Bridget Shield, Professor of Acoustics at London South Bank University (LSBU), has become the first female President of the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) in its 38-year history.
Bridget has devoted her career to studying how noise affects us. Since joining the University 26 years ago, she has established a world-wide reputation for her research, in particular the effects of noise on children and how it affects their ability to learn.
Her expertise in this area resulted in her being appointed an editor of Building Bulletin 93 and she is currently involved in helping the Department for Education update the regulations governing acoustic design standards in schools.
Talking about her new role as President of the IOA Bridget said: "I'm really excited about taking up the role as President and the fact that I am the first female President will, I hope, encourage more young women into the profession.
"Since I joined the Institute in 1974 there has been a significant increase in the number of women members, and I intend to ensure this continues."
Other highlights of her career at LSBU include research into noise annoyance caused by the newly opened Docklands Light Railway in the late 1980s, which influenced the drafting of the Noise Insulation Regulations for railways, and working with Trevor Cox in the 1990s on various 'Public Understanding of Science' projects.
She was also a member of the Department of Health committee which wrote the 2010 report on the effects on health of environmental noise, and last year she chaired the 10th International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem in London.
In 2011 Bridget was awarded the Institute of Acoustics R W B Stephens medal in recognition of her contribution to teaching and research in acoustics, and a John Connell Lifetime Achievement Award by the Noise Abatement Society.
Bridget, who was inaugurated as President in June, hopes that her role at the IOA will also help to raise the profile of LSBU and its MSc course in Environmental and Architectural Acoustics.
The Institute of Acoustics is the UK's professional body for those working in acoustics, noise and vibration. The President is the figurehead of the organisation and is responsible for presiding over the Council which is the governing body of the Institute and meets four times a year.
Find out more about LSBU's Faculty of Engineering, Science and the Built Environment.
Posted: 12th June 2012
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