Acentech Experts Lead in Noise Control

Two of Acentech’s Noise and Vibration experts are true leaders in the uphill battle against unwanted environmental noise. Noise emissions have negative effects on industrial workers, communities, residents, office employees and natural habitats. As such, we are all stakeholders: from government agencies and private corporations, to labor unions and concerned individuals.

Eric J. W. Wood, one of Acentech’s founders, is an INCE-USA and Acoustical Society of America Fellow, past board member and president of INCE-USA, and current president of the INCE Foundation. Eric became actively involved in the INCE-sponsored Technology for a Quieter America (TQA) workshops in 2012, and remains an advisory board member and proceedings editor to this day. He has contributed to the planning, conduct and reporting of fourteen TQA workshops, featuring a diverse array of topics, including ‘Protecting National Park Soundscapes,’ ‘Noise Barriers and Quieter Pavements,’ ‘UAS and UAV (Drone) Noise Emissions and Noise Control,’ and ‘Noise Around Airports: A Global Perspective.’

Acentech Noise & Vibration Principal James D. Barnes (INCE Fellow, NASA Fellow, and Laymon N. Miller award recipient) has presented at several TQA workshops, including ‘Reducing Employee Noise Exposure in Manufacturing: Best Practices, Innovative Techniques, and the Workplace of the Future,’ ‘Progress on Consumer and Industrial Product Noise Reduction,’ ‘Occupational Noise Exposure Risks and Controls,’ and in October 2024, ‘Urban Noise – Impact and Control — Commercial/Institutional and Industrial Activity.’

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is a private, independent nonprofit institution that promotes engineering leadership and research, and provides independent, objective advice to inform policy, spark innovation and solve challenging issues for the benefit of humankind. The NAE is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to their various fields.

The NAE gave rise to a spin-off focused on noise control, the Technology for a Quieter America (TQA) group, established in 2005 by the late William Lang (a distinguished noise control expert, physicist, and co-founder of INCE-USA and the INCE Foundation.) Every year, the TQA workshops are sponsored by the INCE Foundation and hosted by the NAE.

TQA reports typically focus on advances in noise control technology, and engineering and design improvements for quieter machinery, tools and consumer products to help reduce unwanted noise in factories, offices, classrooms, homes and outdoor spaces. This year’s program listed several areas of concern: “Urban noise is a growing problem for millions of people in the United States and around the world. Contributors to noise in urban settings include street, rail and subway traffic, aircraft as well as industrial machinery such as refrigeration systems, and generators. Noise exposure adversely affects the quality of life of pedestrians and communities in general, including schools, hospitals, offices, and residences. This workshop will build a comprehensive understanding of the complex urban noise problem and means of changing the trajectory of ever-increasing noise. The workshop will also consider the anticipated change in the urban soundscape due to the introduction of new technologies such as electric vehicles and urban air mobility.” 

On October 29-30, 2024, speakers from eight U.S. and foreign universities, seven federal and local government organizations, and nine companies and consulting firms met in Washington, DC. They presented information and identified key steps that aim to improve the urban acoustic environment. Participants included speakers from the National Academy of Engineering, the U.S. Department of Transportation, NASA’s Langley Research Center, Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon University, and Toyota.

The TQA reports are available through INCE and used to inform and guide technical and policy discussions by interested parties in government, industry, and public circles. For more information and a list of downloadable reports, go to the INCE website or view the list of publications here.