Appendix B

Survey Findings: Ocean Acoustics Education & Expertise

INTRODUCTION

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) contracted Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) to support its efforts to assess the state of ocean acoustics education in the United States. To that end, SPR collaborated with the National Academies to design and administer a comprehensive survey to collect information that the National Academies would then use to inform its larger study efforts. Ultimately, SPR administered the survey to 200 individuals representing institutions and organizations from fields in acoustics, ocean acoustics, and acoustics supporting disciplines. The survey’s purpose was to gather data to support the National Academies’ investigation into their study goals including

• the current state of acoustics education in the United States;
• the demand for acoustics expertise anticipated over the next decade;
• the competencies required for undergraduate, graduate, and professional training programs to fulfill the demand for ocean acoustics over the next decade; and
• the current strategies employed by the field of ocean acoustics to raise the profile of careers in ocean acoustics, including education, training, and workforce recruitment and retention.

This final report provides a high-level summary of survey responses and is being used by the National Academies to produce a more comprehensive report on the state of ocean acoustics in the country. This report starts by providing an overview of the methodology and limitations of the survey. It is then divided into five sections based on respondent type: academic, industry (for-profit, non-profit, and other organizations), federal (government, military, and defense), professional society, and all respondents (questions that were asked to multiple respondent types). Each section then has five subsections that summarize

• the respondent type’s background,
• observations of the current state and presence of acoustics education,
• reflections on mentorship opportunities and key competencies,
• thoughts on recruitment strategies, and
• perceptions of the future of the field.

These summaries are then followed by tables that provide information in more detail.

METHODOLOGY

Survey Design

SPR collaborated with the National Academies and the Committee on Ocean Acoustics Education and Expertise (the Committee), a group of expert faculty and professionals positioned to support the assessment of the ocean acoustics field, to develop a survey instrument designed to collect data connected to the study goals listed above. To start, SPR completed a document review of existing literature focused on the ocean acoustics education and workforce, which included the review of reports provided by the National Academies and the Committee. This document review helped to identify potential survey questions to include in the survey instrument. Upon completing a draft of the survey instrument, SPR met twice virtually with the National Academies and select members of the Committee to develop and revise the survey instrument. SPR also piloted an early version of the survey to members of the Committee as an additional opportunity to collect feedback around the usability and framing of the survey. Additional written feedback from both groups was provided and incorporated into the final version of the survey instrument. Per the Committee’s request, the final survey instrument consisted of three versions for respondents representing academic institutions, industry organizations, and professional societies.

Survey Administration

On May 8, 2023, the survey was electronically administered via a unique link to a list of professionals who work for an institution or organization in the field of acoustics, ocean acoustics, or an acoustics supporting discipline. This contact list was provided to SPR by the National Academies and the Committee. On a weekly basis throughout the 6-week administration window, SPR shared the survey via a unique link with additional survey respondents that were identified by the National Academies and the Committee. Additionally, potential respondents were recruited through a snowball sample, meaning that survey respondents recommended additional individuals from the field to receive the survey. These names received a unique link and were cross-referenced with the original contact list. New names were then shared with the National Academies and the Committee for approval, after which they received their unique survey link. Finally, the Committee also promoted the survey during academic and professional conferences using a general link that took place between May and June 2023. The survey closed on June 16, 2023, and reached 200 individuals of which 39% completed the survey, 22.5% partially completed the survey, and 38.5% did not start the survey. These response rates reflect survey completion at the time of closure and vary slightly from the final numbers (n = 110) after the survey was cleaned and analyzed to exclude those who did not complete questions identifying their institution’s/organization’s sector.

Survey Analysis

The survey cleaning and analysis process lasted approximately 6 weeks. During this time, SPR, the National Academies, and the Committee continued to meet to make decisions about the presentation of the data in the final report. For instance, in accordance with SPR’s data-sharing policy, no tables were generated when the sample size fell below three respondents. This decision is part of a commitment to protect confidentiality. Additionally, it was decided that respondents that did not complete the survey past identifying their institution’s/organization’s sector would be dropped from the survey. This prevents survey results from being skewed by unresponsiveness. As part of the cleaning process, SPR also identified incidents of duplication caused by survey takers attempting the survey via their unique link and the general link. The most complete response by a unique individual was kept except in one instance where a respondent completed two different survey types (an academic and industry), in two separate survey sessions. In this instance, both responses were kept.

Ultimately, the cleaning process concluded with 110 unique respondents that included a combination of participants that completed the survey (71.8%) and partially completed the survey (28.2%). While quantitative data were summarized in descriptive tables as part of the analysis phase, SPR analyzed open-ended responses to identify high-level themes and shared the raw form of the data as well. Last, the Committee requested that

SPR remove less informative “none” or “I don’t know” responses from the open-ended and other write in responses. While the responses themselves were removed from this report, the response is still counted toward the exhibit’s n-value, and responses can be viewed in the de-identified raw data shared with the National Academies at the time of this report.

Limitations

There are a few limitations to acknowledge that may inform clearer understanding of the survey results within the report. For one, given the need to understand the state of ocean acoustics education and workforce, the National Academies and the Committee requested that respondents be asked to report data on student enrollment and demographics of faculty, industry personnel, and/or professional society members. Even though respondents were instructed to seek these data prior to starting the survey, they may not have had access to it, may not have been permitted to share it, or may have experienced survey fatigue searching for the information and completing the survey. As shown below, very few respondents reported this information, so we advise that publicly available data sources be used to obtain this information. Additionally, respondents were asked to complete the survey on behalf of their institution/organization. Concerned about a low response rate, the Committee advised SPR to add a question at the top of each survey section allowing respondents to select whether they would answer questions on behalf of themselves or their institution/organization. This is reported in each section below. Last, because the report shares qualitative data in their raw form as “exhibits,” it has not been corrected for grammar or sentence structure.

ACADEMIC RESPONDENTS

This section of the report summarizes the survey responses for 59 academic respondents. Of the total academic respondents, 64.4% (n = 38) completed the survey with the remaining having partially completed the survey. Additionally, though respondents were asked to respond to the survey on behalf of their institution, 66.1% (n = 39) indicated they would complete the survey as an individual based on their own experiences in their field.

This section is divided into five subsections: Background; State of Acoustics Education; Mentorships, Internships, Apprenticeships, & Competencies; Recruitment Strategies; and Future of Acoustics. Each subsection starts with summary bullet points followed by descriptive statistics for each survey question.

BACKGROUND: ACADEMIC RESPONDENTS

This section summarizes background information for academic respondents and their institutions including their institution’s name, sector, region, and size as well as the length of time respondents have been at their institution and their role.

• Of the 59 academic respondents and 33 different academic institutions, most respondents (66.1%) are from public academic institutions. (Tables 1 and 2)
• Nearly three-quarter of respondents (n = 43) described their institution as a 4-year college/university and/or graduate school. (Table 3)
• Of the 30 respondents whose institutions offer multiple program types, most (n = 21) spend the majority of their time in the graduate school. (Table 4)
• Respondents represented a vast array of units (e.g., departments). While over 30 unit types were reported, applied research labs, biology, electrical and computer engineering, electrical engineering, and graduate-level acoustics were the units most frequently identified. (Table 5)
• Nearly half of respondents (47.5%) are professors or instructors at their institutions. A little over one-quarter of respondents (27.1%) are researchers. (Table 6)
• More than half of the respondents (55.9%) have been in their role for over 9 years. (Table 7)
• Most of the respondents (n = 44) are from institutions with over 15,000 students enrolled. (Table 8)

Institution/Organization Name

TABLE 1 Academic Respondents (n = 59)

NOTES: This is a fill-in question. Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Which of the following best describes your institution’s/organization’s sector?

TABLE 2 Academic Respondents (n = 59)

NOTE: Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Which of the following best describes your institution/organization?

TABLE 3 Academic Respondents (n = 58)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. Respondents had to select Academic institution (private), Academic institution (public), or Other (academic) in order to respond to this question.

Where do you spend the majority of your time?

TABLE 4 Academic Respondents (n = 30)

NOTES: Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding. Respondents had to select more than one option among graduate school, four-year college or university, community college, and career or trade school describing their institution/organization in order to respond to this question.

Which unit (e.g., department, technical committee, etc.) do you represent?

TABLE 5 Academic Respondents (n = 55)

NOTES: This is a fill-in question. Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Which of the following best describes your role?

TABLE 6 Academic Respondents (n = 59)

NOTE: Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

^a “Other” write in responses included: Assistant Professor; Director; Executive Director; Postdoc; Professor/Program Director; Technical Lab Director; Vice Provost.

How long have you been in this role?

TABLE 7 Academic Respondents (n = 59)

NOTE: Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Approximately how large is your institution?

TABLE 8 Academic Respondents (n = 58)

NOTE: Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

In which region is your institution/organization based?

TABLE 9 Academic Respondents (n = 59)

NOTE: Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

^a Respondents that indicated their organization/institution was internationally based noted that they were based out of Canada and Taiwan.

STATE OF ACOUSTICS EDUCATION: ACADEMIC RESPONDENTS

What is the current state and presence of education (e.g., degree programs, short courses, training programs, etc.) for acoustics and supporting disciplines that eventually lead into ocean acoustics in the United States?

This section of the survey asked academic respondents about the state of acoustics education. Below we share the key takeaways that help describe the current state and presence of acoustics education and supporting disciplines including findings on the programs offered; enrollment; the faculty with acoustics expertise; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and recruitment and retention.

