Jon T. Sakata - The Neuroethology of Birdsong

On 27 December 1928 a group of scientists and engineers met at Bell Telephone Laboratories in New York City to discuss organizing a society dedicated to the field of acoustics. Plans developed rapidly, and the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) held its first meeting on 1011 May 1929 with a charter membership of about 450. Today, ASA has a worldwide membership of 7000.

The scope of this new society incorporated a broad range of technical areas that continues to be reflected in ASAs present-day endeavors. Today, ASA serves the interests of its members and the acoustics community in all branches of acoustics, both theoretical and applied. To achieve this goal, ASA has established technical committees charged with keeping abreast of the developments and needs of membership in specialized fields, as well as identifying new ones as they develop.

The Technical Committees include acoustical oceanography, animal bioacoustics, architectural acoustics, biomedical acoustics, engineering acoustics, musical acoustics, noise, physical acoustics, psychological and physiological acoustics, signal processing in acoustics, speech communication, structural acoustics and vibration, and underwater acoustics. This diversity is one of the Societys unique and strongest assets since it so strongly fosters and encourages cross-disciplinary learning, collaboration, and interactions.

ASA publications and meetings incorporate the diversity of these Technical Committees. In particular, publications play a major role in the Society.The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America(JASA) includes contributed papers and patent reviews.JASA Express Letters(JASA-EL) andProceedings of Meetings on Acoustics(POMA) are online, open-access publications, offering rapid publication.Acoustics Today, published quarterly, is a popular open-access magazine. Other key features of ASAs publishing program include books, reprints of classic acoustics texts, and videos. ASAs biannual meetings offer opportunities for attendees to share information, with strong support throughout the career continuum, from students to retirees. Meetings incorporate many opportunities for professional and social interactions, and attendees find the personal contacts a rewarding experience. These experiences result in building a robust network of fellow scientists and engineers, many of whom become lifelong friends and colleagues.