The overriding KT objective is to sustain theoretical and experimental frameworks for the broad interfaces and application domains of TA. This integration encourages breakthroughs with positive societal impacts by ingraining input from NewFoS stakeholders, including industry, small businesses, community leaders, policymakers, education thought leaders, and society.
The three major Knowledge Transfer (KT) objectives of the center are:
(a) KT between members to robustly integrate our research and education among all team members.
(2) KT with industry to rapidly translate our scientific breakthroughs into new technologies.
(3) KT with policymakers, community leaders, and society to effectively inform the widest possible audiences and societal needs.
Execution Strategy
The KT director, Dr. Keith Runge, and KT research scientist, Dr. Araceli Hernández Granados, form the KT team. This team conducts and guides knowledge transfer:
i) among members of the NewFoS center,
ii) between the center and industry partners, and
iii) between the center and policymakers, community leaders, and society.
While based at the University of Arizona, the KT team facilitates communication among members by participating in regular research and education meetings and making visits (at least annually) to the other NewFoS university sites.
KT between Members
The KT team attends and contributes to regular in-person and virtual meetings organized around the research plan pillars of the center. These meetings are held regularly, such as weekly or biweekly, and as needed to facilitate exchanges of information regarding progress among the center’s research pillars and educational activities, as well as to develop an integrated strategy for planning next steps. In addition to these regular meetings hosted at the University of Arizona, the KT team makes regular visits, at least annually, to the other university sites included in the NewFoS team.
Keith Runge (University of Arizona) and Elizabeth Whitney (University of Alaska Fairbanks)
All participating institutions are parties to the NewFoS IP Management (IPM) agreement which enables open, productive discussions and collaborations. IP training will be provided to all members of NewFoS including undergraduate students, graduate students, post-docs, faculty, and staff by experts in the field. Annual refresher trainings will keep the members of NewFoS up to date on their responsibilities and opportunities in the development and deployment of IP generated by the center.
IP training by Rakhi Gibbons (Director of Licensing and Intellectual Property) at Tech Launch Arizona
Work sponsors in the NewFoS Multiscale Panspectral Acoustic Testing Shared (MPATS) facilities can be at different partner institutions.
Data Management: NewFoS generated data will be managed using FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) data principles, which will set the standard for the general TA community.
Keith Runge (University of Arizona), Alice Xiong (Caltech) and Araceli Hernández Granados (University of Arizona)
KT with Industry Partners
Level 1 will engage companies through attendance at the annual Stakeholder meeting which will begin in Year 2.
Level 2 will involve two-way personnel exchanges, e.g., student internships and temporary company-personnel embeds in the Center.
Level 3 will open access to company equipment and/or facilities otherwise unavailable to academic institutions. Finally, Level 4 will fund satellite projects of interest to a company that build on the Center’s expertise.
Industry leaders touring NewfoS
On January 13th, 2025, NewFoS hosted its annual Stakeholder Meeting, where undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdocs presented the latest developments in TA science to NewFoS industry partners. The event featured elevator pitches, scientific talks, and a poster session, including ‘lightning talks’ that highlighted the novelty and significance of research advances. Industry representatives also provided coaching on resume preparation, interview skills, and navigating research and technological development in an industrial setting.
Sonia Vohnout and Casey Carillo participants of the Innovation and Startup Ecosystem Leaders panel
Recognizing a two-way exchange of personnel is effective for KT between academia and industry, we will establish a Faculty Fellow program for NewFoS personnel to conduct R&D at industry partners. We will also encourage industry researchers to embed in the STC environment to germinate ideas and enhance innovation, e.g., visiting researcher summer internships at NewFoS funded by the companies.
NewFoS facilities are state-of-the-art; however, the capabilities of some industrial partners provide unique opportunities for novel research. Two examples of the use of facilities from NewFoS partners include the use of a specialized laser-drilling machine at AdValue Photonics, Inc. and the loan of 40 seismometers from the Earthscope Consortium for deployment at the Murphy Dome location.
Teams from the University of Arizona and the University of Alaska are collaborating on the deployment at Murphy Dome, bringing together expertise to advance research and innovation in the field.
Satellite projects: NewFoS industry partners will fund satellite projects of interest to a company that build on the Center’s expertise.
Stakeholders and NewFoS members gathered at the 2025 Stakeholder Meeting to discuss innovations, collaborations, and the future of TA science.
KT with Policymakers, Community Leaders, and Society
Policymakers are contacted at least annually by letter from the KT team, transmitted electronically, to inform them of the progress and capabilities being made by NewFoS. The communications include an invitation to brief these policymakers or their designees on the science, technology, and education issues that TA is uniquely positioned to address.
The KT team, with support from other NewFoS members as appropriate, briefs policymakers or their designees on TA and the potential impacts and legacies of the center upon request. These briefings take place either at the NewFoS home in the GCRB or at a site suggested by the policymaker.
The KT team and NewFoS members debriefing at the Grand Opening of the GCRB
As invited, members of the NewFoS team give presentations to community groups, such as the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona and the Tucson Metro Chamber, to raise awareness of the promise of TA and its associated technology for economic and social development.
The visit of the CNRS President
NewFoS will also engage the International Phononics Society (IPS). With members from all continents, IPS and its biannual international conference are venues for NewFoS outreach. Indeed, as one of the three founding members of IPS, NewFoS Director Deymier will engage the IPS board members in TA-related outreach activities to raise awareness of practices that relate sound to all areas of life.
International Phononics Society, 2019
NewFoS led events centered around the annual UNESCO Week of Sound, which UNESCO’s 39th session proclaimed for January each year. These events were conducted on the University of Arizona campus, including public spaces near NewFoS' home in the GCRB.
Mariachi "Los Gatos" graciously accepted our invitation to celebrate the Week of Sound alongside NewFoS members and stakeholders.
Keith Runge, Director of KT