Programs Offered

• Although few of the 47 respondents indicated their institution offers a formal acoustics program (n = 17), most offer courses in acoustics (n = 37), courses with ocean acoustics content (n = 32), and/or a formal program in a supporting discipline that informs acoustics (n = 31). (Table 10)
  • Of the 32 respondents that indicated their institution offers courses with content on ocean acoustics, most also shared that their institution offers courses in supporting disciplines where ocean acoustics is a section or module of focus within the course (n = 23) and/or the institution offers at least one specialized course on ocean acoustics (n = 22). (Table 13)
• Of the 30 respondents that indicated their institution offers a formal program or courses in acoustics and had information on the acoustics courses, most shared that their institutions offered courses in fundamentals of acoustics (n = 26), signal processing (n = 24), and underwater acoustics (n = 22). (Table 11)
  • However, respondents also shared that their institutions do not offer (but wish they did offer) courses such as animal bioacoustics (n = 10), acoustic laboratory methods (n = 8), and SONAR Systems Engineering (n = 8). (Table 11)
• Of the 24 respondents that shared that their institution offers courses in supporting disciplines of which ocean acoustics is a section or module of focus within the course or is featured in limited coursework (e.g., seminar or academic ocean acoustics article), 11 felt that their courses fell in the oceanography discipline, 8 in mechanical engineering, and 8 in biology or marine biology. (Table 14)

Enrollment

• Although most respondents did not confirm they had access to enrollment information, of the 7 that did, answers ranged from 10 to 150 students enrolled in acoustics courses.
  • The median number of students enrolled in acoustics courses was 55.
• Too few (n = 2) respondents were able to answer several detailed enrollment questions related to ocean acoustics. These included questions pertaining to the number of students enrolled in a certificate or degree program in ocean acoustics or ocean acoustics courses, the number of students participating in professional development opportunities in ocean acoustics at their institution, and the top countries represented among their international student body in ocean acoustics.
  • Similarly, an insufficient number of respondents (n = 2) could share information for the number of students enrolled in acoustics supporting disciplines.
  • There were too few responses (n = 2) to share enrollment information on the racial/ethnic background of students enrolled in acoustics. Only six respondents shared the gender breakdown of their students. Although male students were not always the majority enrolled in acoustics at responding institutions, on average, more male students (60.7%) were enrolled compared to female students (35.2%). (Table 15)

Professionals with Acoustics Expertise

• Only 16 respondents confirmed they had access to information on the number of professionals with acoustics expertise at their institution and that their institution had at least one acoustics expert. These respondents’ reflections are given below.
  • Nine claimed they had fewer than 10 professionals recognized as having acoustics expertise and 7 reported having more than 11 professionals. (Table 16)
  • Nine indicated that between 1 and 5 professionals with acoustics expertise specialized in ocean acoustics. (Table 18)
  • The responses suggest that most of the professionals identified as having acoustics experience are U.S. citizens. In fact, more than half of the 16 respondents (56.2%) reported that none of the acoustics professionals at their institutions were international, non-U.S. citizens. (Table 17)
• Only 9 respondents confirmed they had information on the gender breakdown of their professionals with acoustics expertise. On average, there was a higher proportion of males (83.6%) at institutions with acoustics expertise than females (28.9%). (Table 19)
• Seven respondents confirmed they had information on the racial/ethnic breakdown of professionals with acoustics expertise at their institution. On average, there was a higher proportion of White professionals (92.9%) with acoustics expertise at institutions. (Table 20)
• Of the 16 respondents that indicated their institution had at least one acoustics expert, 5 indicated that the number of professionals with acoustics expertise at their institution has remained the same over the last 5 years and another 5 indicated there has been a significant decrease. Four felt there has been a slight increase. (Table 21)
  • When asked about the extent to which the changes in the number of professionals were unique to acoustics or part of a series of more profound changes in other disciplines, several respondents shared open-ended responses with themes such as retirement of staff that were not replaced and increasing hiring efforts to support expanding programs (e.g., acoustics, diagnostic medical sonography). Some responses further showed the range of experiences (i.e., a slight increase compared to a significant decrease in the number of professionals) including an increase in student interest in acoustics, faculty leaving (not retiring), and difficulty recruiting competitive candidates. The loss of staff included faculty in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace, Applied Research Lab, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Acoustics. A couple of respondents stated that the changes were unique to acoustics. (Exhibit 1)

DEI, Recruitment, and Retention

• Forty-six respondents chose to respond to DEI, recruitment, and retention statements for faculty and students and some felt they were unable to respond (between n = 4 and n = 14). This was more so the case for statements referring to acoustics supporting disciplines than acoustics. (Table 22)
• Respondents had the most agreement with the statement “Students in acoustics supporting disciplines represent a broad range of regions from the United States” and “My institution is actively seeking to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the faculty and administration supporting the field of acoustics supporting disciplines.” Both statements had 20 respondents select “strongly agree” or “agree” to these statements. (Table 22)
• Respondents had the most disagreement with statements regarding faculty racial and gender diversity and in one occurrence the effectiveness of recruitment strategies to increase student diversity. The statements with the highest disagreement are below. (Table 22)
  • The statement “The current racial/ethnic composition of faculty in acoustics is diverse” had 32 respondents convey some degree of disagreement.
  • The statement “The current gender composition of faculty in acoustics is diverse” had 24 respondents convey some degree of disagreement.
  • The statement “My institution has effective recruitment strategies that increase student diversity in acoustics” had 22 respondents convey some degree of disagreement.
  • The statement “The current gender composition of faculty in acoustics supporting disciplines is diverse” had 21 respondents convey some degree of disagreement.

Which of the following statements apply to your institution?

TABLE 10 Academic Respondents (n = 47)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select all that apply.

Which of the following types of acoustics courses are taught by your institution and which of the following types of acoustics courses are not currently taught by your institution, but you wish they were offered to students?

Approximately how many total students are enrolled in all your formal programs related to acoustics at your institution?

TABLE 12 Academic Respondents (n = 7)

NOTES: Respondents had to select that their institution offers a formal program in acoustics. They also had to confirm that they had access to information on the number of students enrolled in acoustics at their institution. Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

In what ways is ocean acoustics content offered within your institution?

TABLE 13 Academic Respondents (n = 32)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. Respondents had to select that their institution offers courses that include content on ocean acoustics in order to respond to this question. They also had to confirm that they had access to information on acoustics courses their institution offers. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select all that apply.

^a Other responses include: acoustics seminars where ocean acoustics is one of the seminar topic areas; in addition to fisheries acoustics, we have a general acoustics course that will include ocean acoustics if the professor teaching it chooses to include it (having taught it before I know that this is popular); three acoustics microcredentials; research faculty (applied research lab) support graduate students in underwater and ocean acoustics research projects.

Under which of the following disciplines do those courses with material on ocean acoustics fall?

TABLE 14 Academic Respondents (n = 24)

How many professionals identified in the previous question as having acoustics expertise specialize in ocean acoustics?

TABLE 18 Academic Respondents (n = 16)

NOTES: Respondents had to indicate that their institution had more than one acoustics expert in order to respond to this question. Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Approximately what is the gender breakdown of professionals identified as having acoustics expertise?

Approximately what is the racial/ethnic breakdown of professionals identified as having acoustics expertise?

Based on your knowledge of your institution, over the past five years (2018–2023), have there been any changes in the number of professionals identified as having acoustics expertise within your institution?

TABLE 21 Academic Respondents (n = 16)

NOTES: Respondents had to indicate that their institution had more than one acoustics expert in order to respond to this question. Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Open-Ended: To what extent are any such changes unique to acoustics, or part of a series of more profound changes in other disciplines (e.g., decline in enrollment in all physical sciences)?”

EXHIBIT 1

Academic Respondents (n = 11)

Respondents were asked, “To what extent are any such changes unique to acoustics, or part of a series of more profound changes in other disciplines (e.g., decline in enrollment in all physical sciences)?” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• Just normal retirement and position not replaced . . . loss in faculty member was female working in Acoustics and no administrative commitment to rehire a specific person, gender or field of interest.
• More hires and expanding programs at NCPA.
• Several acoustics faculty retired but were not replaced.
• Targeted hires by the university to grow in the area of Acoustics.
• The diagnostic medical sonography program is growing at our institution. The increase in professionals here is a reflection of that.
• There have been many retirements of faculty with ocean acoustics expertise in our Electrical and Computer Engineering department that were not replaced. The department has declined from 24 faculty to 12 faculty over a 20 year, with a perhaps 10% decline in enrollments. Much of this can be traced to a decline in budget support from the state for the public university system. More recently we have been unable to recruit competitive faculty candidates in this field when we have had authorization to search.
• There have been several retirements in acoustics. Replacement faculty/researchers are hard to find.
• There is an increase in student interest in acoustics
• These changes are largely unique to acoustics.
• Unique in acoustics due to retirements and lack of support for replacements.
• Hiring new faculty in Acoustics program, and Mechanical Engineering Department has been offset by ME Acoustics faculty leaving, Aerospace faculty retiring, and research faculty leaving Applied Research Lab.

Please rate the extent to which your institution would agree with the following statements regarding the field of acoustics and acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)

MENTORSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, APPRENTICESHIPS, & COMPETENCIES: ACADEMIC RESPONDENTS

What competencies are needed to fulfill the anticipated demand for ocean acoustics expertise over the next decade? How can the field of academia (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, training, etc.) help meet the industry’s needs?

