Why did you choose the Master's Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences: Acoustics and Audio Technology?
I got my bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Aalto University. My bachelor’s thesis focused on hearing aids, which turned out to be an interesting topic. The Acoustics and Audio Technology major caught my attention, because it seemed different from the rest of the electrical engineering programmes. It focuses on human perceptions and our behaviour in acoustic environments. Also, I have some background in playing a guitar at an amateur level, so acoustics studies sounded like an exciting choice.
What has been the most interesting part of your studies?
For me, the best thing in the master’s studies is the international community. The teaching is mostly in English, and the programme has students from all over the world. It’s a great opportunity to make foreign friends, work with them and learn about new cultures and habits. My English skills have also improved a lot during my studies, which is quite useful if you are planning to work abroad someday.
What has been your favourite course or project?
The acoustical measurements course was one of the first on the master’s programme and it already included some hands-on work, which was interesting. We were assigned to analyse measurement data on environmental noise as well as room and building acoustics, and we got to do some actual measurements.
Have you made contacts with potential employers during your studies?
The courses have guest lecturers from various companies. They are experts in their field, and present how things are done in real-life situations. We’ve also had excursions to companies, which are good opportunities to get contacts for summer jobs or master’s thesis positions.
I found my master’s thesis position in the acoustics lab at Aalto. The working group consists of other master’s thesis workers, PhD students, post docs and professors. People work on many different topics, including machine learning in audio signal processing, room acoustics and spatial audio. The lab is a great place to see what can be done in the acoustics field in terms of research, and you can also find contacts to the industry through collaboration projects.
How is student life at Aalto University?
Aalto University’s student life is one of the richest in Finland. There are lots of student organisations for various things, including guilds for each school, international communities, and clubs for sport, music, movies, electronics, video games, and so on, so there is always a chance to find like-minded people.
The campus in Otaniemi has tons of events throughout the year. The big ones include festivals and parties during the first few weeks of the academic year and in springtime around Vappu (1 May). Student organisations put together events throughout the year, including sauna parties, sports events and academic dinner parties. There are also opportunities to meet potential employers at different meet-up events and to work with them in collaboration hackathons organised throughout the academic year.
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The major in Acoustics and Audio Technology equips students with a fundamental understanding of human hearing, audio perception, and physics of sound. The skills they acquire enable, for example, reducing noise pollution, planning harmonic environments and designing coherent sound experiences.
Because Craig Rollo wanted a job related to music, studying Acoustics and Audio Technology was the perfect choice for him
How could you listen to only one sound in a noisy room? How does your voice change when you shout into the wind? Michael McCrea and Rapolas Daugintis, the summer workers at the Acoustics Lab, are looking for answers to these questions
Acoustics and Audio Technology major gave Laura McLeod the opportunity to combine her two fields of passion: music and physics
