In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’d like to put the spotlight on a handful of all the fabulous female acousticians out there. While it is a male-dominated industry, there are many women contributing to the profession and often working hard to improve the gender balance by encouraging more young women to join.
The openness of Twitter allows us to connect with, learn from, and interact with lots of amazing people. People we probably wouldn’t get a chance to meet offline. We’ve taken the opportunity to identify some of these fantastic female acousticians on Twitter so that we can all inspire each other. So in no particular order, here are seven equally awesome acousticians that you should follow on Twitter and root for.
But the cool thing is that these women are far from the only ones (on or off Twitter), so please feel free to add to our list in the comments!
#1
Susan Witterick – Director of dBx Acoustics
Susan is not only the director of an acoustic consultancy but also an active STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) Ambassador; she volunteers her time to encourage and inspire students in STEM subjects.
Follow Susan on Twitter: Follow @susan_witterick
#2
Mariana Lopez – Vice-chair of the British section of Audio Engineering Society
Mariana is a Sound Designer and lectures in sound design and acoustics at the University of York. She also champions gender equality within Audio and is the vice-chair of the British section of Audio Engineering Society.
Follow Mariana on Twitter: Follow @Mariana_J_Lopez
#3
Poppy Szkiler – Quiet Mark
Being ‘In pursuit of silence‘ is in Poppy’s genes, her grandfather John Connell, founded the Noise Abatement Society in the UK, a charity now run by her mum. Poppy runs Quiet Mark, an international approval award programme that tests everyday machines and appliances and identifies the quietest in a category.
Follow Quiet Mark on Twitter: Follow @QuietMark
#4
Vicky Stewart – Acoustic Consultant at Atkins
Vicky is another STEM ambassador and has been listed as one of the UK’s top 50 women in engineering as well as winning the IOA’s award for Promoting Acoustics to the Public. Find out more about her in this article from the Telegraph.
Follow Vicky on Twitter: Follow @Atkins_VickyS
#5
Johanna Bengtsson Ryberg – Noise expert at Arbetsmiljöverket, Swedish Work Environment Authority
The go-to expert for Swedish media, Johanna is a specialist in traffic noise with a doctorate in Environmental Medicine. She tweets in English and Swedish about environmental noise.
Follow Johanna on Twitter: Follow @BengtssonRyberg
#6
Peggy Nelson – Researcher and former chair of Women in Acoustics
Peggy does research in hearing loss and speech perception and is an active member of Women in Acoustics.
Follow Peggy on Twitter: Follow @nelso477
#7
Lily Wang – Professor & Associate Dean focussing on room acoustics and noise control
Lily is President-Elect of the Acoustical Society of America and a champion of promoting acoustics to young people and supporting students of acoustics.
Follow Lily on Twitter: Follow @LilyMWang
Bonus:
While we’re at it, help us celebrate the fantastic work of our colleagues too:
- Mai-Britt Beldam, with a black belt in karate and a true crusader for good acoustics everywhere, this lady excels on stage. Follow Mai-Britt on Twitter: Follow @decibel_dam
- Paige Hodsman, a specialist in psychoacoustics with several published papers, Paige is an often-hired speaker and moderator at the big workplace conferences. Follow Paige on Twitter: Follow @paigehodsman
- Maria Quinn, with a background in coronary care nursing, Maria knows the inside of healthcare in combination with acoustics, like few other. Follow Maria on Twitter: Follow @ljudakuten
- Yvette Tietema, this vagabond has a background in facilities management and can cover a lot of ground in office acoustics. Follow Yvette on Twitter: Follow @yvettetietema
- Virpi Villa-Peltonen knows the Finnish building standard like the back of her hand and is a real powerhouse; always on the go! Follow Virpi on Twitter: Follow @villapeltonen
- Andrea Harman, specialises in acoustics in healthcare, especially in people with dementia and the ageing population. Follow Andrea on Twitter: Follow @andrea_harman
- Lauren Kruger, trained interior architect and green building certified professional, Lauren is a passionate advocate of the South African building industry. Follow Lauren on Twitter: Follow @laurenkruger
- Magda Szubert, this fast-talking whiz in green buildings and office acoustics can tell you a thing or two about the Polish building standard.
- Adriana Starostova, knowledgeable and confident public speaker who you will see a lot more of!