This section of the survey asked academic respondents about the state of mentorships, internships, apprenticeships, and competencies. This included asking about the opportunities available for students interested in acoustics, the names of programs and organizations that offer supports to students, the critical skills and competencies students need to be successful, and more.

Opportunities Available

• Of the 40 respondents, most indicated that their institution offered at least one opportunity for students interested in acoustics to practice and grow their skills. The most common included research opportunities in a lab at the institution (n = 34), research opportunities in a federal/government lab (n = 26), fellowship (n = 17), and teaching assistant opportunities (n = 16). (Table 23)
• Fifty-three respondents wrote in names of the top five programs (e.g., internships, apprenticeships, fellowships, short courses) related to acoustics in which students from their institution participate. Respondents tended to list research assistantships/opportunities (n = 16), specific fellowships (n = 9), and applied research laboratory (n = 8). (Table 24)
• Forty-nine respondents wrote in the top five private companies, foundations, government entities, or other organizations that offer opportunities (including fellowship, internship opportunities, graduate research assistantship) for students in the field of acoustics. The most frequently referenced included the Office of Naval Research (ONR) (n = 11). This was followed by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (n = 7), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) (n = 4). (Table 25)

• Thirty-nine respondents rated the extent to which they agree to various statements regarding opportunities for students to participate in the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines. Respondents indicated agreement with the statements below. (Table 26)
  • Thirty-five respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that faculty do present with students at conferences in topics related to acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines.
  • Thirty-five respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that faculty help students access professional networks.
  • Thirty-three respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that faculty meet with students to discuss their research interests related to acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines.
  • Thirty-two respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that students are easily able to participate in research opportunities related to acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines.
• Contrarily, 22 of 39 respondents either disagreed or strongly disagreed that students are easily able to participate in teaching assistant opportunities in acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines, and 19 either disagreed or strongly disagreed that there are sufficient internship, assistantship, and fellowship opportunities available for students interested in acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines. (Table 26)

Pursuit of Degrees and Careers

• Only 6 respondents confirmed that they had access to information on post-graduation data on student graduates from their institution in order to respond to this question. These respondents’ reflections are given below.
  • Three respondents indicated that 1–10% of their institution’s graduates go on to pursue advanced degrees within the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines. (Table 27)
  • Three respondents indicated that 91–100% of graduates are hired within the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines. (Table 28)
  • Most respondents selected “Defense/Military” (n = 5) and “Industry/Business Organization (for-profit)” (n = 5) as the career sector that most graduates enter after completing their program. (Table 29)

Critical Skills Needed and Developed

• Of the 40 that responded, the majority of respondents (97.5%) indicated that data analysis (time series analysis, machine learning, etc.) is a skill that is needed to be successful in acoustics and ocean acoustics. Additionally, 92.5% of respondents identified it as a skill that their institution helps develop in students. (Table 30)
  • Other notable competencies included fundamentals of acoustics (physics behind acoustics), which 87.5% of respondents identified as a needed skill, and 70.0% identified as skill that institutions develop; digital signal processing, which 82.5% respondents identified as a needed skill and 72.5% identified as a skill that institutions develop; and acoustic propagation/soundscape modeling, which 80.0% respondents identified as a needed skill and 45% identified as a skill that institutions develop.

Supports Needed

• Thirty-two respondents provided open-ended reflections when asked to identify the resources needed to better prepare students interested in pursuing acoustics and/or ocean acoustics.
  • Most respondents indicated some form of educational support, including summer school, workshops, courses, and research assistantships. Some of these responses specified the need for support from government entities in developing these educational opportunities. Other identified needed supports include greater funding, additional faculty, support to attract more students, and more equipment or upgraded facilities. (Exhibit 2)

Based on your knowledge, which of the following opportunities are available for students from your institution interested in acoustics to practice/grow their skills? Please answer this question based on the program (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) where you spend the most time.

TABLE 23 Academic Respondents (n = 40)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. They could also write in responses. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select all that apply.

^a Other responses include: introductory course; research my lab.

What are the names of the top five programs (internships, apprenticeships, fellowships, short courses, etc.) related to acoustics in which students from your institution participate? Please answer this question based on the program (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) where you spend the most time.

TABLE 24 Academic Respondents (n = 53)

Please rate the extent to which your institution would agree with the following statements related to opportunities for students with a focus/interest in acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics). If you are unable to answer on behalf of your institution/organization, please respond based on your own experience the field of acoustics and acoustics supporting disciplines.

Approximately what percentage of your graduates go on to pursue advanced degrees within the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics) each year? Please answer this question based on the program (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) where you spend the most time.

TABLE 27 Academic Respondents (n = 6)

NOTES: Respondents had to confirm that they had access to information on post-graduation data on student graduates from their institution in order to respond to this question. Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Approximately what percentage of your graduates are hired within the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting discipline (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics) each year? Please answer this question based on the program (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) where you spend the most time.

TABLE 28 Academic Respondents (n = 6)

NOTES: Respondents had to confirm that they had access to information on post-graduation data on student graduates from their institution in order to respond to this question. Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

What sector(s) in the field of acoustics are graduates from your institution most likely to enter after completing your program? Please answer this question based on the program (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) where you spend the most time.

TABLE 29 Academic Respondents (n = 6)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. They could also write in responses. Respondents had to confirm that they had access to information on post-graduation data on student graduates from their institution in order to respond to this question. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select all that apply.

^a Other responses include: consulting firms.

OPEN ENDED: What resources does your academic institution need to better prepare students interested in pursuing acoustics and/or ocean acoustics? (i.e., support from government entities or foundations, access to equipment or materials, additional testing facilities, etc.)

EXHIBIT 2

Academic Respondents (n = 32)

Respondents were asked, “What resources does your academic institution need to better prepare students interested in pursuing acoustics and/or ocean acoustics? (i.e., support from government entities or foundations, access to equipment or materials, additional testing facilities, etc.).” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• (1) - Support from government entities or foundations for professors and researchers to develop summer schools and workshops to provide hands-on experience to students from upper-level undergraduate through graduate student. (2) - Support from government or entities for students to attend workshops, summer schools, etc. that would provide hands-on experiences that we do not have the faculty manpower to do at our institution. These experiences would supplement our coursework and their mentored research experiences and help students envision a career in ocean acoustics. (3) - Content (ads, flyers, brochures) for spreading information about careers in ocean acoustics that could be shared on our webpages and disseminated on campus.
• Acoustic propagation modeling, transducer design.
• Acoustics-specific courses, access to equipment.
• Additional faculty to supervise more internships and additional funding. Our existing 3 faculty in ocean acoustics (of 11 in the department) all hire 2–3 interns plus grad students, but there are more students interested than we can supervise.
• All of the above.
• More courses and opportunities.
• More faculty.
• More faculty teaching acoustics.
• More funded research and fellowship opportunities.
• More graduate research assistantships.
• More research funding opportunities for faculty.
• Offer more signal processing instruction that is applied to ocean acoustics and sonar applications. Signal processing is relegated to a few weeks in an underwater acoustics course. Otherwise, you have to take signal processing from the EE department and it is mostly theoretical. Acoustics students generally do not have the background to do well in that course.
• Our institution has a strong independent acoustics research program yet almost no formal education. In my view it needs the support (and encouragement) to develop this. I believe this requires sponsor intervention if it will occur (basically a demand that we should do so).
• Research grants. Ship time for acoustics experiments.
• Steady support from government entities for our distance learning degree programs in underwater acoustics.
• Support from government entities and foundations.
• The University has a very strong program in audiology; however, just a few researchers are involved in underwater acoustics. I have answered these questions related to underwater acoustics specifically.
• The only resource for students to pursue a career in acoustics is in my lab; however, I am not a trained bioacoustician, although I used acoustics as a tool to research marine mammals.
• U.S. students have many opportunities after graduating with an advanced degree in acoustics or ocean acoustics. International students have almost no opportunities in the U.S. This is problematic because most graduate students are international not U.S.
• Upgraded facilities.
• We would gladly accept sonar kits and industry professionals anytime for teaching/training.
• We would need a formal class in Underwater acoustics. But we don’t have enough students enrolled to offer it. It would be great if we could team up with other Institutions to offer an Underwater Acoustics class online.
• Dedicated workshops for graduate students.

• Graduate student fellowships, summer internships at government facilities.
• Support for equipment/field collection of data; currently, I piggy-back all my course data collection with material/equipment from other projects, so students are limited in hands-on data acquisition; majority of students do not have coding skills necessary to analyze datasets automatically so most projects involve manual review/marking of data which is not particularly efficient.

What are the most important critical skills and competencies that students from your institution need to be successful in their role related to acoustics and/or ocean acoustics? (Select all that apply.)

and

What are the top skills or competences related to acoustics and/or ocean acoustics that your institution helps students develop through its curriculum or other opportunities?

RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES: ACADEMIC RESPONDENTS

What recruitment and retention strategies, if any, are currently being implemented by the field of ocean acoustics and related fields to raise the profile of careers related to ocean acoustics?

This following section asked academic respondents questions about recruitment and retention strategies, including methods for recruiting potential students in the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines, challenges their institution faces when attempting to recruit potential students, and partnerships their institution plans to pursue to support student enrollment and faculty/staff hiring.

