junge DEGA Herbstworkshop 2024 in Leipzig & Mittweida
From 24 to 27 October, the “junge DEGA Herbstworkshop” (autumn workshop) took place in Leipzig and Mittweida, with the participation of two IHTA staff members and three students.
Junge DEGA is a section of the German Acoustical Society (DEGA) and partner of the Young Acousticians Network (YAN) of the European Acoustics Association (EAA). Its mission is to connect students, PhDs and young professionals in the domain of acoustics. The group organizes special sessions and panel discussions during the Annual German Conference on Acoustics (DAGA), providing information on research opportunities and job entry. Furthermore, junge DEGA offers a mentoring program with active participation from industry and academia.
On Friday morning, the program started at the Neurobiology Department at Leipzig University, where two experimental setups from the field of neuroacoustics could be viewed and tested. The first experiment was dedicated to auditory distance perception, the second experiment was set up in an anechoic chamber and examined the localization of sound sources using a loudspeaker array. Afterwards, SINUS Messtechnik organized a workshop on measuring sound intensity. This was followed in the afternoon by a guided tour of the Gewandhaus Leipzig, which focused on the history of the building and the orchestra. The day concluded with a visit to a concert by the Gewandhaus Orchestra.
On Saturday, the program continued in Mittweida with a visit of the media center at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. The participants gained insights into the recording and mixing studios, the acoustics laboratories and the university’s radio station 99drei. This was followed by a workshop on wiki.audio, an open platform on which volunteers contribute their expertise on audio and acoustics topics. In this workshop, the participants wrote their own articles and developed concepts for cross-linking and further enhancing the content, for example through educational walks or the integration of external resources such as the interactive Comsol apps from the Technical University of Munich (https://apps.vib.ed.tum.de). The day’s last activity was a visit to the Mittweida town church, where the participants had the opportunity to see how an organ looks from the inside.
On Sunday, we enjoyed brunch together during a chat with Annika Neidhardt about her career path and current developments in acoustics. To conclude the weekend, we had a group meeting of the junge DEGA section where we discussed a revision of internal guidelines as well as planned activities during the DAS/DAGA conference 2025 in Copenhagen
Thanks to all participants, organizers and supporters!
Paper published: Listening effort in children and adults in classroom noise
We are happy to share the publication of our journal paper „Listening effort in children and adults in classroom noise“ in Scientific Reports as part of the Auditory processing and perception collection!
Julia Seitz, Karin Loh, and Janina Fels conducted a study to investigate listening effort in children aged 6-10 years and young adults using a child-appropriate dual-task paradigm. Realistic classroom scenarios with multi-talker babble noise at different signal-to-noise ratios in anechoic and simulated classroom environments were investigated.
The key findings
• Found differences in listening effort between noise conditions in 8-10-year-olds
• Demonstrated the importance of considering room effects in listening experiments
• Observed correlations between subjective and behavioral measures of listening effort
This research contributes to our understanding of how children process speech in noisy classroom environments and could help to improve learning conditions.
Promotionsprüfungen Philipp Schäfer und Michael Kohnen
Am 05.11.2024 durfte das IHTA die erfolgreichen Promotionsprüfungen von Philipp Schäfer und Michael Kohnen feiern.
Philipp Schäfer promovierte zum Thema „Real-time auralization of aircraft noise considering curved sound propagation„, Micheal Kohnen über „Combining reproduction techniques for room auralizations„.
Das IHTA gratuliert herzlich!
IEA HPT Annex 63 Meeting in Aachen
On October 23rd to 24th, 2024, the participants of the IEA HPT Annex 63 project met in Aachen for their first in-person meeting, hosted by RWTH Aachen University and HEAD Acoustics GmbH. Annex 63 is part of the International Energy Agency’s Heat Pumping Technologies initiative, focusing on the Placement Impact on Heat Pump Acoustics. The Annex 63 includes groups for five task areas: Building Acoustics Impact of Heat Pumps, Urban Acoustics Impact of Heat Pumps, Psychoacoustics of Heat Pumps, Digitally Assisted Heat Pump Placement, and Dissemination. During this fourth working meeting, all task groups presented their current status and opened up for discussions.
