Center for Acoustics and Vibration


Overview

Research in acoustics and vibration is one of Penn State's enduring strengths. The steady growth of research in acoustics and vibration in recent years establishes the Penn State program as the largest and most respected of its kind at a major research university. The Center for Acoustics and Vibration (CAV), housed in the Penn State College of Engineering, ensures the continued excellence of acoustics and vibration research in the new millennium.

The CAV has three missions:

  • to strengthen basic and applied research in related engineering areas;
  • to foster graduate education in acoustics and vibration engineering; and
  • to provide a base for technology transfer to industry.

The center consists of faculty, graduate students, and staff in nine laboratories throughout the College of Engineering. These laboratories perform both disciplinary and cross-disciplinary research in areas related to acoustics and vibration. Areas of research activity include: active control, adaptive structures, flow-induced noise, machinery prognostics and condition monitoring, propagation and radiation, rotorcraft acoustics and dynamics, and structural vibration and acoustics.

News and Upcoming Events

The 2012 CAV workshop will be held May 14 and 15 at the Nittany Lion Inn. If you'd like to attend, please email Karen Thal. There's no cost to our members. Here is the latest schedule. To look through the proceedings of last year's workshop, please click HERE.

This year, Dr. Chris Barber will be giving the CAV short course on the 16th on the topic of Fundamentals of sound and vibration measurements. Click HERE to learn more about the short course. Sponsors and liaisons may send one person to the course at no charge. The fee for additional registrants is $600.

We are pleased to welcome five new corporate sponsors to the CAV - Boeing, Moog Inc., Toyota Technical Center, Siemens Corporate Research, and Volvo Construction Equipment.

George Lesieutre

George Lesieutre, head of the Penn State Department of Aerospace Engineering, has assumed directorship of the CAV. George has served as associate director of the CAV for many years and brings experience and leadership to his new position.

Steve Hambric

Steve Hambric, head of the Structural Acoustics Department at the Applied Research Lab at Penn State, is now the associate director of the CAV. Steve will also continue to direct the CAV's Structural Vibration and Acoustics group.