Methods to Recruit Students & Ensure a Diverse Student Body

• Respondents (55.3%) indicated that they offer partial to full financial aid support to cover expenses as a method to recruit potential students in the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines. This is closely followed by conducting outreach events on and off campus (47.4%) and creating social media content (36.8%). (Table 31)
• Through open-ended responses, 23 respondents also shared methods for ensuring a diverse student body. The notable methods included:
  • the use of department resources such as an applicant evaluation rubric and hosting events such as summer camps for underrepresented groups;
  • reaching out to underrepresented groups directly such as women’s associations, ASA SURIEA to outreach with native populations, and regional gateway cities that have a diverse population;
  • utilizing existing programs including Postdoctoral Innovation Scholars Program and undergraduate fellowships; and
  • showcasing students of various ages and genders that have secured internships or employment. (Exhibit 3)
• Among the 38 respondents, 14 noted that they use NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates, and/or NSF Graduate Fellowship to recruit students in acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines. This is followed by ASA SURIEA program (n = 10). (Table 32)

Challenges in Recruiting

• Of the 38 respondents, the top reported challenges related to recruitment of potential students to acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines included difficulty recruiting students from out of state (28.9%), lack of flexibility in course offering (26.3%), and lack of financial aid (23.7%). (Table 33)

Partnerships

• Fourteen respondents answered an open-ended question about partnerships their institution plans to pursue in the coming year to support student enrollment or faculty/staff hiring efforts in ocean acoustics, acoustics, or supporting disciplines. The list included connections with Naval Warfare Centers and UARCs, NIOAA, unspecified industry internships, VIEW (Vanguarding Inclusive Ecological Workforce) internships, the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (NSF program), and a link to the University of Vermont’s Enrollment Management Inclusive Excellence Action Plan. (Exhibit 4)

Based on your knowledge, what methods does your institution use to recruit potential students in the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting discipline (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)? Please answer this question based on the program (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) where you spend the most time.

TABLE 31 Academic Respondents (n = 38)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. They could also write in responses. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select all that apply.

^a Other responses include: advertising fellowship and recruiting on campus for summer undergraduate programs and utilizing alumni networks.

OPEN-ENDED: What methods, if any, does your institution use to ensure a diverse student body (e.g., age, race, gender, etc.) within the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)?

EXHIBIT 3

Academic Respondents (n = 23)

Respondents were asked, “What methods, if any, does your institution use to ensure a diverse student body (e.g., age, race, gender, etc.) within the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)?” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• Active recruiting of diverse students.
• College of Engineering recruits strongly in regional gateway cities of New Bedford, Fall River, and Brockton, all of which have diverse populations. Also CoE hosts summer camps for underrepresented groups in computer science and STEM.
• Connections with ASA SURIEA and outreach with native populations through other research.
• Departments on campus use applicant evaluation rubrics.
• I see no evidence that my institution makes an effort outside of medical acoustics (and perhaps social, musical, psychological, which I’m not familiar with because it is a large place) to recruit students at all. In fact, most students that we “recruit” reach out to us to express interest.
• I’m (I think) the only underwater acoustics person at my university (until our new Engineering Dean arrives at least) so the only efforts undertaken are by myself in terms of student recruitment at the grad level.

• Institution promotes diversity but not in any particular discipline. Institution does not appreciate Acoustics as a particular discipline, field, or need, rather just as a preference among some faculty.
• No effort is made to support acoustics specifically. The university has many resources to support diversity in supporting fields.
• None. Students self-select if they want to study acoustics.
• Postdoctoral Innovation Scholars Program: aims to increase racial diversity of faculty at the university, sometimes includes but not limited to acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines.
• Reach out to women’s associations and other underrepresented groups.
• We actively recruit all students interested in acoustics.
• We are currently looking for more opportunities in this area.
• We showcase real students and their direct experiences in securing internships and employment. We have both gender and age diversity within these products.
• Holistic admissions, reduced reliance on standardized tests (SATs, GREs).
• Undergraduate fellowships.

Based on your knowledge, which of the following does your institution use to recruit students in acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)? Please answer this question based on the program (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) where you spend the most time.

TABLE 32 Academic Respondents (n = 38)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. They could also write in responses. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select all that apply.

^a Other responses include: DoD SMART scholarships; ONR Graduate Fellowships; SACNAS; Undergrad program and research to recruit into grad program; We require all of our students to do research.

Based on your knowledge, what are the top 3 challenges your institution faces when attempting to recruit potential students to acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)?

TABLE 33 Academic Respondents (n = 38)

NOTES: Respondents could select a maximum of three responses. They could also write in responses. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select a maximum of three responses.

^a Other responses include: admission to NPS is essentially limited to DoD-affiliated students; because we work in national security, we often cannot describe our most interesting work to students; difficulty; lack of student high school preparation; housing affordability; lack of “visibility” of acoustics as a viable field; lack of breadth of program; limited acoustics curriculum; majors are perceived as very difficult; no clear line between most staff that do acoustics research and the academic departments that recruit students, no real curriculum; our institution should probably have a more unified approach to ocean acoustics, instead of the somewhat scattershot approach that we have now; students typically don’t know about acoustics and are not interested in applying; the opportunity is widely misunderstood; there are several 100 jobs related to hydrography at any one time, [and] potential students are not aware, parents are not aware; very few applicants requesting to work in this area, [and] if any, they are international students that will likely have a hard time finding employment in the U.S. after graduating; weak STEM classes in local public high schools; decreasing student pool.

OPEN-ENDED: Please describe any partnerships your institution plans to pursue in the coming year to support student enrollment and faculty/staff hiring efforts in ocean acoustics, acoustics, or supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics).

EXHIBIT 4

Academic Respondents (n = 14)

Respondents were asked, “Please describe any partnerships your institution plans to pursue in the coming year to support student enrollment and faculty/staff hiring efforts in ocean acoustics, acoustics, or supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics).” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• I am not aware of any planned partnerships.
• Increased connections with Naval Warfare Centers and UARCs.
• NIOAA and industry internships.
• Nothing targeted.
• VIEW (Vanguarding Inclusive Ecological Workforce) internships match undergrads and researchers, the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (NSF program).
• We continually seek new recruiting methods. Dual enrolled/early college, microcredential utilization, industry partnerships.
• We work with the faculty at UT Austin.
• https://www.uvm.edu/dem/enrollment-management-inclusive-excellence-action-plan#:~:text=Pillar%201%3A%20Academics%201%20Improve%20retention%20rates%20and,in%20growing%20transfer%20enrollment%20and%20timely%20graduation.%20
• Internal postdoc funding.

FUTURE OF ACOUSTICS: ACADEMIC RESPONDENTS

What is the anticipated demand for ocean acoustics expertise and supporting discipline expertise (e.g., signal processing, sound propagation modeling, marine technology) over the next decade?

This section summarizes academic respondents’ perception of the future needs of ocean acoustics, including potential ways to address shortfalls and increase funding for this field of study.

• Among the 38 respondents that selected future needs within ocean acoustics [that] their institution intends to focus on, most selected marine animal bioacoustics (42.1%), followed by other areas (31.6%) (see the table’s footnote for additional information on these varied areas), and boundary interactions (26.3%). (Table 34)
  • Notably some (23.7%) respondents felt they were unable to answer this question on behalf of their institution.
• Over 50% of respondents disagreed that the U.S. supply of ocean acousticians will satisfy the demand in the next decade and that the U.S. is on track to satisfy its future requirements for ocean acousticians. In fact, less than 4% of respondents agreed with these statements. (Table 35)
• Notably, only 38 respondents provided an answer to the question.
• Respondents shared a number of growing needs in the field that are not currently being met, including the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence within acoustics; multiple job openings from unfilled positions or inability to replace retiring professionals; lack of funding to support graduate students; and insufficient visibility of ocean acoustics among the general public and as a career path for students, among other needs described in subsequent bullets. (Exhibit 5)
• Respondents shared various possible ideas to meet the needs of acoustics/ocean acoustics education fields, including strengthening student recruitment efforts; funding and supporting graduate students through research assistantships or fellowships; increasing the number of formal education programs in acoustics/ocean acoustics; building pipelines that support students from undergraduate studies through on-the-job training, among others. (Exhibit 6)
• Respondents suggested the following ideas to attract more funding in the field: engaging congressional staff and policymakers on the importance of acoustics/ocean acoustics for climate change; emphasize the vulnerability of the U.S. national security by not meeting the demands of the field; increase public awareness of ocean acoustics as a field so that the general public can support funding increase requests. (Exhibit 7)

Based on your knowledge, which of the following identified future needs within ocean acoustics does your institution intend to focus on?

TABLE 34 Academic Respondents (n = 38)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. They could also write in responses. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select all that apply.

^a Other responses include: computational acoustics; national defense applications, i.e., sonar, passive surveillance; propagation phenomena; signal processing for DCLT; sonar signal processing; transducer design; machine learning for sound propagation modeling; seabed acoustics and machine learning for seabed characterization; sensor integration and data processing; and wind energy impacts (noise, construction, etc.).

OPEN-ENDED: What is a growing need in the field of acoustics and/or ocean acoustics that is currently not being met?

