Richard H. Lyon
MIT
RH Lyon Corp., Cambridge, MA 02139
Creating products that sound good means that product design engineers must have the skills to extract those features that relate to favorable or objectionable sounds from the acoustical signal generated by the product. They must also have the ability to associate those features with specific events in the operation of the product. Some engineering groups, particularly those in the automotive industry, have begun to develop these skills, but there is an increasing need throughout industry for more capability in these areas. Educational materials of various forms, courses, and new ways of delivering the information are being developed for people in industry. In some ways, this continuing education process is moving faster than are programs for university students. Some suggestions for university teaching of acoustics in design are offered.