illustration by Mac Evans
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Dr. Krishan Ahuja, Regents researcher and head of the acoustics and aerodynamics branch in Georgia Tech Research Institute's (GTRI) Aerospace & Transportation Laboratory, has designed a unique modular system of curtains that blends aesthetics with audio privacy.
The invention, appropriately dubbed "Quiet Curtains," stems from an effort to battle nocturnal noise in nursing homes. Typically, two types of noise disrupt patients: (1) sound from inside their rooms, such as a roommate snoring or listening to a loud television program, and (2) sound generated from the outside, such as carts rolling down the hall.
Ahuja's idea? Transform the curtains that hang around a patient's bed into a product that not only provides visual privacy, but acts as an acoustical shield.
To accomplish that, sheets of noise shielding material were sandwiched between two pieces of fabric and supported by a unique pocket system. A variety of material can be used for the noise shields — ranging from cardboard to metal. "It depends on how much noise you want to reduce," explains Ahuja, who is also a professor at the Georgia Tech's School of Aerospace Engineering.
Aided by two Georgia Tech undergraduate students, Jessica Shearer, a physics major, and Mary Lynn Rivamonte, an aerospace engineering major, Ahuja conducted extensive testing to determine the noise reduction capabilities of various insert materials and exterior fabric. Besides analyzing acoustical properties, the researchers looked for such qualities as durability, fire retention and strength. Finally, they selected a plastic material to use as noise shielding material for the Quiet Curtains nursing home prototype.
In benchmark studies, the prototype reduced noise by about 7 decibels (dB). What's more, by adding a floor extension and valance, noise dropped about 12 dB. This is a deceptively large number as decibels are logarithmic units of measurement, rather than linear. "A reduction of 12 dB implies a reduction of sound intensity by a factor of 16," Ahuja explains. "It's akin to saying that if 16 toddlers were screaming 'I want Mommy' all at the same time on one side of the curtain, with a 12dB reduction on the other side, it would appear as though only one toddler was screaming."
"This is an innovative step to helping nursing home patients," says Dr. Joseph Ouslander, director of the Atlanta Veterans Administration Rehab R&D Center of Excellence on Geriatric Rehabilitation, which supported development and pilot work for Quiet Curtains. Last year while studying nighttime incontinence management, the Rehab R&D Center began to examine environmental factors affecting patients' rest — namely noise — which led to Ahuja's involvement and invention.
"Sleep for these people is very disrupted to begin with," explains Dr. Ouslander, who is also professor at Emory University's School of Medicine, director of its Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology and vice president of Emory's Wesley Woods Center. "If there is any environmental intervention we can do to improve their night rest, it would result in a better quality of life," Dr. Ouslander adds.
"There really hasn't been much research work done that has looked at noise in nursing homes — especially as it relates to sleep disturbance," says Dr. Bettye Rose Connell, a researcher in environment and behavior at the Atlanta VA Medical Center. "What impresses me is that Quiet Curtains are such a practical solution to a real problem. And they give us a real opportunity to do more research." Plans are under way for further testing of the curtains in nursing home settings.
Because of the noise-shielding inserts, Quiet Curtains are heavier than regular curtains. Yet they remain easy to transport by folding up accordion style. Maintenance is also hassle-free. "Just remove the noise shielding panels and you can toss the curtains in the washing machine," Ahuja says.
Quiet Curtains also can be equipped with a viewing window, allowing patients to watch television or have visual contact with nurses — without letting noise in. This is done by adding a transparent noise shielding sheet, such as Plexiglas or glass, and cutting away a portion of the exterior fabric. A shade can then be added to this window, and raised or lowered when desired.
Though initially designed with nursing homes in mind, Quiet Curtains has broad consumer applications, Ahuja says. He lists offices, hotels, libraries, schools, homes, factories — even motor vehicles as potential users of the high tech drapes.
"The beauty about this is its tremendous adaptability," says Ahuja, noting that virtually any fabric, color and pattern can be used for the exterior shell. Noise reduction capabilities can also be customized. "Noise shielding panel material can be changed, depending upon one's desire or need to control low-frequency or high-frequency noise. This will be a great benefit to a potential manufacturer," Ahuja says.
