PREPARED FOR NOISE/NEWS INTERNATIONAL, 2003 SEPTEMBER.
The history of the Acoustical Society of Finland dates back to a meeting held in the offices of the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation on 1942 August 25. At this meeting, a committee was appointed to study the need for a society to promote acoustical research in Finland and, if the need was demonstrated, to draft the bylaws for an acoustical society. Although it was wartime, the committee considered that acoustics was an area in which there should be activity within Finland. The bylaws were accepted at the first general meeting of the new Sound Technical Society on 1943 March 29. The Society is the oldest one of the Nordic acoustical societies.
The present name of the society was adopted in 1970. The purposes of the Acoustical Society of Finland are to provide a forum for professionals interested in acoustics and to promote research and education in all fields of acoustics. To achieve these objectives, the Society:
- arranges meetings, courses, lectures, and exhibitions,
- promotes research activities and distributes professional literature,
- supports publication, consultative and similar activities, and
- develops acoustical terminology in Finnish.
One of the first actions to promote research was taken in 1943 October. Upon the recommendation of the Society, an acoustics laboratory was established at the Technical Research Center of Finland. A second initiative along the same lines was taken in 1947. An acoustics laboratory was established at the Helsinki University of Technology.
One concrete way in which the Society has promoted domestic acoustical research has been through small grants to undergraduate and graduate students, for example, to cover their travel expenses to international conferences.
The Society has been a member of I-INCE (since 1980), FASE (1979), EAA [European Acoustics Association] (1992), ICA (1953), and NAS [Nordic Acoustical Society] (1955).
During a typical year, the Society will host two general meetings, plus a half-dozen or so afternoon or evening meetings with lectures or discussions presented by members or international visitors. Since 1982, a Day of Acoustics has been held annually. The first foreign visitor was Per Bruel 1944. In 1983, Dr. Bruel was made an honorary member of the Society.
The joint meetings of the Nordic societies have been held for more than 40 years–every second year with one of the member societies acting as host. Recently the Baltic countries were welcomed to join the tradition, and the name has been expanded to Baltic-Nordic Acoustics Meeting. The Acoustical Society of Finland is responsible for the meeting to be held in Marienhamn, Aland next year during the period 2004 June 8-10. The official conference language is English.
Further information can be obtained from the BNAM Secretariat via e-mail: bnam046@acoustics.hut.fi or from the Internet: www.acoustics.hut.fi/asf/bnam04.
The current president of the Society is Heikki T. Tuominen. He works as consultant at the Finnish Acousstics Centre Ltd., and can be reached directly by e-mail address: heikki.tuominen@akusti.com.