On May 16Tthe, 2022, we were honored to have Mr. John Papadakis, Director of Enrollment Management, Communications & Data Protection Officer at ACS Athens, present a very interesting lecture on acoustics and sound to our Future School Lab students, which are exploring sound optimal environments in regard to academic settings.
Mr. Papadakis opened his presentation by giving students a brief understanding of how sound travels and the different types of sound frequencies. He explained that sound travels in waves and that the average human has a range of hearing between 20-20,000 Hz, which of course, is very different from all other species in the world. He continued his presentation by going over the different types of frequencies, including low and high, and the effects of such frequencies on the human body.
Furthermore, Mr. Papadakis explained the difference between sound and noise. Sound can be understood as something identifiable that makes some type of sense, whereas noise can be understood as something that can’t be clearly identified and thus causes discomfort in some way. Noise weakens memory, concentration, and learning. Exposure to noise can also have negative long-term effects, which can be measured in our brain activity.
Creating sound optimal environments is very important for concentration, learning, and productivity. This is something that is very crucial in learning environments such as schools, universities, and other academic settings. Room acoustics can be improved by using soundproofing equipment as well as sound absorption, noise cancellation, and sound masking techniques.
Closing off, Mr. Papadakis explained that technology is moving very swiftly, and new ideas are coming to the forefront, which is expected to revolutionize our spaces and our overall experience of learning, something that our Future School lab students are very interested in exploring further and possibly even becoming up and coming professionals in relevant fields and influencing the direction of future technologies.