Nonlethal Weaponry:
    Recently in Iraq the Army has deployed high intensity 'sound cannons.' These devices focus sound 100 yards away from the vehicle on which it is mounted. People in the focus zone must disperse or suffer hearing damage.

Environment:
    Recently there has been a test of an environmentally friendly refrigeration unit at a Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream parlor in New York. By creating a standing wave in a resonance chamber, and using the fact that sound waves are areas of low and high pressure, a new unit was created. The areas of low pressure in the chamber have a lower temperature (by using the ideal gas law) and a fan blowing across these areas circulates this colder air. This is all done without harmful chemicals.

      These are just a few examples. There are many other applications currently under development, but these are some of the more interesting I have found. I look forward to joining an ongoing research project next year and learning about something even more interesting.
Thank you, University of Oregon Math Department, for my time here. I appreciate all of the people and classes that have gotten me where I am today.

by Ted Argo

    In the field of acoustics there are many problems currently under active research. Theoretical mathematical models have paved the way for many of the current projects. As I graduate and move to Austin, Texas, next year for graduate work in acoustics, I have begun to look at what these projects are and what they entail:

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU):
    There is work and refinement underway for the treatment of conditions with high intensity sound waves. Gallstones, for example, can be targeted with high-powered sound and broken apart without invasive surgery. There is other research being conducted on the possibility of cauterizing some types of wounds with sound waves as well.

Musical Acoustics:
    For centuries people have been trying to figure out why Stradivarius Violins (for example) have their characteristic sound. This is still an active field of research as evidenced by a recent study on radiation damping in violin sound. A few years ago I had the opportunity to assist on research regarding the modes of vibration of a guitar at the University of Illinois.

Electronics:
    Next time you turn on your stereo realize that research has been done to help determine its ideal properties. Many speaker companies have active research and development departments which are producing speakers and electronics with higher fidelity and clearer sound reproduction.