The Acoustical Society of America recently elected Dr. Fredericka Bell-Berti, the chair of the Department of Speech, Communication Sciences, and Theatre, as one of the members of its Executive Council.
Dr. Bell-Berti will serve a three-year term on the 12-year council.
Established in 1929, The Acoustical Society of America is an interdisciplinary scientific organization committed to the science of sound and its many applications.
With members from diverse scientific areas such as marine biology, physics, and engineering, the society seeks to disperse the knowledge of acoustics among its members, in relation to various disciplines, and beyond.
Dr. Bell-Berti was one of six people nominated to serve on the board.
“I agreed [to be nominated] because I’m always willing to serve the Acoustical Society,” said the professor.
“Whether elected or not, being one of the six [was] still being of service.”
Dr. Bell-Berti has been active in the Society for many years, and has served on committees and chaired the committees on Education and Long-Term Planning.
That experience, said Dr. Bell-Berti, will definitely aid her in her new role.
Aside from involving herself in the overall governance of the Society, she will be serving on the Internal Affairs Council and an ad hoc Task Force on Education.
Her responsibilities will include attending the bi-annual meeting of the Society, supervising actions and procedures of ASA Administrative Committees, and serving as a liaison between the committees and the Executive Council, on various matters such as the funding of new Acoustical Society Programs.
“One of the purposes of the Education Task Force is to come up with new ways to share knowledge of Acoustics,” said Bell-Berti.
Her colleagues are sure that Bell-Berti will far exceed what is required of her.
“In Dr. Bell-Berti, the ASA’s Exec Council will have an individual whose experiences as a scientist and fondness for teaching will allow her to shape ASA policies, particularly, to enhance recruiting and mentoring of junior speech scientists in applied clinical fields,” said Jose Centeno, an Associate Professor at St. John’s University in Speech, Communications Science and Theatre.
As the St. John’s University chair of Speech, Communication Sciences, and Theatre, Dr. Bell-Berti teaches and mentors graduate students.
She currently teaches Acoustics and Perceptions of Speech, in which she explores in part the fundamentals of Speech Science.
Dr. Bell-Berti has also been a Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program mentor, and will continue to reach her students beyond the classroom setting.
Being an Acoustical Society Member has been an asset in her mentorship.
“I’ve taken students to the Acoustical Society meetings,” she said.
Her students have also been given chances to present their work at meetings, and to meet and talk with other Society members.