EXHIBIT 5

Academic Respondents (n = 27)

Respondents were asked, “What is a growing need in the field of acoustics and/or ocean acoustics that is currently not being met?” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• AI/ML applications within acoustics, Numerical acoustician, Field Experimentalist.
• Acoustics and artificial intelligence/machine learning.
• Application of AI to acoustics. Accessibility to large datasets.
• Array signal processing. Sonar systems engineering. Transducer Design.
• Broadly speaking, the number of unfilled employment positions within industry and research laboratories is large and growing. There is a clear need to have students trained in this field. I think the breadth of the open positions does not require students to be trained with some narrowly defined skill set. Instead, there is a broad need across all the subdisciplines of ocean acoustics.
• Capability to carry out research in ocean acoustics in other than shallow coastal waters.
• Funding to support grad students and visibility of ocean acoustics as a career path.
• General public knowledge of the field.
• Greater diversity of funding sources.
• How to develop robust machine learning and AI applications that can function well in the complex and dynamic ocean environment.
• Hydrographic survey work represents 100s of available jobs at any one time. Geophysical, hydrographic, positioning, infrastructure markets have been, are, and will continue to accelerate.
• I think there is a broader need for those with strong training in acoustics but the support is insufficient and individuals across a broad range of disciplines are asked to fill the role without enough background. I’m not sure the need is growing, but it certainly isn’t being met.
• Lack of funding?
• Majority of jobs are in private sector or government agencies (NOAA, BOEM, etc.). Few faculty opportunities outside a few institutions with historically large acoustics groups.
• National defense active and passive sonar.
• Replacement of retiring professionals in Navy labs and defense firms.
• Technician training for support of acoustics projects. Focus on students not wanting to earn a bachelor’s degree.
• The U.S. Navy need is clearly not being met. Also, the ability to use acoustics as an oceanographic tool on all scales is falling short.
• Too few students and faculty compared to foreign competitors.
• Tracking environmental change/variability through acoustic means.
• U.S. citizens with experience/training in ocean acoustics and signal processing expertise.
• Understanding the impact of sound on ocean health. How does shipping, oil exploration, and other human activities impact marine life? Much of the ocean is unexplored; how can acoustic remote sensing techniques be used with autonomous vehicles to improve this?
• Very small percentage gets fundamental acoustics education.
• We don’t have enough graduating Ph.D. students to fulfill all the job demands I received.
• Climate change impacts on ocean acoustics.
• Experimentation as a result of the shift in more computation/modeling.
• Maintaining a skilled research workforce in acoustics—particularly propagation and defense-related acoustic issues.

Based on your knowledge, to what extent would your institution agree with the following statements regarding the field of ocean acoustics? If you are unable to answer on behalf of your institution/organization, please respond based on your own perspective

OPEN-ENDED: How might any projected shortfalls in the ability of the U.S. to satisfy its future requirements for acoustics and/or ocean acousticians be resolved?

EXHIBIT 6

Academic Respondents (n = 28)

Respondents were asked, “How might any projected shortfalls in the ability of the U.S. to satisfy its future requirements for acoustics and/or ocean acousticians be resolved?” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• Better recruiting efforts as a community.
• Better understanding of what schools that focus on the applied use of acoustics in industry are doing. Listening to market needs and projecting skills gaps going forward. Equal emphasis on applied and theoretical pathways.
• For funding agencies to realize how quickly we are falling behind and strengthen efforts to support and recruit students (and faculty) in acoustics.
• Formal education programs are lacking. The lack of education stems from a lack of sponsor support focused on training students instead of established faculty and the broad reliance on soft money researchers to fill research role.
• Funding for ocean acoustics research outside of the Office of Naval Research.
• Greater support for basic research in acoustics.
• Include acoustics-based remote sensing methods in undergraduate ocean engineering classes. Initiate certification programs for ocean engineers who are required to satisfy federal regulations for ocean noise. Initiate acoustics short courses for policy makers on ocean noise and acoustic methods for climate change monitoring.
• Increase number of practitioners, especially young ones.
• Increased funding/support for graduate students in ocean acoustics; increased funding for ocean acoustics research (which then will increase number of grad students/postdocs).
• Increased graduate research assistantships.
• Increased research funding to make this discipline viable/competitive for young faculty looking to meet challenging tenure requirements. Also, more outreach to make high school students and undergrads aware of opportunities in this field.
• Increased support for and participation from community colleges—including partnerships with transfer institutions with acoustics programs.
• It’s a free market. . . . If Administration saw significant revenue opportunities or explosive student growth. Acoustics at institutions is most directly related to the individual actions of faculty interested in its disciplines. Since the dominant employers of engineering and physical science graduates are DoD and Defense Industry and universities claim to pay attention to Industrial Advisory Boards, I suppose that DoD could link research funding with requirements (or at least requests) to have institutions commit to more faculty and course offerings in Acoustics disciplines.

• More underwater acoustics research funding for fundamental research and education, particularly through NSF and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; more graduate programs in acoustics.
• National investment in students and faculty to participate in formal degree programs.
• Need a stronger advertising campaign.
• Provide ongoing consistent support for research at institutions with Acoustics programs to continue to build those up, and include an emphasis in ocean acoustics in the research areas advertised at funding agencies (ONR, NSF, NOAA, etc.).
• Recruitment of students for acoustics as a primary role and not as a supporting discipline to another field like engineering/physics.
• Students worry about future employment. They also consider the excitement that the field generates. They would like to be assured that there are multiple opportunities for employment either with the ONR/Navy or outside of it.
• Targeted fellowship programs and/or Scholarship for Service programs with DoD labs.
• The Government and Foundations should provide more funding for graduate studies in ocean acoustics.
• The pipeline to graduate work in ocean acoustics needs to be increased—A nationwide campaign to advertise career paths in ocean acoustics to students beginning in high school with a heavy emphasis towards sophomores and juniors.
• There needs to be a concerted effort to train more students at the graduate level and to provide “on-the-job” training (distance education and/or short courses) to help current professionals develop professionally.
• We need to either have more U.S. students going to graduate school (and have an interest in ocean acoustics), or we need more industry opportunities for ocean acousticians that do not require U.S. citizenship. We need more efforts to capture the popular interest in ocean sciences such that more students become interested in ocean acoustics.
• Climate change impacts on sound propagation and animal communication.
• Increase funding from Federal Agencies so faculty can hire more students.
• More faculty, more courses, and more students.
• Need both advertisement that acoustics has the potential for a lifelong career and a commitment to have the sustained funding to meet the advertisement.

OPEN-ENDED: Please provide any suggestions on how to attract more funding to the field of acoustics and/or ocean acoustics.

EXHIBIT 7

Academic Respondents (n = 22)

Respondents were asked, “Please provide any suggestions on how to attract more funding to the field of acoustics and/or ocean acoustics.” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• Emphasize threat to national security that falling behind poses.
• Encourage the NSF to fund acoustics-based ocean research and education projects. Educate policy makers on the critical role of acoustics for climate change monitoring, remote sensing of ocean biology, ocean noise mitigation, and marine biology protection.
• Engage with congressional staff.
• Ensure that the policy makers understand that ocean acoustics has unique national security ramifications.
• I know NUWC would offer more SMART scholarships if they were given the resources. DoD could set aside some minimum number of these fellowships for acoustics and ocean acoustics in future funding.
• I think the distribution of acoustics funding to limited numbers of preferred researchers (in the ocean acoustics world) is likely as important as the amount of funding. Simply put, you have to be in the club.
• Increase private and federal interest in the field of acoustics and ocean acoustics.
• Launch an ad campaign to help the public better understand the vital role the oceans play in our planet’s health, our national security, and individual livelihoods.

• Lobby congressional delegations to support ocean/Navy research efforts with targeted appropriations for workforce development.
• More early- and mid-career awards in Acoustics. More active participation at NSF. Building regional centers.
• More public announcements related to acoustics.
• Other government agencies need to recognize the potential of acoustics. ONR does a great job, but it would be great of NOAA, NSF, and NASA also were partners. Students see the singular agency as a limiting factor.
• The DoD should recognize how vulnerable the U.S. is becoming as we lose the edge in underwater acoustics.
• The amount of funding made available for acoustic impact studies in terms of wind energy development in the U.S. is laughable. It’s by far the best technology to study the impacts on fish populations (either via active or passive monitoring) and the only thing BOEM specifies for fish monitoring is trawl/traps.
• To secure more funding, the value of ocean acoustics needs to be more visible and elevated.
• Via strategic distribution across NSF, DoD and making it more accessible for institutions across the country outside CA and MA.
• We need more effort in getting the general public interested in ocean sciences. Funding often goes together with public interest (e.g., space programs).

INDUSTRY RESPONDENTS

This section of the report summarizes the survey responses for 19 industry respondents, defined as individuals who work for for-profit, non-profit, or other organizations. Of the total industry respondents, 89.5% completed the survey with the remaining having partially completed the survey. Additionally, though respondents were asked to respond to the survey on behalf of their institution, 63.2% indicated they would complete the survey as an individual based on their own experiences in their field.

This section is divided into five subsections: Background; State of Acoustics Education; Mentorships, Internships, Apprenticeships, & Competencies; Recruitment Strategies; and Future of Acoustics. Each subsection starts with summary bullet points followed by descriptive statistics for each survey question.

BACKGROUND: INDUSTRY RESPONDENTS

This section summarizes background information for 19 industry respondents and their institution/organization including their institution/organization name, sector, region, and respondent tenure.

