S. D. Sommerfeldt, J. D. Blotter, and C. P. Wiederhold, “On the use of prepolarized microphones in rocket noise measurements,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130, 2512 (2011).
  • J. H. Giraud, K. L. Gee, S. D. Sommerfeldt, R. T. Taylor, and J. D. Blotter, “Low-frequency calibration of a multidimensional acoustic intensity probe for application to rocket noise,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130, 2512 (2011).
  • A. T. Wall, K. L. Gee, D. W. Krueger, and T. B. Neilsen, “Aperture extension for near-field acoustical holography applied to jet noise,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130, 2344 (2011).
  • B. Y. Christensen, K. L. Gee, B. E. Anderson, and A. T. Wall, “Modal response and sound radiation from a hammered dulcimer,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130, 2509 (2011).
  • M. B. Muhlestein and K. L. Gee, “Experimental characterization of shock formation distance in broadband noise propagation,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 2679 (2011).
  • J. A. Vernon, K. L. Gee, and J. H. Macedone, “Acoustical characterization of exploding hydrogen-oxygen balloons,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 2651(2011).
  • C. P. Wiederhold, K. L. Gee, S. D. Sommerfeldt, and J. D. Blotter, “Analytical comparison of spherical multimicrophone probes,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 2644 (2011).
  • J. H. Giraud, K. L. Gee, S. D. Sommerfeldt, and J. D. Blotter, “Experimental analysis of multimicrophone probes for measurement of rocket noise,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 2644 (2011).
  • D. W. Krueger, K. L. Gee, A. T. Wall, S. D. Sommerfeldt, and J. D. Blotter, “Cylindrical Fourier near-field acoustical holography applied to a high-power jet,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 2493 (2011).
  • J. Morgan, K. L. Gee, T. Neilsen, and A. T. Wall, “A simple-source model of military jet aircraft noise,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 2442 (2011).
  • T. B. Neilsen, K. L. Gee, A. T. Wall, and M. M. James, “Comparison of near-field military jet aircraft noise with similarity spectra,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 2442 (2011).
  • K. L. Gee and T. B. Neilsen, “Overview of ‘Sounds to Astound: An Acoustics Demonstration Show’,” Idaho-Utah AAPT section meeting, Ogden, UT, March 2011.
  • J. A. Vernon, K. L. Gee, and J. H. Macedone, “Acoustical characterization of exploding hydrogen-oxygen balloons,” Idaho-Utah AAPT section meeting, Ogden, UT, March 2011.
  • A. T. Wall, K. L. Gee, T. B. Neilsen, and M. M. James, “Considerations for near-field acoustical inverse measurements on partially correlated sources,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 128, 2285 (2010).
  • J. H. Giraud, K. L. Gee, and J. E. Ellsworth, “Acoustic temperature measurement in a rocket noise field,” 2010 Four Corners APS Meeting, Ogden, UT, Oct. 2010.
  • A. T. Wall, K. L. Gee, T. Neilsen, D. W. Krueger, S. D. Sommerfeldt, and M. M. James, “Near- field acoustical holography of military jet aircraft noise,” 2010 Four Corners APS Meeting, Ogden, UT, Oct. 2010.
  • J. Morgan, K. L. Gee, T. Neilsen, and A. T. Wall, “A simple-source model of military jet aircraft noise,” 2010 Four Corners APS Meeting, Ogden, UT, Oct. 2010.
  • J. A. Vernon, K. L. Gee, and J. H. Macedone, “Acoustical characterization of exploding hydrogen-oxygen balloons,” 2010 Four Corners APS Meeting, Ogden, UT, Oct. 2010.
  • M. B. Muhlestein, K. L. Gee, and J. H. Macedone, “A demonstration of acoustic shock wave propagation,” 2010 Four Corners APS Meeting, Ogden, UT, Oct. 2010.
  • D. W. Krueger, K. L. Gee, and J. Grimshaw, “Nonlinear vibrations of a large Balinese gamelan gong,” 2010 Four Corners APS Meeting, Ogden, UT, Oct. 2010.
  • B. D. Moser, B. E. Anderson, and K. L. Gee, “Loudspeaker line array educational demonstration, 2010 AAPT Summer Meeting, Portland, OR, July 2010.
  • M. E. Jones, K. L. Gee, and J. Grimshaw, “Vibrational characteristics of Balinese gamelan metallophones,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 1982 (2010).
  • A. T. Wall, K. L. Gee, M. M. James, and M. D. Gardner, “Application of near-field acoustical holography to high-performance jet aircraft noise,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 1879 (2010).
  • J. A. Vernon, K. L. Gee, and J. H. Macedone, “Measurements of exploding balloon demonstrations,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 1882 (2010).

Summary of Findings

PHARM as a whole has been 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.

Funds Usage Summary

The total budget for this project was $18,060. Of these funds, approximately $12,500 went toward undergraduate student funding (wages and travel to conferences), $1600 went toward BYU van rental costs for the Salt Flat measurements, $2400 went toward supplies on the various research projects, and $1500 went toward page charges for the articles published.