Join UtSTA for a one hour event with Dr Bonnie Andersen. She is an acoustic expert.
FREE to members!
Nonmembers will be $30.00. (become a member and attend free)
This will be a one hour virtual event where Bonnie will share her passion of science with us. It will be an opportunity for each of us to remember our passion and why we want to share it.
Abstract:
Acoustics is an interdisciplinary field, with a wide range of applications from medical ultrasound to musical instruments. I am currently studying how sound resonates in different spaces, including what’s referred to as “thermoacoustic engines” which use heat to produce sound. I’ll show how variations on these systems can be used to model the formation of human vowel sounds. I also conduct research on clarinets as resonating spaces and their varied sound qualities. For example, clarinet players use a register key to suppress the fundamental pitch and thus encourage tones to be in a higher register. Advanced clarinet students learn to play in higher registers without the register key, accomplished by trial and error until it is mastered. But, in the process, often an unwanted higher or lower frequency note occurs. We are studying the effects of the vibration of the clarinet’s reed on these transitions to different frequencies.
In addition to telling a little about my research, I would also like to share some of my experiences of being a female professor, a single mother, and living with a visual impairment. I will highlight some of the challenges and opportunities I faced on my path to wanting to become a professor.
Teaching in a way to encourage all students to feel welcome and that they are capable of doing well in STEM is essential to make STEM fields more accessible to underrepresented populations. I will highlight some of the challenges these students and some ways to address these challenges.
Bio: Prior to becoming faculty in the physics department at UVU, I obtained my PhD from the University of Utah. My dissertation was on high frequency thermoacoustic engines. Prior to graduate studies, I taught high school for a year. I had a pre-service teaching internship at NREL and studied organic photovoltaics. I obtained my BS in physics and secondary ed certification from BYU. While there, I did research in green lasers and had three summer internships at SNL doing research in solar concentrators.
When you register, please enter your CACTUS number if you would like to receive one relicensure point.
Drawing for 3 Amazon Gift Cards for attendees!
NOTE: If you are not a current member of UtSTA you can renew your membership or join the Utah Science Teachers Association today ($10-15/year) and save money on your registration costs. To join today, CLICK HERE.