Our Institute is mainly involved in the third workgroup (Psychoacoustics of Heat Pumps), where the contents are closely linked to our research project LowNoise, in which the acoustic emissions of air-to-water heat pumps are investigated.
Besides the lively exchanges, the project members also got the chance to see the laboratory at HEAD Acoustics GmbH, as well as at the Institute for Energy Efficient Buildings and Indoor Climate and the Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics of the RWTH Aachen University. Thanks to everyone involved for their contributions, and a special thanks to Christoph Reichl from the Austrian Institute of Technology for organizing this interesting initiative, aiming to improve the noise impact of environment-friendly technologies such as heat pumps.
Karl Heinrich Kuttruff * 17.08.1930 † 15.09.2024
Tief betroffen trauern wir um
Prof. Dr. Karl Heinrich Kuttruff
der nach einer herausragenden Lebensleistung am 15. September 2024 im Alter von 94 Jahren verstarb. Er war eine außergewöhnliche Persönlichkeit, geprägt von höchster Fachkompetenz und einer gleichzeitig sehr bescheidenen Grundhaltung. Wer mit ihm arbeiten durfte, schätzte ihn als Chef außerordentlich.
Er baute unser Institut auf und führte es in seiner Zeit als Professor und Direktor des Instituts für Technische Akustik (1972-1995) zu einem weltweit anerkannten Zentrum der Ausbildung und Forschung in der ganzen Breite der Akustik. Seine Arbeiten und seine Bücher sind ein Geschenk an nachfolgende Generationen, ein Auftrag und ein Ansporn.
Unsere Gedanken sind bei seiner Frau Ingrid und seiner Familie.
Für alle Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter,
für alle Ehemaligen des Instituts für Hörtechnik und Akustik der RWTH Aachen,
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Michael Vorländer
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Janina Fels
Dr.-Ing. Lukas Aspöck
Acoustic investigations at Sagrada Familia
At the end of February this year, a team of the Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics conducted acoustic measurements at the renown Basílica de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona. The team of experienced acousticians consisted of current and former employees of IHTA and was led by Josep Llorca-Bofí and Michael Vorländer.
In the further course of the project, the measurement data was evaluated, processed and auralizations were generated. The study revealed Gaudi’s design challenges and opportunities and is a basis for future musical instruments design in different places and its liturgical use of the Sagrada Família Foundation.
World Congress of Audiology 2024 in Paris
Last week, Julia Seitz attended the World Congress of Audiology 2024 in Paris. The conference spanned a variety of topics in audiology, from auditory implants and hearing aids to cognition and noise exposure. On the topic of cognition, Julia Seitz presented her poster „Exploring Listening Effort in Adults: A Study Using an Overlapping Dual-Task Paradigm in Multi-Talker Babble Noise“ at the conference.
Ehrenamtliches Engagement in Fachgesellschaften und Vereinen
Die ehrenamtliche Mitarbeit in Fachgesellschaften und Vereinen im Kontext des wissenschaftlichen Feldes der Akustik ist für die Koordination, den Austausch, die Ausrichtung und die Wahrnehmung des Fachbereichs auch in der Öffentlichkeit von großer Bedeutung.
Auch die wissenschaftlichen Mitarbeiter*innen am IHTA sind bereits in verschiedenen Rollen in Vereinen aktiv. Im August 2024 wurde Lara Stürenburg zum zweiten Mal in den Vorstandsrat der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft e.V. (DPG) im Bereich Hochschule gewählt. Herzlichen Glückwunsch zu dieser Wahl!
