About
Introduction:
NCPA maintains basic and applied research programs in many areas of physical acoustics; provides coordination of major, multi-university research programs in the United States; serves as an advocate for physical acoustics to federal agencies and other organizations; provides significant educational opportunities for students and postdocs; and provides direct research assistance to investigators throughout the world.
NCPA serves as the Physical Acoustics Archives for the Acoustical Society of America and coordinates the biennial Physical Acoustics Summer School.
About our Mission
The NCPA shall maintain vigorous basic and applied research programs in the physics of acoustics in order to insure a visible national source of expertise and innovations; educate students with knowledge on the frontiers of the physics of acoustics; provide researchers throughout the country with access to the facilities and support required to explore new principles and concepts; and apply all these resources to the solutions of specific problems and applications through technology transfer.
About our Facilities
Established in 1986 by Congressional Act, the NCPA has grown to 85,000 square feet of office and lab space, with an anechoic chamber, a mach 5 wind tunnel, a low speed wind tunnel, a jet test facility, a resonant ultrasound spectroscopy lab, Faraday labs and a multi-million dollar machine shop and computer CAD services for in-house design, both powder and single crystal x-ray diffraction facilities, among other features.
About our People
Currently NCPA employs 31 individuals full time, as well as 8 graduate students, 3 research fellows, and 8 undergraduates, with over $7M in funding. Our research scientists are internationally recognized experts in their fields, bringing experience from government, academia and industry. They in turn have recruited some of the top talent in the acoustics arena, and fostered new talent through our graduate and post-graduate programs.
About our Research
NCPA investigates a variety of acoustics phenomena, from ultrasonic to infrasonic. A distinctive feature of the NCPA approach to acoustics research is the drive to understand the underlying physical mechanisms leading to the observed phenomenon. The atmospheric acoustics group has developed acoustic detection of various arms and ordnances and also works on natural hazard project for NOAA. The porous media group is focused acoustic/laser imaging and detection as well as agriculture-related projects for the USDA. The aero-acoustics team is looking at noise reduction in aircraft, ways to more efficiently mix fuel, and better designs for cargo and weapons bays, to name a few. The ultrasound group is focused on energy and biomedical research. Additional research is addressing areas specifically important to the state of Mississippi, such as catfish health, termite and fire ant infestations, and viability of flood control dams. The following pages discuss the research programs of each of the major NCPA groups. Feel free to use the contact information at the bottom of the page to gather more information.