• Of the 19 industry respondents, the majority (63.2%) are in the for-profit industry/business organization sector compared to 21.1% in the non-profit sector. (Table 37)
• Half of the respondents from industry/business organizations represented marine technology and research fields; 75% of respondents from the non-profit sector represented the research field. (Table 38)
• The majority of respondents hold senior staff (42.1%) or executive leadership (31.6%) roles. (Table 39)
• Respondents’ have been in their roles for a varying amount of time. The majority of respondents (63.2%) have been in their roles for over 4 years, but over one-quarter of respondents (26.3%) have been in their roles for less than 1 year. (Table 40)
• Nearly half of respondents’ organizations (47.4%) have between 10 and 249 employees. (Table 41)
• Over 30% of respondents’ organizations (31.6%) are based internationally. (Table 42)

Institution/Organization Name

TABLE 36 Industry Respondents (n = 19)

NOTES: This is a fill-in question. Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Which of the following best describes your institution’s/organization’s sector?

TABLE 37 Industry Respondents (n = 19)

NOTE: Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

^a Other responses include: arts/science collaboration; not-for-profit university-affiliated research center (UARC); and NAVY UARC at public university.

Which of the following best describes the discipline-related field(s) to which your organization is related?

Which of the following best describes your role within your organization?

TABLE 39 Industry Respondents (n = 19)

NOTE: Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

^a Other responses include: Technical Sales Manager.

How long have you been in this role?

TABLE 40 Industry Respondents (n = 19)

NOTE: Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Approximately how large is your organization?

TABLE 41 Industry Respondents (n = 19)

NOTE: Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

In which region is your institution/organization based?

TABLE 42 Industry Respondents (n = 19)

NOTE: Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

^a Respondents that indicated their organization/institution was internationally based noted that they were based out of Canada, United States, Germany, Norway, and one respondent noted that they are based out of the United States Canada, Australia, and Europe.

^b Respondents that indicated their organization/institution was nationally based, noted that their headquarters were located in Washington, DC; Dallas, TX; Rhode Island; and Virginia.

STATE OF ACOUSTICS EDUCATION: INDUSTRY RESPONDENTS

What is the current state and presence of education (e.g., degree programs, short courses, training programs, etc.) for acoustics and supporting disciplines that eventually lead into ocean acoustics in the United States?

This section of the survey asked industry respondents about the state of acoustics education. Below we share key takeaways that help describe the current state and presence of acoustics education and supporting disciplines including findings on the educational background of employees as well as DEI, recruitment, and retention.

Educational Background of Employees

• Seventeen (100%) industry professionals responded, having indicated that their organization had employees that formally studied a supporting discipline related to acoustics or ocean acoustics. (Table 43)
  • Most also indicated their organization had employees that were identified as having ocean acoustics expertise (82.4%) and/or acoustics expertise (82.4%) as well as those who formally studied acoustics (82.4%) and/or ocean acoustics (76.5%).
• Few respondents confirmed they had access to data on employees from their organization considered to be acousticians (n = 5) or ocean acousticians (n = 3). Of those that indicated they had such data (n = 5), 3 claimed that 1%–10% of the employees at their organization were considered acousticians—this was similar to those considered ocean acousticians (n = 2). (Tables 44 and 46)

• Only 5 respondents had access to data on employees from their organization considered to be acousticians, but they identified 11 different academic institutions from which most of their technical staff with acoustics expertise received their terminal degrees. The majority of the listed institutions were located on the West Coast or East Coast of the United States. (Table 45)

DEI, Recruitment, and Retention

• Only 5 respondents indicated having access to data on staff’s (whose job relates to acoustics) future plans. All 5 respondents claimed that 10% or less of their technical staff were expected to retire within the next 5 years, 2 of whom said they expected none of their staff to retire. (Table 47)
  • Results were similar when asked about staff’s future plans to pursue higher education, but 3 respondents expected none of their staff would leave within the next 5 years. (Table 48)
• Seventeen respondents chose to respond to DEI, recruitment, and retention statements about prospective employees. (Table 49)
• Respondents had the most agreement with the statement “My organization is actively seeking to recruit more prospective employees that are underrepresented in the field of acoustics.” and “Prospective employees (candidates that submit a resume or interview with your organization) in acoustics supporting disciplines represent a broad range of regions from the United States.” Both statements had 8 respondents select strongly agree or agree to these statements. (Table 49)
• Respondents had the most disagreement with the statements below. (Table 49)
  • The statement “The current racial/ethnic composition of prospective employees (candidates that submit a resume or interview with your organization) in acoustics is diverse” had 11 respondents convey some degree of disagreement.
  • The statement “The current racial/ethnic composition of prospective employees (candidates that submit a resume or interview with your organization) in acoustics supporting disciplines is diverse” had 9 respondents convey some degree of disagreement.

Which of the following statements apply to your organization?

TABLE 43 Industry Respondents (n = 17)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select all that apply.

Approximately what percentage of employees are considered acousticians?

TABLE 44 Industry Respondents (n = 5)

NOTES: Respondents had to indicate that their organization has employees that formally studied acoustics. They also had to confirm that they had access to information on considered acousticians at their organization. Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Identify the academic institutions from which the highest number of your technical staff with acoustics expertise received their terminal degrees (up to 5).

TABLE 45 Industry Respondents (n = 5)

NOTES: Respondents had to write in responses. Respondents had to indicate that their organization has employees that formally studied acoustics. They also had to confirm that they had access to information on considered acousticians at their organization.

Approximately what percentage of employees are considered ocean acousticians?

TABLE 46 Industry Respondents (n = 3)

NOTES: Respondents had to indicate that their organization has employees that formally studied ocean acoustics or have ocean acoustics expertise. They also had to confirm that they had access to information on those considered ocean acousticians at their organization. Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Approximately what percentage of your technical staff whose job relates to acoustics are expected to retire within the next five years?

TABLE 47 Industry Respondents (n = 5)

NOTES: Respondents had to confirm that they had access to information that can help identify an approximate percentage of staff whose job relates to acoustics that their organization expects to retire or pursue higher education in the next 5 years. Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Approximately what percentage of your technical staff whose job relates to acoustics are expected to pursue higher education over the next five years?

TABLE 48 Industry Respondents (n = 5)

NOTES: Respondents had to confirm that they had access to information that can help identify an approximate percentage of staff whose job relates to acoustics that their organization expects to retire or pursue higher education in the next 5 years. Percentages might not add to 100% due to rounding.

Please rate the extent to which your organization would agree with the following statements regarding the field of acoustics and acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)

MENTORSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, APPRENTICESHIPS, & COMPETENCIES: INDUSTRY RESPONDENTS

What competencies are needed to fulfill the anticipated demand for ocean acoustics expertise over the next decade? How can the field of academia (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, training, etc.) help meet the industry’s needs?

This section covers responses from industry respondents with regards to mentorships, internships, apprenticeships, and competencies needed to fulfill anticipated demand for ocean acoustics. The following includes opportunities that respondents’ organizations offer to employees for growing their skills, whether graduates have the knowledge, experience, and skills to perform their job successfully, and skills and competencies needed to be successful.

Opportunities Offered to Employees

• The most frequently selected opportunities that organizations offer to employees interested in practicing/growing their acoustics skills included conferences/workshops attendance (n = 15), followed by mentorship opportunity with a staff member from their organization (n = 11), and summer internship/apprenticeship/fellowship (n = 8). (Table 50)
• Twelve respondents listed in their open-ended responses a variety of content foci related to the growth opportunities their organization offers, including but not limited to marine biology, ocean science, renewable energy, leadership, sales training, innovation and development, mitigation/monitoring software basics and processing of large datasets for marine mammal occurrence, sonar signal processing, precision navigation and timing, deep learning, automation, machine learning, and acoustics propagation. (Exhibit 8)

Graduate Knowledge, Skills, and Experience to Perform Job Successfully

• Of the 17 respondents, many (n = 11) agreed that graduates with a degree in acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines arrive on the job with knowledge to perform their job successfully. Similarly, another 11 either agreed or strongly agreed that arriving graduates have sufficient research experience. Eight agreed that graduates arrive on the job with sufficient field skills. (Table 52)

Critical Skills and Competencies

• There were 17 respondents to questions regarding the skills needed by employees to be successful and skills that organizations need to develop in their employees to be successful. (Table 53)
  • Most respondents (88.2%) selected data analysis as a needed skill while 52.9% selected it as a skill their organization develops. This was followed by marine bioacoustics where 70.6% indicated it as a needed skill and 58.8% as one the organization develops and remote sensing with acoustic technology where 70.6% selected it as needed skills and 35.3% as skills the organization develops.

Which of the following opportunities does your organization offer to employees interested in practicing/growing their skills related to acoustics?

TABLE 50 Industry Respondents (n = 17)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. They could also write in responses. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select all that apply.

^a Other responses include: flexibility to clock-in for overhead to attend virtual seminars; support pursuit of graduate education/degrees at nearby universities.

OPEN-ENDED: Please describe the focus/topic of the selected opportunities that your organization offers.

