Meet the Student Council

Architectural Acoustics Representative: E.K. Ellington Scott

Term: Fall 2021-Spring 2023
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
ek.ellington.scott@gmail.com
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E.K. Ellington Scott is an Architectural Acoustics Ph.D. student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he also received his M.S. in Architectural Acoustics. His research focuses on auditory spatial perception, small room acoustics, and spatial audio. Prior to his Ph.D. work, he earned a double degree in jazz studies and physics from Oberlin College & Conservatory and worked as an acoustic design consultant before returning to graduate studies. Ellington also has a background as a professional musician, playing throughout the east coast of the United States.

In his spare time, Ellington enjoys playing the drums, listening to jazz, and exploring New York City.

Animal Bioacoustics Representative: Brijonnay Madrigal

Term: Spring 2022 – Spring 2024
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
bcm2@hawaii.edu
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Brijonnay (Bri) Madrigal is a Ph.D. student in the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Hawaiʻi
Institute of Marine Biology. She received a M.Sc. in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine
Laboratories and a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her research focuses
on the occurrence of anthropogenic noise in the Main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and
understanding the spatial and temporal variability of false killer whales and short-finned pilot whales
using passive acoustic monitoring. As a NOAA Dr. Nancy Foster scholar, she is interested in assessing the
soundscape and potential effects of noise on these species inside and outside marine protected areas
including the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and Papahānaumokuākea
Marine National Monument. She also serves as a SURIEA Co-coordinator and enjoys interacting with
undergraduate students interested in acoustics.

When Brijonnay is not eavesdropping on whales, she enjoys long runs, spending time at the beach, and
being on a boat when she can!

Acoustical Oceanography Representative: Miad Al Mursaline

Term: Spring 2022 – Spring 2024
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
mitul.name09@gmail.com
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Miad is a Ph.D. student in the joint program between Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). His home department at MIT and WHOI are Mechanical Engineering and Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering respectively. Prior to his Ph.D. work, he earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He also worked as a course instructor in the department of NAME at BUET before beginning his Ph.D. at MIT/WHOI.

His current research involves developing physics-based acoustic scattering models and performing acoustic scattering experiments in the laboratory. He has been primarily investigating the effects of directional sonars on scattering from statistically smooth and rough cylindrical elastic targets.

In his spare time, Miad enjoys reading, swimming, and playing cricket.

Biomedical Acoustics Representative: Megan Anderson

Term: Fall 2021 – Spring 2023
George Washington University
andersonm@gwmail.gwu.edu
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Megan Anderson is a PhD student at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She received her bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Philosophy from William Jewell College in Kansas City, MO, where she first became involved in research and scientific societies (such as SPS, APS, and SOR). When she learned about biomedical acoustics, she was excited to find a place where fundamental physics can directly impact human well-being. Her research involves acoustic characterization of biomaterials and the use of microbubbles in tissue engineering applications. She loves science outreach, exploring museums, and getting to know fellow ASA members.

Engineering Acoustics Representative: Pratik Anirudha Ambekar

Term: Spring 2022 – Spring 2024
University of Washington
pambek@uw.edu
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Pratik is a Ph.D. student in the Mechanical Engineering department at the University of Washington, Seattle. His research focuses on using High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound for treating abscesses. Pratik received his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in September 2021, which included designing a microfluidic device for ultrasound-based cell sorting. Originally from India, Pratik completed his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Savitribai Phule Pune University.

In his free time, Pratik enjoys playing the violin, composing music, playing cricket, and hiking in the Pacific Northwest.

Musical Acoustics Representative: Colin Malloy

Term: Spring 2023 – Fall 2023
University of Victoria
malloyc@uvic.ca
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Colin is an interdisciplinary PhD student in Music and Computer Science at University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. His research focuses on the Caribbean steelpan and music technology. He uses computational methods to study the acoustics of the steelpan, designs digital audio effects, and composes electroacoustic music for the steelpan. He has a BA in Pure Mathematics, a BS in Music Education, an MM in Percussion Performance, and an M.Mus in Music Technology. He is very much looking forward to actually finishing school soon. Off campus, he works as a DSP engineer for an audio effects company and teaches music lessons. In his spare time, Colin likes to ride his bike and build Lego.

Noise Representative: Logan Mathews

Term: Spring 2023 – Fall 2024
Brigham Young University
loganmathews@byu.net
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Logan is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Brigham Young University (BYU). His research focuses on source characterization and physics-based modeling of noise from supersonic jets, including high-performance tactical aircraft and rockets. He previously received a B.S. in Applied Physics from BYU, where he studied far-field noise characteristics of rocket launches.