Size is yet another aspect of the invention's flexibility. Quiet Curtains adapt to small spaces, controlling noise generated by computers and printers or providing just-in-time privacy for open-office environments. Or large-scale curtains can be constructed for the factory floor. "Because they're so easy to wash, Quiet Curtains are ideal for rugged industrial settings," Ahuja says.
Specific costs haven't been determined yet. "Obviously, they are going to be more expensive than conventional curtains," Ahuja says. But he is confident Quiet Curtains can be cost-efficient for a broad range of users.
Ahuja and Georgia Tech have filed a provisional patent, and commercialization efforts are under way, including a search for potential marketing and manufacturing licensees.
— T.J. Becker
For more information, contact Dr. Krishan Ahuja, Aerospace & Transportation Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Atlanta, GA 30332-0844. (Telephone: 770/528-7054) (E-mail: krishan.ahuja@gtri.gatech.edu)
Courtesy of Dr. Jan Youtie
New technologies
and methods are slower to gain acceptance
in Georgia industries compared to their German counterparts,
according to a recent Georgia Tech study.
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These surveys are part of Georgia Tech's Policy Project on Industrial Modernization that analyzes and evaluates new technology adoption in industry and assesses implications for industrial and economic development policy. Dr. Philip Shapira, a professor in the School of Public Policy, and Dr. Jan Youtie, a senior research associate in the Economic Development Institute, direct the project.
Launched in 1996, the project has undertaken several efforts. Among them:
Georgia Tech participates in NIST's nationwide Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Policy Project has helped sustain federal funding of the state affiliate (GaMEP) through program evaluation. Other GaMEP initiatives of the project include a biannual survey of Georgia manufacturers; assessments of manufacturing extension practices; and evaluation of USNet, a multi-state consortium to promote industrial networking. The project also conducted Georgia Tech's first Internet-based course, "Seminar on Industrial Modernization," that continues to be taught.
Research conducted by the Policy Project has revealed interesting elements of industrial modernization. For example, industrial modernization resources are leveraging from $3 to $13 in private investment for every public dollar spent which, in turn, will likely lead to favorable public and private returns over time. Also, firms that collaborate in inter-company networks experience net financial benefits, employment growth, shared technical capabilities and improved skills.
The project's analyses and evaluations have implications for economic development in the state. For instance, the benchmarking of German and Georgia firms will help identify the diffusion of new technologies and business practices, determine gaps and needs, and assess impacts of companies' participation in manufacturing assistance programs. This can improve state-level policymaking and the technical assistance delivered by organizations such as Georgia Tech.
One new initiative of the project is publication of Georgia Manufacturing Vital Signs, which provides concise analyses of developments in Georgia's manufacturing sector. These will help guide companies, economic developers and state policymakers. The most recent study looks at productivity differences between large and small firms and users of external services (see chart).
— Jan Youtie
For more information,you may contact Dr. Philip Shapira, School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332. (Telephone: 404/894-7735) (E-mail: philip.shapira@pubpolicy.gatech.edu) or Dr. Jan Youtie, Economic Development Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332. (Telephone: 404/894-6111) (E-mail: jan.youtie@edi.gatech.edu)
Georgia Tech faculty receive recognition.
Dr. Said Abdel-Khalik, Southern Nuclear Distinguished
Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering, received
the 1999 Glenn Murphy Award from the American Society for
Engineering Education (ASEE). This award is given annually to
a distinguished engineering educator in recognition of notable
professional contributions to the teaching of undergraduate
and graduate nuclear engineering students.
Dr. Michael Bergin, a professor in the School of Earth and
Atmospheric Sciences and the School of Civil and Environmental
Engineering, was one of 60 young researchers selected
nationwide to receive a Presidential Early Career Award for
Scientists and Engineers. Awarded by President Bill Clinton,
these Presidential Awards are the highest honor that the U.S.
government can bestow upon young professionals at the outset
of their independent research careers.
