Sound Travels: Research in Service to Practice

Dr. Daniel Shanahan(co-PI) will commit 2 months of effort annually over the duration of the project. He will advise on recording in seven different informal STEM learning settings, lead data analysis on sound recordings, and contribute to capacity building sessions for informal learning professionals. In years 1 and 2, Dr. Shanahan will lead the research the sound analysis using digital signal processing software such as Librosa and a series of in-house Python scripts to measure characteristics of existing soundscapes selected by partners. Sound parameters for analysis include: loudness, pitch height, timbre, multiplicity of voices, and perceived animacy These data will provide baseline measurements and characteristics of the soundscape. Dr. Shanahan will also meet bimonthly with the COSI team to anticipate and resolve issues related to data management, consent, anonymity, and analysis. COSI will lead data collection and analysis of visitors. Observations will be temporally matched with sound files. In years 3 and 4, Dr. Shanahan will be presenting the findings at conferences and in publications, and will work on applying the research findings to practice in collaboration with the ILI collaborators.