Physics History Network
Over 1000 biographies of physicists and histories of institutions with information pertaining to their lives, careers, and research.
Tip: Search within this page by using Ctrl + F or ⌘ + F
Search Our Catalogs
Archives BooksCollections
Emilio Segré Visual Archives Digital Collections Oral Histories Archival Finding Aids Physics History Network Member Society Portals Ethical Cataloging StatementPreservation and Support
Donating Materials Suggest a Book Purchase Saving Archival Collections Grants to Archives Documentation Projects History NewslettersCenter for History of Physics
Scholarship & OutreachMain Navigation
HomeAboutTopic GuidesFeedbackTable of Contents
Institutional History
AbstractPast PresidentsImportant DatesPlacesSubjectsRelationships
PeopleInstitutionsResources
Archival as AuthorArchival as SubjectPublished as AuthorAcoustical Society of America
Dates
May 10, 1929 – present
Authorized Form of Name
Acoustical Society of America
Additional Forms of Names
A.S.A.
ASA
Institutional History
Abstract
A professional society of physicists and engineers in all fields of acoustics: electroacoustics, ultrasonics, architectural acoustics, physiological and psychological acoustics, musical acoustics, noise, vibration control, underwater acoustics, biological response to vibration, and speech communication. Founded in 1929, its purpose is to increase and diffuse the knowledge of acoustics and promote its practical applications. The Society was a founding Member Society of the American Institute of Physics.
Past Presidents
1929-31, Harvey C. Fletcher.
1931-33, Dayton C. Miller.
1933-35, Vern O. Knudsen.
1935-37, Paul E. Sabine.
1937-39, Frederick A. Saunders.
1939-41, Floyd R. Watson.
1941-43, E. C. Wente.
1943-45, Floyd A. Firestone.
1945-47, Hugh S. Knowles.
1947-49, John C. Steinberg.
1949-50, Richard H. Bolt.
1950-51, Philip M. Morse.
1951-52, Frederick V. Hunt.
1952-53, Harry F. Olson.
1953-54, Hallowell Davis.
1954-55, Leo L. Beranek.
1955-56, Warren P. Mason.
1956-57, R. Bruce Lindsay.
1957-58, Richard K. Cook.
1958-59, J. C. R. Licklider.
1959-60, Hale J. Sabine.
1960-61, Robert W. Young.
1961-62, Laurence Batchelder.
1962-63, Robert W. Leonard.
1963-64, C. Paul Boner.
1964-65, Cyril M. Harris.
1965-66, Robert W. Morse.
1966-67, Martin Greenspan.
1967-68, Ira Hirsh.
1968-69, Robert T. Beyer.
1969-70, Isadore Rudnick.
1970-71, Vincent Salmon.
1971-72, John C. Johnson.
1972-73, Karl D. Kryter.
1973-74, Edgar A. G. Shaw.
1974-75, Murray Strasberg.
1975-76, Robert S. Gales.
1976-77, Kenneth N. Stevens.
1977-78, John C. Snowdon.
1978-79, James L. Flanagan.
1979-80, Henning E. von Gierke.
1980-81, Tony F. W. Embleton.
1981-82, David M. Green.
1982-83, David T. Blackstock.
1983-84, Frederick H. Fisher.
1984-85, Daniel W. Martin.
1985-86, Floyd Dunn.
1986-87, Ira Dyer.
1987-88, Chester M. McKinney.
1988-89, W. Dixon Ward.
1989-90, Harvey H. Hubbard.
1990-91, Alan Powell.
1991-92, Eric E. Ungar.
1992-93, Herman Medwin.
1993-94, Richard H. Lyon.
1994-95, Jiri Tichy.
1995-96, Robert E. Apfel.
1996-97, Stanley L. Ehrlich.
1997-98, Lawrence A. Crum.
1998-99, James E. West.
1999-2000, Patricia K. Kuhl.