Dr. Barry Bozeman, director, State Data and Research Center,
and professor, School of Public Policy, is the 1999 recipient
of the American Society for Public Administration's Charles H.
Levine Memorial Award for Excellence in Public Administration.
The Levine Award recognizes public administration scholars who
have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and
service.
Jim Coleman, a senior research scientist at the Georgia Tech
Research Institute, received the AFCEA International
Meritorious Service Award. This honor is presented annually to
AFCEA members who make significant contributions to the
organization, while recording exceptional professional
performance in the fields of communications, electronics,
intelligence and information systems.
Dr. Robert M. Craig, professor in the College of Architecture,
has been elected president of the Southeastern American
Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, a multidisciplinary
society of specialists in 18th century history, art,
literature and other period studies. Craig will plan and chair
SEASECS 2000 — the Millennium Conference, to be held in
Savannah in March 2000. He has served as second and then first
vice president in recent years.
The Basic Energy Sciences Division of the U.S. Department of
Energy presented Dr. Patricia Dove, a professor in the School
of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, with the "Best University
Research for a Sponsored Project Award" during the Interfacial
Processes Symposium held in February 1999. Dove's sponsored
research project is titled "Investigating the Physical Basis
of Biomineralization."
Research Corporation named Dr. Rigoberto Hernandez, an
assistant professor in the School of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, a recipient of the 1999 Cottrell Young Faculty
Award. Cottrell Scholars Awards are for beginning faculty
members who wish to excel at both research and
research-enhanced teaching. The awards are for $50,000 and may be used
largely at the scholar's discretion.
Dr. Edward W. Kamen, associate director of the Manufacturing
Research Center and a professor in the School of Electrical
and Computer Engineering, has written a book titled
Introduction to Industrial Controls and Manufacturing,
published by Academic Press. It is a text and reference book
that combines the topics of process control, discrete logic
control and the fundamentals of manufacturing.
Dr. James D. Meindl, Joseph M. Pettit Chair in
Microelectronics in the School of Electrical and Computer
Engineering, received the 1999 Semiconductor Industry
Association (SIA) University Researcher Award. It honors his
lifetime contributions to university research programs on
semiconductor technology. Meindl also serves as director of
Georgia Tech's Microelectronics Research Center.
Dr. Catherine Ross is now executive director of the Georgia
Regional Transportation Authority. She was vice provost and
professor in the College of Architecture's City Planning
Program and was recently elected vice chair of the Atlanta
Development Authority (ADA). It is a public authority created
to promote the revitalization and growth of the city. Ross
also was elected secretary and treasurer of the Residential
Development Division (Urban Residential Finance Authority),
the housing development arm of the ADA, focusing on creating
affordable housing and promoting neighborhood revitalization.
In addition, she was recently elected vice chair of the
Downtown Development Authority.
The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) named Dr. Robert J.
Samuels, a professor in the School of Chemical Engineering,
the 1999 SPE Research Award winner. The award, sponsored by
the Bayer Corporation and the Southern California Section, is
one of eight international awards presented annually by the
society.
Dr. Michael F. Schatz, an assistant professor in the School of
Physics, received a 1999 Cottrell Young Faculty Award from
the Research Corporation. Cottrell Scholars Awards are for
beginning faculty members who wish to excel at both research
and research-enhanced teaching. The awards are for $50,000 and
may be used largely at the scholar's discretion.
Dr. Charles Ume, an assistant professor in the School of
Mechanical Engineering, received the 1999 E. G. Bailey Award
from the Instrument Society of America. The award recognizes
Ume's research project titled "The Design and Development of a
Novel Automated On-Line Flatness Measurement and Analysis
Instrument."
The National Science Foundation awarded Dr. Z. John Zhang,
assistant professor in the School of Chemistry & Biochemistry,
a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award for his
teaching activities and research work in the study of magnetic
nanoparticles. Also, Zhang was named a Beckman Young
Investigator by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation of
Irvine, Calif. The Beckman Foundation makes grants to
non-profit research institutions to promote research in chemistry
and the life sciences.
Awards and Honors:
Also see Research Links news briefs.
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