EXHIBIT 8

Industry Respondents (n = 12)

Respondents were asked, “Please describe the focus/topic of the selected opportunities that your organization offers.” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• Acoustic sensing with fiber optic sensors.
• Acoustics and marine biology.
• Acoustics or ocean engineering but they won’t pay too much for registration or travel.
• Broadly based ocean science and technology tailored to each staff member’s interests and skills.
• Employees attend conferences and workshops in the fields of renewable energy, acoustics, ocean science, and data science. We hire cooperative students to work typically on engineering and computer science. The company has hosted the occasional postdoctoral scholar.
• Internal training courses. Mentorships with experienced employee(s). Working with academic researchers through jointly-funded research programs.
• Kraken doesn’t have formal means of mentorship or internal training. However, new hires to the science team certainly get internal training early on and the environment/culture allows for mentorship relationships to grow.
• Our organization encourages employees to attend academic conferences and workshops, not just as a sales opportunity but also as a training opportunity. We also encourage employees to enroll in training programs with some of the universities that we have Industrial Partnerships with. Trainings for things like leadership, sales training, innovation, and development.

• Research assistantships and internships in ongoing bioacoustic studies. Grad school mentorship. Support for conference attendance (e.g., ASA).
• The opportunities we provide for apprenticeships include projects derived from collaborations with partners or using accessible acoustic data. Training is online and focuses on mitigation/monitoring software basics and processing of large datasets for marine mammal occurrence.
• Various short-term training and internal courses provide training in a variety of specialized technical areas (e.g., ASW, sonar signal processing, precision navigation and timing, etc.) as well as more general disciplines (e.g., deep learning, automation, machine learning, . . . .).
• We are trying to grow our internship program, but I am the only person so far who has actually taken and paid an intern. Internships will be paid, though. We do have a generous ability to use overhead spending to attend or speak at seminars, workshops, etc. We also have the ability to add to someone else’s project during times we are underfunded and writing grants.
• We focus on acoustic propagation, modeling, oceanography, and signal processing.

Approximately what percentage of employees who participate in the selected opportunities does your organization promote based on the expertise acquired in professional development opportunities?

TABLE 51 Industry Respondents (n = 16)

NOTES: Respondents had to indicate that their organization offers employees conferences/workshops, intensive internal training for new hires, mentorship, research opportunities, internship/apprenticeship/fellowship, and/or short-term courses or training in order to respond to this question. Percentages might not add up to 100% due to rounding.

OPEN-ENDED: Please describe the type of training(s) or support(s) that your organization provides or recommends to employees in order for them to strengthen the competencies selected above.

EXHIBIT 9

Industry Respondents (n = 11)

Respondents were asked, “Please describe the type of training(s) or support(s) that your organization provides or recommends to employees in order for them to strengthen the competencies selected above.” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• Given the diversity in acoustic research/analysis, experience with specific methods/software and sufficient time in training for a given task tends to be the most important training elements of strengthening abilities. We provide training in methods, practice with a vetted/annotated dataset, then do a close follow of an initial subset of data processed/analyzed by analysts. The timeline for this tends to be between 1–2 months so takes a long time to have an analyst get up to speed.
• My organization relies heavily on consultants for this work, and only really has acoustic SMEs [subject matter experts] somewhat incidentally in environmental permitting and environmental affairs roles. We do not have a designated specialist SME on this topic in the company.
• Personal development reading textbooks, journals, documents; in-house, organized short-course training; out-of-house short-course training; mentor, interaction, and advice from senior staff.

• On-the-job training; internal seminars; mentorship by senior technical staff.
• Online and in-person short courses.
• Software training courses.
• Statistics, experimental design, uncertainty analysis & propagation of uncertainty, mysticete and odontocete hearing, take analysis/errors, operational safety, regulations and policies within numerous jurisdictions, joint industry-academic R&D programs, next-generation source for subsurface imaging, next-generation technologies for detecting whales under low-visibility conditions, meetings with regulators, science conferences (e.g., SMM, OceanNoise), fisheries and sound, turtle guards on towed arrays, biozones, cetacean critical life functions, next-gen tags, passive acoustic monitoring (PAMGUARD), risk assessments and risk analysis, effective mitigation.
• This is primarily achieved through mentorship. Senior personnel involve junior personnel in ongoing research and teach them “on the job.”
• We have an internal acoustics/DSP [Digital Signal Processing] course which we run every 2 years. We have two employees who have returned to academia to receive a Ph.D. One is on leave, the other is working part-time.
• We let people use overhead to take online courses, like Python or C in Coursera. We do not offer training programs but do have some internal mentoring between senior and junior employees. Though I think I’m the only one that actually mentors inside the company with a structured meeting schedule. The other mentors seem to be by name only.
• Self-training and mentoring from existing employees, DOSITS.

Please rate the extent to which your organization would agree with the following statements regarding the field of acoustics and acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics). If you are unable to answer on behalf of your organization, please respond based on your own experience in the field of acoustics and acoustics supporting disciplines.

What are the most important critical skills and competencies that employees from your organization need to be successful in their role related to acoustics and/or ocean acoustics? (Select all that apply.)

and

What are the top skills or competencies related to acoustics and/or ocean acoustics that your organization finds itself needing to support its employees to strengthen through on-the-job training or external training?

OPEN-ENDED: Are there any non-technical skills (i.e. ability to work in teams, adaptability, self-reliance, etc.) that your organization perceives potential employees lack for jobs in acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)? Potential employees refers to candidates that submit a resume or interview with your organization.

EXHIBIT 10

Industry Respondents (n = 10)

Respondents were asked, “Are there any non-technical skills (i.e., ability to work in teams, adaptability, self-reliance, etc.) that your organization perceives potential employees lack for jobs in acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)?” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• Critical thinking, problem solving, equipoise, time management, goal setting, writing in various formats.
• Independence—most students/new hires require some degree of training in animal bioacoustics (methodologies, biology) to meet our requirements.
• Most arriving Ph.D.s in ocean acoustics have little experience managing teams. This is not true for the biological acousticians (who work with lots of volunteers usually).
• Photonics.
• These tend to be more critical than their experience prior to starting. They absolutely need the ability to communicate, passion for repetitive tasks involved in acoustics, ability to persevere through troubleshooting [and/or] dig into issues when they encounter them and be organized and have high attention to detail. From our apprenticeship program I know that approximately 25–40% of participants have these skills. I prefer them to have this overexperience in acoustics actually (paired with passion for acoustics as it tends to be too overwhelming for new analysts otherwise). I would argue these are equitable to experience in terms of desire/need as an employer.
• We have had a hard time with new employees adapting their skills to applications within certain projects. They seemed to take way more time than necessary to do simple tasks. As a result there is a fear of new hires now.
• Working with teams of people who do not have a background in acoustics.
• Adaptability, self-reliance.
• Cultural awareness and sensitivities, different types of bias, the value of different ways of thinking and so-called “cold-eyes” reviews, the value of solid planning and execution, knowledge management, adapting to change, and a whole host of leadership topics.

RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES: INDUSTRY RESPONDENTS

What recruitment and retention strategies, if any, are currently being implemented by the field of ocean acoustics and related fields to raise the profile of careers related to ocean acoustics?

This section summarizes findings from industry respondents with regards to recruitment and retention strategies and programs used, diversity strategies, as well as challenges.

Recruiting Methods & Programs

• Most of the 17 respondents indicated that their organization networks with potential candidates at conferences (76.5%) and/or will offer employment to interns/fellows (70.6%) as a way to recruit potential employees. (Table 54)
• While many (n = 6) of the 17 respondents indicated that they utilize MTS/IEEE-OES OCEANS Conferences as a method to recruit prospective employees, most (n = 12) respondents shared a variety of “other” methods such as utilizing Acoustical Society of America (e.g., conferences, job postings), recruitment firms, and reaching out to select universities to name a few. (Table 55)
• Fifteen respondents shared in their open-ended responses a handful of methods their organization uses to ensure a diverse workforce. Responses indicated some variation of a diverse internship or apprenticeship program where they recruit diverse students from or target the program for a diverse audience; making connections with a variety of people (e.g., professors, advisors, students) or historically diverse schools (e.g., HBCUs, community colleges). (Exhibit 11)
• Twelve respondents described in their open-ended answers various partnerships or strategies they plan to pursue to support hiring efforts, including partnering in academia or with universities, visiting or planning job fairs (via utilization of colleges), and collaborating with non-profits. (Exhibit 13)

Provided Support to Grow Skills

• Eight respondents indicated in open-ended reflections a number of supports that their organization provides employees to help grow their skills, including: training or courses either offered in-house or externally or in which financial support is provided for access; professional development; mentoring or peer connection; and increased responsibility. (Exhibit 12)

Challenges

• Respondents described several challenges to attracting potential candidates to acoustics and acoustics supporting disciplines including a limited budget for hiring (23.5%), generational differences (17.6%), a lack of upward mobility (17.6%), and a non-competitive income or salary (17.6%). (Table 56)

Based on your knowledge, what methods does your organization use to recruit potential employees in the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)?

TABLE 54 Industry Respondents (n = 17)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. They could also write in responses. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select all that apply.

^a Other responses include: advertisements; apprenticeship program (going on 2nd year) has been invaluable. Funded by local organization for 150 hours of analyst time; campus visits and guest lectures; direct academic support (data/funding); directly reaching out on social media; employee referrals; job postings; marketing/workshop presentations; online technical training; professor referrals; recruitment firm; planning to go to an HBCU job fair but it hasn’t happened yet; from universities – job advertisements, open searches, social media – LinkedIn.

OPEN-ENDED: What methods, if any, does your organization use to ensure a diverse workforce (e.g., age, race, gender, nationality, etc.) in the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)?

