The University’s Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) in the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2013. It is now an internationally recognised centre of excellence for research, teaching and consultancy in acoustics, noise and vibration.
That the ISVR was born at all was due to the characteristic and legendary “ten-year vision” of its founder, Professor Elfyn Richards. In the 1950’s, as Professor of Aeronautics at Southampton, he perceived that noise and vibration were to become a “disease” of new technology, for which traditional approaches would be no cure. Thus he founded a new applied science, now known as engineering acoustics and vibration.
Founded in 1963, ISVR’s main challenges in the early days were industrial and vehicle noise control, fatigue of aircraft and spacecraft structures and hearing conservation.Today research groups in the ISVR investigate a much wider range of topics including aircraft, rail and automotive vibration and noise, underwater acoustics, human responses to sound and vibration, audiology, hearing and balance, cochlear mechanics and ultrasonics for biomedical applications.
Over the years fundamental research has been translated into applications having an impact on the quality of life. Just some examples range from pioneering work on actively reducing noise in aircraft cabins and creating 3-D audio sound fields, to reducing noise generated by jet engines; from quietening rail noise from trains, to controlling the condition of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome in industry; from transforming testing for child deafness, to understanding how the acoustics of bubbles in liquids can assist in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.
Over 30 academic staff teach undergraduate and masters students and support more than 90 PhD students. For over four decades research has been put into practice by ISVR Consulting, now an enterprise unit, in solving industrial and environmental noise and vibration problems. Since 1990 the South of England Cochlear Implant Centre (now the University of Southampton Auditory Implant Service) has treated over 900 severely to profoundly deaf adults and children. In 2006 the ISVR was awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.
ISVR Director, Professor Jeremy Astley, says: “Much has been achieved in the ISVR’s first 50 years. We are proud of our achievements in this ever-changing field of engineering. Many of our students have gone on to senior roles in academia and industry. We look forward to new challenges in our next 50 years.”
The anniversary is being marked by a two day symposium at the Turner Sims Concert Hall at the University of Southampton on 11-12 July 2013. Invited speakers will give leading presentations on topics having scientific, engineering and societal impact. The E J Richards lecture which will be delivered by alumnus Rob Harris who will speak about Thirty Years of Auditorium Design.
Archive material including photos, videos and a timeline, together with interviews and contributions from staff old and new, and alumni success stories, are on the ever growing website at http://www.isvr50.soton.ac.uk.