Acoustics Meeting in Cancun

Disinfection with Sound, Acoustic Refrigerator, Ancient Echoes

Ten days from now, researchers from around the world will converge at the First Pan-American/Iberian Meeting on Acoustics, which will feature over 1000 papers from December 2-6.

Starting now, you can get detailed information on meeting topics at the Acoustical Society of America's World Wide Press Room (http://www.acoustics.org/press). Even if you are unable to come to Cancun, the website enables you to cover dozens of interesting meeting topics from your desk. In the lay-language paper section of the pressroom (http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/lay_lang.html), you will find detailed descriptions of a safer, more effective technique for treating kidney stones, intriguing sound effects in rock caves, and how sound can help disinfect materials with harmful bacteria. The Press Room also contains the general news release on the meeting (http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/press_release.html) and a searchable database of meeting abstracts (http://asa.aip.org/asasearch.html; paper version available upon request).

For those able to come to Cancun, a meeting press luncheon will be held on Tuesday, December 3 from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Central Time in the Coral Room of the Hyatt Regency Cancun Mexico, 011-52-9988-83 1234. The speakers and topics are listed below. In addition, reporters can obtain a complimentary badge to attend all the technical sessions, which will be held at the Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach Hotel, Cancun, Mexico, 011-52-9988-81-3200. Meeting information is at http://asa.aip.org/cancun/information.html. Reporters who wish to attend the meeting, press luncheon, or both, should fill out the reply form at the end of this release or contact James Riordon (301-209-3084, [email protected]).

EMBARGO INFORMATION: One meeting topic, "COOL SOUNDS," which is described below, is embargoed until Dec. 4, 2002, 8 AM Eastern Time, in accordance with an embargoed Penn State news release. However, please be aware that there are NO embargoes on any of the other papers or topics mentioned in this news release, as there are ordinarily no embargoes associated with the papers at these meetings.

The following text describes the press luncheon topics, and some examples of lay language papers that are already available online.

PRESS LUNCHEON
First Pan-American/Iberian Meeting on Acoustics Coral Room Hyatt Regency Cancun
Tuesday, December 3, 2002
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (Central Time)

1. COOL SOUNDS: AN ACOUSTIC REFRIGERATOR FOR ICE CREAM EMBARGO NOTICE: This topic is embargoed until Dec. 4, 2002, 8 AM Eastern Time. Presenter: Steve Garrett, 1-814-863-6373, [email protected], Penn State University Penn State researchers Matt Poese and Steve Garrett will describe a small "thermoacoustic" refrigerator that is the prototype for point-of-sale ice cream cabinets being developed with financial support from Ben & Jerry's and Unilever. The existing ice cream sales cabinets, as well as most of the world's refrigerators and air conditioners, use chemical refrigerants that have been responsible for depletion of stratospheric ozone. Replacements for those chemicals that were banned in 1996 by international agreement, while not dangerous to the ozone layer, are global warming gases that are 3,000 times more potent than CO2. The thermoacoustic refrigerator uses a souped-up loudspeaker to generate high amplitude sound energy in environmentally safe inert gas that is converted directly into useful cooling.

*Meeting abstract: http://asa.aip.org/web2/asa/abstracts/search.dec02/asa443.html

2. ECHOES FROM THE PAST: ARCHAEOLOGICAL ACOUSTICS Presenter: David Lubman, 714-373-3050, [email protected]

Ancient pyramids, amphitheaters, and megaliths are often visually awesome structures. In recent years, researchers have discovered that many archeological sites are acoustically inspirational as well. Rock walls, staircases, and chambers can produce complex echoes that make a handclap sound like galloping horses, or create eerie distortions in the sounds produced by instruments or voices. In some cases, unusual acoustics of natural spaces may explain why certain places became sacred to ancient peoples. In others, acoustical responses of manmade structures may have been intentional, perhaps built to add magic and mystery to a holy place. David Lubman will give an overview of the ASA meeting sessions and talks on the emerging field of archaeological acoustics. (Numerous meeting sessions, including 3aAA; for some of the abstracts, go to http://asa.aip.org/servlet/Searchpasa?collection=PASA&ResultMaxDocs=200&queryText=3aAA*)

*Related lay-language papers:

The Echoing Environments of Prehistoric Art http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/Waller.htm

Yaxchilan's Whistles- Ancient Instruments from the Mayans

An Acoustical Performance Space in Ancient India: The Rani Gumpha http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/Ault.htm

3. SHOCKING BACTERIA
Presenter: Achim Loske, Universidad Nacional Aut�noma de M�xico, 011-52-442-2-38-11-64, [email protected]

The reductions in kidney infections that often follow shock wave lithotripsy (a therapy that breaks up kidney stones with ultrasonic pulses) inspired Achim Loske of the Centro de Fisica y Technologia Avanzada ([email protected]) to study the effect of shock waves on E. coli, listeria, and salmonella bacteria. Loske found that conditions associated with shock waves could significantly reduce the viability of microorganisms. Such work may someday allow health professionals to use sound to help improve disinfection.

*Lay language paper: http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/Loske.htm
*Meeting abstract: http://asa.aip.org/web2/asa/abstracts/search.dec02/asa411.html

FOURTH TOPIC-TO BE ANNOUNCED

FULL LAY LANGUAGE PAPER LIST (new papers are being added up to the time of the meeting) http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/lay_lang.html

Some Highlights:

Safer Treatment for Kidney Stones http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/Bailey.htm

Stop that Screech! An Improved Hearing Aid Device http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/Thompson.htm

Unique Acoustic Sensor for Firefighters and Soldiers http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/Scanlon.htm

Listening to the Sound of a Melting Arctic Ocean http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/Mikhalevsky.htm

A Global Network of Hydroacoustic Stations for Monitoring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/Lawrence.htm

Microscopy Using Sound Waves http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/Jones.htm

How Long Do Females Really Listen?
Assessment Time for Female Choice in the Gray Treefrog
http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/Schwartz.htm

GENERAL PRESS RELEASE (contains many additional story tips) http://www.acoustics.org/press/144th/press_release.html

REPORTER'S REPLY FORM
First Pan-American/Iberian Meeting on Acoustics, Cancun, Mexico
December 2-6, 2002

Please return this form (if you haven't already responded) to James Riordon at [email protected] or fax to
301-209-0846.

___Please sign me up for the Cancun Press Luncheon on December 3 in Pittsburgh.
___Please sign me up for the meeting.
___Please send me the book of abstracts for the meeting.

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