Bowling Green, Ky. - Harmful and annoying effects of noise will be studied today by students collaborating from two departments at Western Kentucky University.

A noise lab has been temporarily set up at the Clinical Education Complex, 104 14th Street, Bowling Green.  The noise lab, a result of a brainstorm between WKU instructors, Audiologist Jeffrey Barefoot of Department of Communication Disorders and Charlotte Reeder of Department of Public Health, will provide realistic examples of everyday noisy objects.  Common objects will be measured by students from the departments of Communication Disorders and Public Health.  Based on the measurements, the students will determine if a sound should be classified as dangerous or just an annoyance. 

“Learning about noise is both necessary and practical, especially for the students in Public Health and Communication Disorders,” Barefoot said.  “The noise lab will offer many benefits to the students.  Engaging students in lessons which apply to the real world in association with other disciplines help solidify how content and situations affect various professionals and underlines the importance of professional collaboration.”

The noise lab was designed to engage each student with common objects and situations found throughout an average day.  Some of the objects the students will measure noise output are a car stereo, vacuum, electric shaver, various household tools, and the exhaust sound from a sports car.  The noise lab will offer various stations where students will be briefly exposed to common noisy objects.  Hearing protection is suggested to be worn and will be offered to each lab participant.

Damaging noise levels affect more than 30 million Americans everyday and are responsible for contributing to hearing loss in more than 10 million Americans. 

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For more information, contact Jeffrey Barefoot, (270) 745-4541.

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