Thursday, January 23rd | Tideline Public House
Science of Sound
This event will feature talks by Associate Professor Laura Kloepper (UNH's Ecological Acoustics and Behavior Lab), Assistant Professor Lauren Ferguson (UNH Department of Recreaation Management and Policy) and Research Assistant Professor Thomas Blanford (UNH's Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping). They will discuss their use of acoustics in monitoring wildlife and in our awareness of the soundscape in outdoor spaces.​​​
Doors open 5:00 pm and talks will start at 5:30 pm.
Food and drink will be available to purchase in the upstairs bar during the event.​​​
All ages welcome.
This event is SOLD OUT.
Dr. Laura Kloepper
Dr. Laura Kloepper is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UNH and the Associate Director for Education within UNH’s Center for Acoustics Research and Education. Her research explores how animals use acoustics to sense and navigate their world and how we can use acoustics to monitor animal populations. Specifically, using bats as her primary model organism, she investigates the link between acoustics and locomotion in actively sensing animals, the behavior of animals in groups, and passive acoustic approaches to estimate animal populations.
Listening to our planet: Acoustic monitoring reveals trends in animal behavior, population size, and biodiversity
From the smallest insects to the largest mammals, sound is crucial for the survival and reproduction of animals. Sound is the primary sense used by animals to find mates, detect predators, communicate to others, and even navigate their environment. By listening to animal sounds, scientists can learn more about how animals behave, estimate their numbers, and study changes in different species over time. In this talk, Dr. Kloepper will share some of the research from UNH that uses sound to answer questions about animal behavior and the environment, including projects with bats, penguins, terns, and moose. She will also demonstrate some apps and tools that let anyone help record the sounds of nature around the world to both identify animal species and contribute to a global acoustic archive.
Dr. Laura Ferguson
Dr. Lauren Ferguson is an Assistant Professor in Recreation Management and Policy at UNH. Her research examines the connection between outdoor recreation, human health, and natural environments through ecosystem services and sustainable protected area conservation and management. Ecosystem services can be defined as the benefits natural ecosystems provide to humans. She studies how different components of ecosystems, such as soundscapes influence human health and the best practices for managing parks and protected areas so that outdoor recreationists and the broader community can obtain various ecosystem services. Outcomes from her research have implications for protected area managers, health practitioners, and conservation policy.
Nature’s soundtrack: Exploring the influence of natural soundscapes and noise on the human experience
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Natural soundscapes—ranging from the gentle flow of a stream to birdsong at dawn—play a crucial role in supporting both ecological balance and human well-being. This presentation explores the positive impacts of natural sound on humans and wildlife, delving into the emerging soundscape research and management field. Studies show that exposure to natural sounds can reduce stress, enhance cognitive function, and improve mood in humans while providing vital communication channels and habitat stability for wildlife. Conversely, noise pollution from human activities disrupts these benefits, affecting health, altering wildlife behavior, and diminishing the quality of outdoor recreation experiences. Protected areas serve as key sites for research on the impact of sound. Dr. Ferguson will present research ranging from local sites like the White Mountain National Forest to Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Through a combination of case studies and ongoing soundscape management practices, this presentation examines how parks and protected areas are implementing strategies to mitigate noise impacts to preserve visitor experiences and wildlife.
Dr. Thomas Blanford
Dr. Thomas Blanford is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of New Hampshire in the Center for Acoustics Research and Education and the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping.  His research explores acoustic sensing, primarily in underwater environments.  In this multidisciplinary field, problems of physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science all intersect.  His research seeks to understand the relationships and interactions between the stimuli, the sensor, and the environment. 
 
Observing changes in time and space with echoes
When sound is emitted from a source it travels through the environment and reflects off obstacles it encounters.  A small portion of this transmitted acoustic energy returns to a receiver as an echo.  Echoes, although weak in amplitude, contain a rich set of information about the environment that produced them.  Accessing and interpreting this information, however, is not always simple.  By listening to echoes from different places in space and at different points in time we can uncover subtle clues about the environment and how it is changing.  This presentation will describe recent work, using sound both in air and underwater, to understand changes in the environment.
