We have a new article for a numerical investigation on the sound insulation of ventilation windows which has been published in the Applied Acoustics. Please visit the journal website in this link.
Near-field/far-field array manifold of an acoustic vector-sensor near a reflecting boundary
There is a new publication regarding the use of acoustic vector-sensor (a.k.a. the vector hydrophone) near a reflecting boundary. The article is published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. Please visit this link.
Classroom Acoustics Session at ASA meeting in Salt Lake City
Dr Siu-Kit Lau and Prof Shiu-Keung Tang have chaired a session of Classroom Acoustics at the 171st Meeting of Acoustical Society of America in Salt Lake City on 23-27 May 2016. During the meeting, Prof Tang and Dr Lau presented a paper entitled “Cantonese speech intelligibility tests in two Hong Kong primary school classrooms”. Abstract of the presentation can be found at this link. A preliminary observation is that there is higher probability for the pupils to give wrong answers when the sound of a character lasts for relatively long duration, especially when there are abrupt temporal changes in the time-frequency spectra. Correct answers are usually given when the corresponding time-frequency spectral energy is more concentrated within a short duration.
Mad Scientist
Salt Lake City (Church)
Singapore Sustainable Built Environment (SBE16) Conferences
Singapore Sustainable Built Environment (SBE16) Conferences will be held on 5th and 6th September 2016. The theme is “Mitigating Climate Change from ASEAN’s Perspective”. Four tracks of issues consist of Biodiversity, Waste Management & Sustainable Construction, Coastal Protection, and Human Behaviour/Social Policies. Researchers, students, policy makers, practitioners, and members from SBE partners should join. The deadline for abstract submission is on 31 May 2016. Details can be found at this link.
BCA Academy (Academic Tower)
Investigation of Chinese word recognition scores of children in primary school classroom with different speech sound pressure levels
New article for an investigation of Chinese word recognition scores of children in primary school classroom has been published. Please visit the journal website in this link.
Abstract:
Chinese word recognition (CWR) test was conducted by grades 3 and 5 children under the different conditions of reverberation time (RT), background noise level (BNL) and speech sound pressure level (SSPL) in three primary-school classrooms. The CWR scores and signal to noise ratios (SNRs) have been obtained at listening positions. Results show that the CWR score for grades 3 and 5 children increases with increase of SSPL, decrease of RT or increase of age, but it decreases with increase of BNL under the same conditions. For a mixed noise of 56 dBA (speech-spectrum-like noise and ambient noise), the CWR scores in the classroom for grades 3 and 5 children reach a peak at SNR of 15–20 dBA under the same RT and age of children condition. For the natural ambient noise, the CWR score for grades 3 and 5 children gradually increases with increase of the SNR. The high SSPL could not guarantee good CWR for children in classroom, which also depends on RT and BNL in classroom. When the classroom has long RT or high BNL, the increase of SSPL would not be necessarily to achieve better CWR. The novelty of the present study is to further evaluate and confirm the results under environments of real classrooms (not simulated room in laboratory).
Classroom of a school in China
Research Workshop with Prof Wang Jie from Zhejiang University (China)
Prof. Wang Jie for Zhejiang University has visited the Department of Architecture at NUS on 3rd Nov 2015. She has given a presentation in a research workshop at CSAC, entitled “On the implementation and practice of rural and village protection and regeneration”. Prof. Wang is a Professor, Doctoral supervisor and Director of Landscape and Garden Center at the College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University.
Dr. Zhang Ji (from 2nd left), Prof. Stephen Lau, Prof. Wang Jie, Dr. Siu-Kit Lau and students in the research workshop
Presentation by Prof. Wang Jie
2015 Green Building Leadership Camp (Tongji University)
2015 Green Building Leadership Camp has been held in Tongji in this summer by the IGCA and SBC. On August 19, 2015, 4 groups of students from different countries presented their works on designs of buildings in Shanghai. All design were incorporated with advanced technologies. Dr. Siu-Kit Lau was invited to be a judge for the students designs. Details can be found in this link (Chinese).
Winner of 2015 Green Building Leadership Camp
Dr. Siu-Kit Lau was a judge in 2015 Green Building Leadership Camp
Dr. Siu-Kit Lau in the 2015 Green Building Leadership Camp
An impedance-mobility model of acoustic metamaterials
A fast prediction method for the performance of stacked membrane-type metamaterials has been developed using An impedance-mobility model. Matthew Blevins of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln introduced the method and a Matlab platform regarding this approach at the Spring 2015 meeting of Acoustical Society of America. The work is collaborated and supervised by Dr. Siu-Kit Lau and Dr. Lily Wang. Metamaterials are man-made materials to have properties that have not yet been found in nature. Membrane-type acoustic metamaterials have been proven to exhibit high low-frequency transmission loss despite their small thickness and light weight. The efficient model based on the impedance-mobility can be used to facilitate design and optimization of stacked membrane-type acoustic metamaterials.
Abstract (metamaterials) of the presentation in the ASA meeting spring 2015 in Pittsburgh, PA
Advisor of University of Nottingham
Dr. Siu-Kit Lau is honored to have opportunity to serve as an advisor in the industry panel for the Department of Architecture and Built Environment at the University of Nottingham in Ningbo.
The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) was the first Sino-foreign university in China. Established in 2004, with the full approval of the Chinese Ministry of Education, they are run by The University of Nottingham with cooperation from Zhejiang Wanli Education Group, a key player in the education sector in China.
Invitation letter for advisor of University of Nottingham
Student Design Competition of a Rural School (Visiting Ningbo)
Sixteen design teams of students in University of Nottingham at Ningbo have been formed for the student design competition of a rural school. Recently, they have visited a Adream classroom in Ningbo. Details can be found in this link.
Classroom of a school in China