EXHIBIT 11

Industry Respondents (n = 15)

Respondents were asked, “What methods, if any, does your organization use to ensure a diverse workforce (e.g., age, race, gender, nationality, etc.) in the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)?” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• A subset of us has gone through the URGE training, but hiring diverse candidates who aren’t already classmates of current employees has largely fallen to me because I have international students and interns from programs that were specifically for underrepresented students. The intention is there but it feels like I’m the only one executing it. I’m starting to see the most senior people make connections with a wider variety of students and postdocs at conferences but it’s hard to change their habits of just hanging out with each other.
• Internal internship program focused on diverse students, apprenticeship program for local early-career individuals from diverse groups, connection with HBCUs and community colleges, breadth of advertising, personal outreach to diverse candidates.

• Reaching out to diverse candidates directly, referrals from diverse professors, advertising at schools that are historically diverse.
• The lab has recently begun to engage in diverse student workforce initiatives, by participating in ASA SURIEA program and forming partnership with UT El Paso (an HSI). I know of no specific initiative targeting increasing diversity in the full-time employee workforce. There may be one, but I am ignorant of it if there is.
• The organization has recently stood up a DEI office and is developing means of promoting a diverse workforce. The first effort is a DEI internship program.
• The subsurface geophysics field is broad and a range of methods is used to ensure non-bias, but the field of ocean acoustics as it relates to marine life is smaller (fewer employees) with fewer recruiting opportunities.
• We have started an internship program, in addition to ASA’s SUREA program. We are also intentional about diversifying the graduate students and advisors that we connect with.
• We target the marketing of apprenticeship program to a diverse audience (through undergraduate program and through local organization). We would really like to establish a military recruitment as well for those transitioning out of the military.

Based on your knowledge, which of the following programs does your organization use to recruit prospective employees in the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)? (Select all that apply.)

TABLE 55 Industry Respondents (n = 17)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. They could also write in responses. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select all that apply.

^a Other responses include: ASA conferences; Acoustical Society of America; Acoustical Society of America conferences and job postings; Acoustical Society of America student papers; from close work with and funding of ocean science centers; grant-based post-doctoral positions; other conferences; PSU graduate program in acoustics; recruitment firms; select universities; summer internship programs; university visits including guest lectures.

Based on your knowledge, what are the top 3 current challenges your organization faces when attempting to attract potential candidates to the field of acoustics or acoustics supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics)? (Select up to 3.)

TABLE 56 Industry Respondents (n = 17)

EXHIBIT 13

Industry Respondents (n = 8)

Respondents were asked, “Please describe any partnerships or strategies your organization plans to pursue in the coming year to support hiring efforts in the field of ocean acoustics, acoustics, or supporting disciplines (e.g., physics, engineering, oceanography, geophysics).” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• Geophysics/Oceanography/Engineering/Geoscience recruiting at select universities worldwide; partnerships with academia through research funding from the Sound and Marine Life JIP; meeting students at international and domestic science conferences; job postings; internships.
• Go to job fairs at HBCUs near where some of our current employees have their home offices.
• I believe they are partnering with one or two local community and colleges in Canada for career fairs/interns.
• In the coming years we are likely to support initiatives or issue contracts at, and to, universities that could be used to fund graduate students.
• Many informal relationships with universities.
• We have a collaboration with a non-profit aimed at increasing technical experience for local residents. This has been a game changer for allowing us to support an apprenticeship program. We look to extend funding to those outside of our city, but it is so far a consistent element to our program. We also rely on support/participation from research partners for project management/participation; that varies with each apprenticeship project, but we draw from our network in the community. Little more funding would go a long way to growing this program!
• We have partnerships with nearby universities, where we mentor students on projects related to acoustics, remote sensing, and deep-learning. We also participate in guest lectures and training courses, when invited.

FUTURE OF ACOUSTICS: INDUSTRY RESPONDENTS

What is the anticipated demand for ocean acoustics expertise and supporting discipline expertise (e.g., signal processing, sound propagation modeling, marine technology) over the next decade?

This section summarizes industry respondents’ perception of the future needs of ocean acoustics, including potential ways to address shortfalls and increase funding for this field of study.

• Drawing on a list of identified future needs within ocean acoustics that their organization intends to focus on, most of the 17 respondents selected marine animal bioacoustics (58.8%); marine policy and management related to acoustics (47.1%); and other topics, such as active/passive sonar development and acoustic communications to name a couple (47.1%). (Table 57)
• Over 50% of respondents disagreed with the statements asking whether the number of ocean acousticians will satisfy the demands of the field in the next decade and whether the United States is on track to satisfy its future requirements for ocean acousticians. (Table 58)
• Respondents reported a broad range of needs within the field of ocean acoustics and acoustics, such as more cross-disciplinary training for graduate students including hands-on field experience; strengthening knowledge in computer science, signal processing, experimental design statistics, underwater acoustic system engineering, among others listed below. (Exhibit 14)
• When asked about ways to meet the shortfall in the field, respondents shared ideas such as modifying STEM programs to include courses such as acoustical oceanography; increasing the number of faculty at institutions to help educate and prepare students; and increasing cross-disciplinary, cross-sector (i.e., academic organizations, federally funded research centers, government laboratories), and international collaboration. (Exhibit 15)
• Respondents provided the following reflections when asked about ways to increase funding for the field: expand research and development between academia, the industry, and the government; focus government funding on small businesses; support acoustics research beyond that done by the Navy; and focus on how ocean acoustics can support soundscape management and national defense. (Exhibit 16)

Based on your knowledge, which of the following identified future needs within ocean acoustics does your organization intend to focus on? (Select all that apply.)

TABLE 57 Industry Respondents (n = 17)

NOTES: Respondents could select all that applied. They could also write in responses. Percentages will not necessarily add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select all that applied.

^a Other responses include: applications of machine learning in propagation, noise modeling, and sensing; Next-Generation Technology Development (e.g. Marine Vibroseis); Next-generation low-viz IR camera technology; Sonar Signal Processing; Still identifying directions; acoustic communications; active/passive sonar development; and passive acoustic monitoring.

OPEN-ENDED: What is a growing need in the field of acoustics and/or ocean acoustics that is currently not being met?

EXHIBIT 14

Industry Respondents (n = 12)

Respondents were asked, “What is a growing need in the field of acoustics and/or ocean acoustics that is currently not being met?” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• Citizens with broad experience and interest in applied work.
• Cross-disciplinary training. The current model of graduate student training through degree programs does not equip students to be proficient in the field unless they come with prior training in specialized fields such physical oceanography, signal processing, or bioacoustics.
• Effects of sound on marine life, particularly issues requiring expert subjects (e.g., psychoacoustics). There is an overall decline in investing in the maintenance of expert subjects, which have been critical to establishing the potential impacts of ocean noise on marine life. With a decline in expert subject availability, the skillsets related to research involving expert subjects is disappearing.
• Experimental design statistics; statistical validity interdisciplinary knowledge—e.g., the role of marine acoustics in energy exploration and production, offshore wind, primary data on mysticete hearing; offshore wind decommissioning; cumulative stressors.
• From my perspective the number of highly trained ocean acousticians is declining while it is a continuing strategic area for the U.S. government esp. with the Arctic opening and global trade. Also, oceanography and acoustics will be critical for continued energy industry, e.g., offshore wind globally.
• Junior (non-Ph.D.) level analysts who can run code and process data.
• My experience with new employees is that there is a lack of experience with hands-on field or experimental expertise.

• Regulatory agencies are demanding more and more acoustic impact assessment, acoustic monitoring and mitigation. Personally, I think that this emphasis is misplaced, but regardless we will need to respond to this demand through consultant support.
• The wind farms coming online will not be able to fulfill permit requirements of modeling and mitigation of construction noise without more graduates in acoustics very fast. Our company has one bid in, and we are maxed out with that. JASCO seems to be maxed out at 3. Unsure who can fill the other 10 farms about to get leases soon.
• There is a growing need for analysts that support a mid-tier role in acoustics. Relying on Master’s or Ph.D. graduates to fill this role is untenable given the type and availability of work. Also, there is a shortfall in the appropriate pay rates for technical expertise from analysts, making it hard to retain them (or budget in any RFP). Acoustics is interdisciplinary and highly technical even at the analyst level; there needs to be appropriate salary to retain individuals. Also, there is a severe lack of training for analysts. So much to do!
• Understanding of the theory of acoustics and how to apply it to drive innovation. Strong skills in computer science and signal processing also required.
• Underwater acoustic system engineering.

Based on your knowledge, to what extent would your organization agree with the following statements regarding the field of ocean acoustics? If you are unable to answer on behalf of your organization, please respond based on your own perspective.

OPEN-ENDED: How might any projected shortfalls in the ability of the U.S. to satisfy its future requirements for acoustics and/or ocean acousticians be resolved?

EXHIBIT 15

Industry Respondents (n = 10)

Respondents were asked, “How might any projected shortfalls in the ability of the U.S. to satisfy its future requirements for acoustics and/or ocean acousticians be resolved?” Below is a list of all of the open-ended responses, listed in alphabetical order.

• (1) Introduce age-appropriate educational topics as part of STEM programs. (2) Help elevate the importance of science & technology among the public—we are currently seeing a decrease in U.S. university enrollments overall and attacks on science by some segments of society. (3) Strengthen international cooperation (this is currently one of my focus areas given my Adj, Prof position at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the Norwegian Technical Academy of Sciences).
• I do not think the issue with expert subjects will be resolved. It would take a cultural change in the values related [to] keeping expert subjects.