New Frontiers of Sound (NewFoS)
Community College Workshop Series
The Community College STEM Workshop Series introduces students to the emerging field of topological acoustics (TA) through interactive virtual sessions with New Frontiers of Sound researchers. Over four weeks, participants gain exposure to cutting-edge STEM topics, build their confidence in science communication, and connect with faculty and peers across the U.S.
Benefits
- Learn about engineering, physics, math, and computer science career options
- Connect directly with university researchers and graduate students
- Gain exposure to innovative research in topological acoustics
- Earn up to $600 in stipends for full participation
Workshop Format
The workshop spans 30 hours of synchronous sessions delivered virtually over four weeks. Each session combines short faculty presentations, group activities, and opportunities for discussion.
- Session 1 (8 days): Introductions to TA strands and societal impacts.
- Session 2 (8 days): Deeper dive into applications — Vibrations, Waves, Geometric Phase, RF Devices, Non-Destructive Evaluation, Acoustic Imaging, Transfer/Research Resource
In addition, students completed ~ 2 hours of asynchronous work outside scheduled meetings
- Day 1: Introduction & Sensing Infrastructure – Sara Chavarria (UA), Grant Batchelder (UA), Janet Yowell (CU Boulder), Keriann Jacobson (CU Boulder)
- Day 2: Materials Science & Infrastructure Solutions – Dr. Marat Latypov (UA), Jacob Lewton (CU Boulder)
- Day 3: Geosensing – Dr. Susan Beck (UA), Dr. Bingxu Luo (UA), Elizabeth Whitney (UAF)
- Day 4: Telecommunications & Microchips – Dr. Zafer Mutlu (UA), Dr. Ethan Wang (UCLA), Yan Jean Wei (UCLA)
- Day 5: Quantum & Acoustic Analog – Dr. Noah Finkelstein (CU Boulder), Akinsanmi (Sanmi) Ige (UA), Howard Yawit (UA)
- Day 6: Biomedical & Computational Analysis – Dr. Young Hyun Noh (UA), Dr. Josh Levine (UA)
- Day 7: Student group project work, evaluation groups
- Day 8: Group Presentations & Community College to University Panel – Sara Chavarria (UA), Patrick Lohr (UA), Wataru Takeda (UA), Dylan Lawson (CCA)
- Day 1: Vibrations – Ilya Kuk (UA), Jacob Lewton (CU Boulder)
- Day 2: Waves – Alice Xiong (Caltech), Dr. Susan Beck (UA)
- Day 3: Geometric Phase – Dr. Pierre Deymier (UA), Abhirup Basu (UA)
- Day 4: RF Devices – Dr. Pierre Lucas (UA), Dr. Arif Hasan (Wayne State), Dr. Andrea Alù (CUNY)
- Day 5: Non-Destructive Evaluation – Dr. I-Ting (Andy) Ho (UA), Patrick Lohr (UA), Sara Chavarria (UA), Wataru Takeda (UA)
- Day 6: Acoustic Imaging & Transfer Resources – Dr. Tribikram Kundu (UA), Aglhaen Nieto-Cruz (Pima), Matt Stoner (UA)
- Day 7: Undergraduate Research Experiences & Partner Institution Videos – UA, CU Boulder, UAF, CUNY, Georgia Tech, UCLA, Caltech, Wayne State, Spelman
- Day 8: Wrap-Up & Evaluations
Spring 2025 Highlights
- 46 students admitted; 36 began Session 1, with 34 completing
- 32 students continued to Session 2; 25 completed
- Students represented 17 community colleges across the U.S.
- 68.8% of participants received Pell Grants, supporting the goal of broadening participation among low-income students
- Most common majors: Engineering (56.2%), Computer Science (15.6%)
Access to Resources
Full recordings of workshops are available internally to participants via D2L. Public resources include vocabulary lists and primers, available on the linked pages below.