2000-01, Katherine S. Harris.
2001-02, William M. Hartmann.
2002-03, Richard Stern.
2003-04, Ilene J. Busch-Vishniac.
2004-05, William A. Kuperman.
2005-06, William A. Yost.
2006-07, Anthony A. Atchley.
2007-08, Gilles A. Daigle.
2008-09, Mark F. Hamilton.
2009-10, Whitlow W. L. Au.
2010-11, George V. Frisk.
2011-12, Mardi C. Hastings.
2012-13, David L. Bradley.
2013- , James H. Miller.
Important Dates
December 27, 192840 scientists and engineers interested in acoustics met at Bell Telephone Laboratories to consider forming a scientific society, New York (N.Y.).
1929"The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America" (JASA) first published quarterly.
May 10, 1929 – May 11, 1929Acoustical Society of America (ASA) was formally organized and held its first meeting.
1931Became a founding member of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) when it was formed by the Optical Society of America (OSA), the American Physical Society (APS), the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), the Society of Rheology (SoR), and the American Association for Physics Teachers (AAPT).
1932Appointed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to sponsor a committee to standardize acoustical terminology and measurements.
1942R. Bruce Lindsay Award established and given to a member of the Society who is under 35 years of age and who, during a period of two or more years immediately preceding the award, has been active in the affairs of the Society and has contributed substantially.
1947"The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America" (JASA) began to be published bimonthly.
1954Gold Medal established for an individual whose contributions to the field of acoustics and to the Acoustical Society have been unusually distinguished.
1957Wallace Clement Sabine Award established for an individual of any nationality who has furthered the knowledge of architectural acoustics.
January 1957"The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America" (JASA) began to be published monthly.
1959Pioneers of Underwater Acoustics Medal established for outstanding contribution to the science of underwater acoustics.
1969Trent-Crede Medal established for outstanding contribution to the science of mechanical vibration and shock.
1970A. B. Wood Medal and Prize of the Institute of Acoustics established for distinguished contributions in the application of acoustics, preference being given to candidates whose work is associated with the sea.
1972Distinguished Service Citation established and awarded to a present or former member of the Society in recognition of outstanding service to the Society.
1985von Bekesy Medal established for oustanding contribution to the science of psychological and physiological acoustics.
1990 – 2013Charles E. Schmid, Executive Director.
2005"The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America" (JASA) first published online.
2014 – presentSusan E. Fox, Executive Director.
Places
Meeting
Headquarters
Subjects
Relationships
People
Employees & Officers
Apfel, Robert E.
President.
Atchley, Anthony Armstrong, 1957-
President.
Au, Whitlow W. L.
President.
Batchelder, L. (Laurence), 1906-
President.
Beranek, Leo L. (Leo Leroy), 1914-2016
President.
Beyer, Robert T. (Robert Thomas), 1920-
President.
Blackstock, David T.
President.
Bolt, Richard H.
President.
Boner, Charles Paul, 1900-1979
President.
Bradley, David L.
President.
Busch-Vishniac, Ilene J.
President.
Cook, Richard K.
President.
Crum, Lawrence A.
President.
Daigle, Gilles A.
President.
Davis, Hallowell, 1896-1992
President.
Dunn, Floyd, 1924-
President.
Dyer, Ira
President.
Ehrlich, Stanley L.
President.
Embleton, Tony F. W.
President.
Firestone, Floyd Alburn, 1898-
President.
Fisher, Frederick Hendrick, 1926-2005
President.
Flanagan, James L. (James Loton), 1925-
President.
President.
Fox, Susan E.
Executive Director.
Frisk, George V.
President.
Gales, R. S.
President.
Gierke, Henning E. von
President.
Green, David Marvin, 1932-
President.
Greenspan, Martin
President.
Hamilton, Mark F.
President.
Harris, Cyril M., 1917-2011
President.
Harris, Katherine S.
President.
Hartmann, William M.