Die DPG ist die größte physikalische Fachgesellschaft der Welt und engagiert sich zu physikalischen Themen, vor allem fördert sie einen Informationsaustausch durch die Organisation von Fachtagungen. Auch die Nachwuchsförderung wird insbesondere durch den Arbeitskreis junge DPG unterstützt, in dem Lara zwischen 2018 und 2020 die Öffentlichkeitsarbeit übernommen hat.
Sowohl Prof. Janina Fels als auch Prof. Michael Vorländer haben bisher ebenfalls zahlreiche Ämter in Vereinen und Gesellschaften mit Akustikbezug wahrgenommen, beispielsweise auch im Vorstand der Gesellschaft der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Akustik e.V. (DEGA), in der derzeit auch IHTAs ehemaliger akademischer Direktor Gottfried Behler Mitglied des Vorstandes ist. Aktuell hat Michael Vorländer die Rolle des Präsidenten der amerikanischen Akustikgesellschaft (ASA) inne während Janina Fels seit 2020 als Fachkollegiatin in der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (Fach Akustik – Fachkollegium Mechanik und Konstruktiver Maschinenbau) gewählt ist (Wiederwahl in 2023) und darüber hinaus auch als zweite Vorsitzende des technischen Komitees „Psychological and Physiological Acoustics“ in der europäischen Akustikgesellschaft (EAA) aktiv ist.
In der Fachgruppe „junge DEGA“ wurde zudem unser wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter Jonas Heck bei der DAGA 2024 in Hannover als Fachgruppenleitung gewählt. Gemeinsam mit der Stellvertreterin Tabea Breitkreutz von der Hochschule Mittweida koordiniert er die Aktivitäten der Fachgruppe, unter anderem die Durchführung des bevorstehenden Herbstworkshops in Leipzig und Mittweida (eine Anmeldung ist hier noch bis zum 1. Oktober 2024 möglich).
Inter-Noise 2024 in Nantes
This year’s Inter-noise conference took place from August 25th to 29th in Nantes, France. More than 1500 delegates participated in this conference and presented interesting research in the field of acoustics and noise. Highlights of the conference included a plenary talk by Arnaud Can and Pierre Aumond (Joint Research Unit in Environmental Acoustics at Gustave Eiffel University, Nantes, France) on advanced characterization of urban sound environments and a keynote lecture about the child perspective on noise exposure and health effects, held by Kerstin Persson Waye from Gothenburg University, Sweden, who is also collaborating with IHTA in the Equal-Life project.
Members of IHTA travelled to the conference and presented the following research papers:
- Chalotorn Möhlmann: Validation measurement of vehicle pass-by models for dynamic urban environments (results of the BaLSaM project)
- Marco Berzborn: Inference of the acoustic properties of transversely isotropic porous materials
- Lara Stürenburg: Loudness and preference judgments for noises of a heat pump (results of the LowNoise project)
- Joao Fatela (Guest researcher from the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy):
An experimental setup to investigate relevant validation parameters for the auralization of commercial aircraft flyovers in complex urban contexts
Directly after the closing ceremony of the conference, the satellite workshop “Unlocking the Potential of Open Research Software in Acoustics at Inter-Noise 2024” started. This event was organized by Maarten Hornikx and Huiqing Wang, from the Building Acoustics team of Eindhoven University of Technology, and included interesting exchanges and presentation on the development, maintenance, documentation and distrubtion of acoustics-related open-source software. As one of four invited speakers, Lukas Aspöck held a presentation about IHTA’s auralization software Virtual Acoustics. The slides of this presentation are available for download (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Next to insightful overview presentations by Maarten Hornikx and Huiqing Wang, further successful research software was presented: Pyroomacoustics by Eric Bezzam, NoiseModelling by Pierre Aumond and SoundScapy by Andrew Mitchell, along with many examples of challanges and best practices for open research and open-source software development. Many thanks to Maarten and his team for the invitation and the organization of this exciting event.
PhD position in the field of audiovisual psychophysics
We (Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics (IHTA), RWTH Aachen University, https://www.akustik.rwth-aachen.de) have an open position (100% TV-L E13) in the Research Training Group 2416 – Multi senses, Multi scales.