Outside of the lab, Logan enjoys backpacking, rock climbing, trail running, and cooking.

Physical Acoustics Representative: Ferdousi Rawnaque

Term: Fall 2021 – Fall 2023 
Penn State University
fmr5186@psu.edu
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Ferdousi Rawnaque is a PhD student in the Graduate Program in Acoustics at Penn State University. Her research focuses on bubble nucleation in biological tissues using focused ultrasound. Besides Biomedical Acoustics, she is interested in Physical Acoustics, Signal Processing, and Psychoacoustics. She earned her MS in Electrical Engineering from UMass Dartmouth, and Bachelor’s degree in Applied Physics from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. In her free time, Rawnaque likes to explore new places, enjoys playing chess and writing fiction and non-fiction.

Psychological and Physiological Acoustics Representative:
Ann Holmes

Term: Fall 2022 – Spring 2024
University of Louisville
ann.holmes@louisville.edu

Ann (she/her/hers) is a PhD student in Experimental Psychology at the University of Louisville. She works with Dr. Pavel Zahorik in his Auditory Perception Lab, focusing on projects related to multisensory perception and spatial listening in rooms. Prior to graduate school, Ann received her BA in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Case Western Reserve University and worked for two years as a full-time research assistant for auditory neuroscience studies at the Iowa Cochlear Implant Research Center. Ann is also a co-founder of the Louisville chapter of R-Ladies, a global organization whose mission is to promote gender diversity in the R programming community. When she’s not in the lab, Ann can be found strolling through local Louisville parks or tending to her houseplants.

Structural Acoustics and Vibration Representative: Ian Bacon

Term: Spring 2023 – Fall 2024
Brigham Young University
icbacon@byu.edu

Ian started college at the age of 14 and received two B.S. degrees from the University of Texas at Austin in Applied Mathematics and Physics. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Brigham Young University. His research is focused on developing a vibration-based standard to measure the sound power radiated from products that make noise. He also uses his applied math background to improve sound power computation through symmetry.

In his free time, Ian enjoys spending time with his wife, exploring the outdoors, and supporting youth in church and recreational activities. He also enjoys good food and can be found getting a full bowl of ice cream from the freezer or getting some Southern-style fried chicken.

Speech Communication Representative: Satwik Dutta

Term: Fall 2022 – Spring 2024
The University of Texas at Dallas
satwik.dutta@utdallas.edu
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Signal Processing in Acoustics Representative: Sam Bellows

Term: Spring 2021 – Fall 2023
Brigham Young University
sbellows@student.byu.edu

Sam is a PhD candidate at Brigham Young University in the department of Physics and Astronomy. His present research focuses on the directivity of musical instruments and speech, as well as spherical array signal processing techniques. He has also worked in areas such as microphone placement, virtual and room acoustics. He previously earned his BS in Applied Physics from BYU.

In his spare time, Sam enjoys playing and listening to music, being outdoors and traveling.

Underwater Acoustics Representative: William Jenkins

Term: Fall 2022 – Spring 2023
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego
wjenkins@ucsd.edu
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William Jenkins is a Ph.D. candidate in oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, and is a 2018 recipient of the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. His research interests include ocean and polar acoustics and applied machine learning in signal processing. William previously served on active duty in the U.S. Navy as a submarine warfare officer and continues to serve in the Navy Reserve.

William earned his B.S. in oceanography with merit from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and his M.S. in engineering acoustics with distinction from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. He is a recipient of the 2010 Chief of Naval Operations Undersea Warfare Award for research he conducted in underwater digital acoustic communications.

In his spare time, William enjoys playing his violin, sailing, traveling, scuba diving, and skiing.

Computational Acoustic Representative: Pravinkumar Ghodake

Term: Spring 2023 – Fall 2024
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India
mech7pkumar@gmail.com
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Pravinkumar is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), India. He received his master’s (M. Tech) from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), India, in Solid Mechanics and Design.

His research focuses on exploiting nonlinear waves to design nonlinear metamaterials by exploring exciting effects such as harmonic generation, wave mixing, and harmonic scattering through theoretical and computational perspectives. He is designing nonlinear metamaterials using an inverse design approach to control nonlinear elastic waves both in the time and frequency domains. His inversely designed metamaterials have various characteristics like multi-material, periodic, quasi-periodic, non-periodic, direction-dependent, direction-independent, mode-independent, invisible nonlinear inclusions, stretching pulses in the time domain, mode conversion, and so on. He is exploring the design of the spatial (functionally graded) and temporal (time-dependent, 4D Metamaterials) linear and nonlinear metamaterials and their novel responses toward controlling elastic waves.

He enjoys reading books, watching football, and listening to music.