President.
Hastings, Mardi C.
President.
Hirsh, Ira J.
President.
Hunt, Frederick V.
President.
Johnson, John Charles
President.
Knowles, Hugh S., 1904-1988
President.
Knudsen, Vern Oliver, 1893-1974
President.
Kryter, Karl D.
President.
Kuhl, Patricia K. (Patricia Katherine), 1946-
President.
Kuperman, William A.
President.
Leonard, Robert W. (Robert Walton)
President.
Licklider, J. C. R.
President.
Lindsay, Robert Bruce, 1900-
President.
Lyon, Richard H.
President.
Martin, Daniel William, 1918-
President.
Mason, Warren P. (Warren Perry), 1900-1986
President.
McKinney, Chester M.
President.
Medwin, Herman, 1920-
President.
Miller, Dayton Clarence, 1866-1941
President.
Miller, James Henry, 1957-
President.
Morse, Philip M. (Philip McCord), 1903-1985
President.
Morse, Robert Warren
President.
Olson, Harry F. (Harry Ferdinand), 1901-1982
President.
Powell, Alan, 1928-
President.
President.
Sabine, Hale Johnson, 1909-1981
President.
Sabine, Paul Earls, 1879-1958
President.
Salmon, Vincent
President.
Saunders, Frederick A. (Frederick Albert), 1875-1963
President.
Schmid, Charles Ernest
Executive Director.
Shaw, Edgar Albert George
President.
Snowdon, John C.
President.
Steinberg, John Christian
President.
Stern, Richard
President.
Stevens, Kenneth N., 1924-
President.
Strasberg, Murray
President.
Tichy, Jiri
President.
Ungar, Eric E.
President.
Ward, W. Dixon
President.
Watson, Floyd Rowe, 1872-
President.
Wente, Edward Christopher
President.
West, James E., 1931-
President.
Yost, William A.
President.
Young, Robert W., 1908-2002
President.
Associates & Members
Barton, Henry Askew, 1898-1983
Bhatia, A. B. (Avadh Behari), -1984
Blazier, Warren E., Jr.
Breazeale, Mack A.
Edison, Theodore Miller, 1898-
Ford, Kenneth William, 1926-
Goodfriend, Lewis S.
Goodman, Ralph R.
Green, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1932-
Ingard, K. Uno
Koch, Herman William, 1920-
Lang, William W. (William Warner)
Libby, Willard F.
Lubman, David
Miller, Harry B. (Harry Bernard), 1916-1999
Miller, Laymon N.
Pegram, George Braxton, 1876-1958
Shields, F. Douglas (Fletcher Douglas)
Slack, L. (Lewis), 1924-
Stevens, S. S. (Stanley Smith), 1906-1973
Suter, Alice H. (Alice Harriet), 1937-
Tate, John T. (John Torrence), 1889-1950
Awarded the Gold Medal (1961).
Waterfall, Wallace, 1900-1974
Founding member.
Wright, Wayne M.
Institutions
Collaborators
Founding Member Society.
Associates
American Association of Physics Teachers
American National Standards Institute
Appointed a committee to standardize acoustical terminology and measurements.
Resources
Archival Resources
Author
Acoustical Society of America Celebrating our 75th year, 2004.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Acoustical Society of America miscellaneous publications, 1934-2013.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
F. V. Hunt memorial session I [sound recording] : engineering and architectural acoustics, 1973 April 12.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
F. V. Hunt memorial session II [sound recording] : Professor Hunt, educator, 1973 April 12.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
F. V. Hunt memorial session III [sound recording] : physical acoustics, underwater sound and signal processing, 1973 April 12.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
History of the Acoustical Society of America [sound recording], 1966 September 17.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Twenty-fifth anniversary celebration [motion picture], 1954.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Subject
A. B. Bhatia papers, 1940-1987.
University Archives
University of Alberta
1-19 Rutherford (South), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E2
AIP Office of the Director records of Elmer Hutchisson, 1948-1966, (bulk 1957-1964).