Within the scope of the Research Training Group 2416 – Multi senses, Multi scales (DFG, https://www.rtg2416.rwth-aachen.de) we focus on the perceptual evaluation and cognitive processing of acoustic and audiovisual stimuli. In this context, listening experiments are designed, implemented, tested, and performed to challenge models of cognition and gain a deeper understanding of cognitive processes. The behavioral results of these experiments are complemented by (electro-)physiological measures, such as the electroencephalogram (EEG) to uncover new relationships between bio signals and behavior.
All details about the position and application can be found here (German language skills required):
We look forward to receiving your application!
Promotionsprüfung Elie Abi Raad
Am 16.07.2024 hat Herr Elie Abi Raad seine Promotionsprüfung zum Thema „Real-time monitoring of ultrasonic metal welding using horn and anvil vibrations and sound measurements“ erfolgreich abgeschlossen.
Das IHTA gratuliert herzlich!
Promotionsstelle im Bereich audiovisuelle virtuelle Realität
Wir (Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics (IHTA), RWTH Aachen University) haben eine Stelle (100% TV-L E13) im AUDICTIVE Schwerpunkt Programm (www.spp2236-audictive.de) offen.
Im Rahmen des DFG-Schwerpunktprogramms AUDICTIVE (www.spp2236-audictive.de) suchen wir eine*n Doktorand*in im Bereich Akustik für ein interdisziplinäres Projekt mit Projektpartnern aus der Psychologie und der virtuellen Realität.
Das Ziel dieses Forschungsvorhabens ist es, audiovisuelle Variationen realistischer Hörsituationen (Kommunikationssituationen/Klassenraum) in Virtueller Realität (VR) zu untersuchen und ihre Auswirkungen auf die auditive Leistung/Aufmerksamkeit/Höranstrengung/Hörverstehen etc. der Zuhörer/innen zu untersuchen. Durch die Untersuchung der Effekte verschiedener Merkmale der audiovisuellen VR auf die oben genannten kognitiven Leistungen möchten wir wichtige Erkenntnisse für die Schaffung realistischer und immersiver verbaler sozialer Interaktionen gewinnen und somit zur aktuellen VR-basierten Kognitionsforschung beitragen sowie Empfehlungen für die weitere Forschung geben.
Alle Details zur Stelle und Bewerbung finden Sie hier: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/kbag/file/V000008052/
Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Bewerbung!
FENS Forum 2024 in Vienna
Last week, our colleague Natálie Brožová, along with her Research Training Group “MultiSenses – MultiScales” colleagues Moritz Nesseler and Melissa Lober, attended the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2024 in Vienna. The event spanned a broad spectrum of neuroscience topics, from computational approaches to experimental studies, including the neuroscience of multisensory integration.
The forum featured a diverse program with notable keynote lectures from global leaders in the field. Highlights included „Moving Beyond Barriers“ by Professor Viviana Gradinaru, who has pioneered optogenetics and systemic gene delivery to the brain, and „Allostasis as the Brain’s Most Basic Function“ by Professor Lisa Feldman Barrett, which delved into recent discoveries about brain architecture and its corresponding computational affordances.
Additionally, the Nobel laureate Eric Kandel awarded his prize and highlighted the significant contributions of Mackenzie Mathis and Alexander Mathis, known for their work on neural mechanisms of behavior. Their talk demonstrated how both specialized and general neural networks are advancing our understanding of behavior.
This year’s forum welcomed more than 7,000 neuroscientists, creating an incredibly lively atmosphere that fostered new insights and potential collaborations!
Feierliche Grundsteinlegung des Cube3 – Neubau des Instituts für Hörtechnik und Akustik (IHTA)
Feierliche Grundsteinlegung des Cube3 – unserem Neubau für das Institut für Hörtechnik und Akustik (IHTA) in den auch das Institut für Kommunikationssysteme und das Institut für Theoretische Elektrotechnik einziehen werden.
Heute, am 28. Juni 2024, wurde im festlichen Rahmen der Grundstein für den Neubau des IHTA gelegt.
Im Cube 3 erhält das IHTA neben den Büro- und Meetingräumen einen neuen reflexionsarmen Vollraum, einen reflexionsarmen Halbraum, einen Hallraum, ein Labor für audiovisuelle virtuelle Realität, diverse Hörkabinen und Labore für Praktika, sowie eine mechanische und elektrische Werkstatt.
Ina Brandes, Ministerin für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dr. Dirk Günnewig, Staatssekretär im Ministerium der Finanzen des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, Univ.-Prof. Ulrich Rüdiger, Rektor der RWTH Aachen University, Ute Willems, Niederlassungsleiterin des BLB NRW in Aachen und Dr. Margrethe Schmeer, Ratsmitglied und Bürgermeisterin der Stadt Aachen, nahmen teil und versenkten dabei eine Zeitkapsel.
Die Zeitkapsel enthält verschiedene Gegenstände, darunter eine Urkunde zur Grundsteinlegung, eine aktuelle Zeitung – das IHTA legte eine Miniatur unseres Kunstkopfes (ein zweiohriges, binaurales Messmikrofon, mit dem man Geräusche, wie der Mensch mit seinen zwei Ohren aufnehmen kann) und eine Miniatur unseres Dodekaeders (ein omnidirektionaler Messlautsprecher für z. B. Messungen der Raumakustik) bei – beides am IHTA entwickelt.
2nd IHTA Retreat
On the 23rd and 24th of May 2024, the scientific staff of IHTA was on a retreat at Fährhaus km734 in Düsseldorf. During these two days, the aim was to foster collaboration and exchange between the researchers. Next to an inspiring presentation on personal strengths and interests by the moderator and career coach Bastian Hughes, we helped each other understand individual challenges in more depth by visiting different world cafés. Further, we learned that most researchers face the same obstacles during their careers. Team spirit was challenged during an evening pub quiz and finding solutions for the identified obstacles in team sessions.
Overall, it was two successful days with a lot of input for each individual and a lot of output for the group at IHTA.
A big thank you to Bastian Hughes, who guided us through the two days with his great moderation!
POSTER 2024 Conference in Prague
This month, the 28th International Student Conference on Electrical Engineering POSTER 2024 took place, organized by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at CTU Prague. This event was an excellent opportunity for two of our students to gain their first experiences at an international conference and present work they have done in their Bachelor thesis or as student workers.
In addition to the scientific exchange, a very rich cultural program was provided, for which we would like to thank Professor Blazek for his enormous efforts.
In the Best Poster Award, Jana Berger and her co-author Julia Seitz were awarded third place in the session “Natural Science” for their contribution “How effortful is listening with different background noises?”.
Robert Schmitt and his co-author Carolin Breuer achieved second place in the session “Communications” with their work on “The Influence of Realistic Background Noise on Auditory Selective Attention”.
We congratulate on behalf of the IHTA! More photos are available on the conference website.
Einladung zum Halbzeittreffen des BaLSaM-Projekts am 21.5.
Das Konsortium des Projekts “Braunkohlereviere als attraktive Lebensräume durch Straßengeräuschsimulation auf Basis bestehender Verkehrsdaten zur Minimierung von Lärm”(BaLSaM) lädt zum öffentlichen Halbzeittreffen ein. Es wird am 21.5.2024 von 8:30-13:00 Uhr im Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge der RWTH Aachen University stattfinden (Adresse: Steinbachstraße 7, 52074 Aachen, Deutschland).
Während des Treffens werden die Projektpartner den bisherigen Fortschritt des Projekts zu präsentieren. Darüber hinaus wird das Event die Gelegenheit bieten, Erfahrungen auszutauschen und gemeinsam an zukünftigen Herausforderungen und Fragestellungen zu arbeiten. Neben der Teilnahme vor Ort ist auch eine digitale Teilnahme an der Veranstaltung möglich. Bitte füllen Sie in beiden Fällen das folgende Formular aus, um sich für die Teilnahme zu registrieren.