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
AIP Office of the Director records of H. William Koch and Kenneth W. Ford, 1966-1992.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
AIP Office of the Director records of H. William Koch, 1932-1988 (bulk 1966-1987).
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
AIP Office of the Director records of Henry A. Barton, 1931-1964.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
AIP Office of the Secretary addition to records, 1931-2007.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
AIP Office of the Secretary records, 1931-1994.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
AIP Physics Programs Division records of Lewis Slack, 1968-1988.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
American Institute of Physics press book, 1956-1957.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Floyd Firestone autobiography, circa 1952.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Floyd R. Watson papers, 1900-1976.
University Archives
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1408 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Hallowell Davis papers, 1933-1991.
Medical Library. Archives and History of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine
660 S. Euclid Avenue, Room 702, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
Harry F. Olson collection, 1927-1977.
David Sarnoff Library
David Sarnoff Research Center
201 Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08540-6449, USA
L. Batchelder papers, 1929-1970.
Technical Information Center Archives
Raytheon Submarine Signal Division
Portsmouth, RI 02871-1087, USA
Letter to Wallace Waterfall, of the Acoustical Society of America, accepting his invitation to join the Society, 1934.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Alice Suter, 2007 August 28.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Cyril Harris, 2007 September 17.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Daniel Martin, 1994 June 9.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with David Lubman, 1998 October 15.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Eric Ungar, 2001 December 6.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with F. Douglas Shields, 2007 October 16.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Floyd Dunn, 2009 August 13.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Frederick Vinton Hunt, 1964 December 18 and 1965 January 8.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Harry Miller, 1994 June 9.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Harvey Fletcher, 1964 May 15.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Harvey H. Hubbard, 2008 February 24.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Ira Hirsh, 1994 June 9.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Isadore Rudnick, 1990 July 3.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with K. Uno Ingard, 2007 July 19.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Katherine S. Harris, 2001 June 27.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral History interview with Kenneth Stevens, 2001 February 13.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Laurence Batchelder, 1989 May 1 and November 12.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Leo Beranek, 1989 February 26.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Leo Beranek, 1989 September 30 and October 28.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Leo Beranek, 2009 August 10.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Lewis Goodfriend, 2001 December 6.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Mack Breazeale, 2007 August 9.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Ralph R. Goodman, 2007 September 19.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Robert Bruce Lindsay, 1964 May 6 and July 9.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Robert Green, 2000 August 25.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Robert T. Beyer, 1991 November 11.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Robert W. Young, 1995 November 30.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Thomas D. Rossing, 2007 June 7.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Tony Embleton, 1994 June 8.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Vern Oliver Knudsen, 1964 May 18.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Vern Oliver Knudsen, 1964.
University Research Library. Department of Special Collections
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90024-1575, USA
Oral history interview with Vern Oliver Knudsen, 1966 December 20 to 1969 June 3.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Vern Oliver Knudsen, 1966 December 20 to 1969 June 3. Teacher, researcher, and administrator: transcript, 1966-1969.
University Research Library. Department of Special Collections
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90024-1575, USA
Oral history interview with Wallace Waterfall, 1964 April 17.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Warren Blazier, 2007 June 24.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Wayne M. Wright, 2009 October 28.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Willard Frank Libby, 1979 April 12 and 16.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with William W. Lang, 2004 July 12.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Philip Morse papers, 1927-1980.
Institute Archives and Special Collections
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Some anecdotes and recollections about Acoustical Society Presidents whom I have known, 2004 July 4.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Stanley Smith Stevens papers, 1931-1973.
Archives. Pusey Library
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Teacher, researcher, and administrator : transcript, 1966-1969.
University Research Library. Department of Special Collections
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90024-1575, USA
Published Resources
Author
Electroacoustics : the analysis of transduction, and its historical background