Anmeldung: https://www.balsam-projekt.de/de/halbzeitevent.html
Agenda:
08:30 | Ankommen |
09:00 | Begrüßung |
09:10 | Projektvorstellung |
09:30 | Beschreibung der Schallquelle Fahrzeug |
10:00 | AVAS-Geräuschband & Lärmwahrnehmung |
10:30 | Kaffeepause |
11:00 | Schallausbreitungssimulation |
11:30 | Optimierungsstudie |
12:00 | Pause für offenen Austausch |
12:30 | Abschluss mit Institutsführung |
— English version —
The consortium of the project “Braunkohlereviere als attraktive Lebensräume durch Straßengeräuschsimulation auf Basis bestehender Verkehrsdaten zur Minimierung von Lärm” (BaLSaM) invites you to the public mid-term meeting. It will take place on May 21, 2024 from 8:30-13:00 at the Institute of Automotive Engineering at RWTH Aachen University (address: Steinbachstraße 7, 52074 Aachen, Germany).
The BaLSaM project investigates how traffic noise can be simulated and auralized, aiming to develop concepts to minimize road noise to create more pleasant environments. During the meeting, the project partners will present the progress of the project. In addition, the event will provide an opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss future challenges and research questions. In addition to on-site participation, digital participation in the event is also possible. In both cases, please fill out the following form to register for participation.
Agenda and registration: https://www.balsam-projekt.de/de/halbzeitevent.html
President-Elect of the Acoustical Society of America
In the 2024 Election of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Michael Vorländer has been elected to be the next president of the ASA. From May 2024, Michael will begin his three-year term of office, in which he will pass through the roles of President-Elect, President and Past President.
The presidency will be the culmination of many years of scientific involvement in the ASA, including being a member of ASA’s executive council, regular participation in ASA meetings, many years of activity as a reviewer and associate editor as well as the publication of numerous scientific articles in the Journal of the ASA (JASA), and also the awarding of the Wallace Clement Sabine Medal in 2018.
Congratulations Michael, to this prestigious position!
Posterpreis bei der DAGA 2024
Bei der diesjährigen in Hannover stattgefundenen Jahrestagung für Akustik DAGA 2024 erhielt unsere wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin Lara Stürenburg den Preis für das beste Poster, ausgewählt von einer Jury aus fachlich versierten Mitgliedern der DEGA. Herzlichen Glückwunsch!
Der dazugehörige Beitrag mit dem Titel Herausforderungen bei Messungen von Lüftungsgeräuschen in einem reflexionsfreien Halbraum ist gemeinsam mit allen anderen Beiträgen der Konferenz im online frei zugänglichen Tagungsband veröffentlicht.
Cognitive neuroscience of auditory and cross-modal perception 2024
Last week, our colleagues Carolin Breuer and Natálie Brožová presented their work at the 5th workshop on Cognitive neuroscience of auditory and cross-modal perception in Kosice, Slovakia. The workshop was focused on neural processes of auditory, visual, and cross-modal perception with a special focus on spatial audio virtualization and gamification for hearing assessment and enhancement. Featuring 16 invited talks as well as contributed posters and presentations, the workshop allowed for a very familiar atmosphere that encouraged exchanges among attendees. These participants came from diverse fields such as acoustics, neuroscience, biology, and psychology, to name just a few.
Natálie Brožová presented her recent study on “Investigating the Neural Basis of Audiovisual Cross-modal Correspondences and Their Influence on Perceptual Decision-Making” which is part of the interdisciplinary Research Training Group “MultiSenses – MultiScales”.
Carolin Breuer presented a poster investigating visual priming on auditory selective attention in Virtual Reality which is an extension of a previous study presented at DAGA 2023 and was conducted as part of the ECoClass-VR project related to the priority program AUDICTIVE.