Message from the INCE USA President
By Steve Sorenson, INCE USA President
Welcome to the end of another eventful year. I don’t know about everyone else, but it seems that after I finish one thing there are two more that pop up, whether personally or professionally. However, on the interesting and rewarding side of busy: on October 1 I had the privilege of starting a 2-year term as President of INCE-USA. I am very fortunate to have been preceded by two outstanding individuals, Judy Rochat (2022 – 2024) and Mike Bahtiarian (2020 – 2022), both of whom have been very helpful in getting me ready for this transition. Executive Director Joe Cuschieri has a wealth of experience and institutional knowledge and is a critically important motivating force for the Institute. The INCE Business Office is essential in ensuring that the Institute functions efficiently. The IBO is provided by Virtual, Inc., which has been a great partner for INCE-USA over the past several years.
Many INCE Members volunteer their time and efforts as Directors, Officers, in organizing conferences and on various committees. INCE-USA is truly a Member-driven organization, and we welcome your participation. Check our website, inceusa.org, to see what is of interest to you, and you can freely contact me directly with any questions. If you are interested in serving as a Director (elected by the membership) or Officer, contact Nominations Committee chair Judy Rochat. The membership elects three Directors each year for 3-year terms, and additional Directors may be elected at the Annual General Meeting. Currently 12 Directors are serving on the board. Starting in 2024 we welcome Jennifer Shaw, Carrie Janello, Jeremy Decker, Greg Coudriet and Melinda Miller to new terms. New Officers for 2024 include Felicia Doggett (VP of Public Relations), Herb Singleton (VP of Board Certification), Shashikant More (VP of Technical Activities), Yangfan Liu (VP of Student Activities/Education) and Rob O’Neal (Treasurer).
Just a note about INCE-USA and the INCE Foundation… INCE-USA is a 501(c)(6) organization, which means we are non-profit but allowed to advocate for noise policy, sensible regulations, etc. The INCE Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization which provides funding for our student and professional awards. Any donations made to the INCE Foundation are fully tax deductible, and 100% of donations go directly to these awards, as all the Foundation Officers and Directors are full volunteers. Donations to the INCE Foundation can be made as part of your annual membership renewal or by check. Please consider donating to support students and to help us recognize professional achievement in Noise Control Engineering!
So, what did we do this past year?
Led by Tyler Dare, INCE-USA continues to offer a 3-course series in Noise Control Engineering. These are graduate-level courses which are done individually at the student’s own pace, and with one-on-one instructor interaction. Successful completion of the three courses is sufficient to replace the requirement to take the rigorous 8-hour exam to become INCE Board Certified in Noise Control Engineering. These courses are not restricted to INCE Members, though membership does result in a discounted course price.
A new program has been developed over the past year. The brainchild of Matt Golden and Jeff Fullerton, the Technical Badge program will offer training in Indoor/Outdoor Measurement or Building Acoustics Measurement according to established ANSI and ASTM standards. This is particularly important for technicians or engineers who want to demonstrate their competence in conducting these measurements. Each Badge has self-directed online training and testing elements. We are looking forward to making this available during 2025. As with the NCE courses, this training is not restricted to INCE Members. Anyone with a need to conduct testing is eligible and encouraged to sign up.
An even newer program is in the first stages of planning. It’s too early to talk about any details, but a generous donor has offered to provide funding to develop a noise control course which will provide practical guidance and training for treating sources of industrial noise. We’re looking forward to realizing this and providing another way to serve the Noise Control Engineering community.
Our publications include Noise News International (you’re reading it now!), edited by Steve Hambric, and Noise Control Engineering Journal, edited by Jim Thompson. NNI is a quarterly online newsletter jointly published with the International Institute of Noise Control Engineering (I-INCE). Steve took over editorship in 2024 from Eoin King, who had previously served as editor for the past 7 years. NCEJ is the pre-eminent academic journal of Noise Control Engineering, and it now offers published authors the option to apply for open access. As an associate editor of NCEJ I can attest to Jim’s ongoing energy and dedication to keeping NCEJ at the top for outstanding articles.
And it wouldn’t be summer without our annual noise control conference. This year, NOISE-CON 2024 1was held in New Orleans at the Hilton Riverside, June 10-12. This event has a bit of history. Led by General Chair Gordon Ebbitt, INCE-USA originally planned this conference for 2020 at this same venue. Unfortunately, COVID-19 forced a cancellation of the live conference and NC20 was held strictly online. Not to deprive us of all the good times in New Orleans, however, Gordon and the same organizing team regrouped to put on a fully live event for 2024.
NC24 featured 143 technical paper presentations, three student presentations of classic papers in Noise Control Engineering, and a special session featuring 12 vendor presentations. Fifty-three exhibitors filled the exhibit space and over 430 people registered. Three plenary speakers, the annual General Meeting of INCE-USA, several short courses, and the INCE Board Certification exam made for a full program.
Extra events included a technical tour of several theaters in New Orleans as well as a riverboat dinner cruise on the Mississippi River.
Notable sessions included a tribute to INCE-USA founding Member George Maling, with contributions coming from both conference attendees and oversea participants who were unable to attend in person. George’s family has generously donated his large collection of conference photos and acoustics/noise control books to INCE-USA.
The proceeds from the conference enabled INCE-USA to make a $2,000 contribution to the New Orleans Charter Science & Mathematics High School, an open-admission public charter school with a rigorous high school curriculum emphasizing science and mathematics.


And now get ready for NOISE-CON 2025. Ken Kaliski is the General Chair for the coming conference, to be held June 9-11 in Stowe, VT. The venue is the Lodge at Spruce Peak, at the base of Mount Mansfield. The conference committee is arranging dedicated transportation directly from BTV airport (Burlington). It’s a great place to bring the whole family, and here’s a comprehensive list of all the fun things to do: Stowe Activities.
Abstract submission opened on November 11 and continues through January 22, with final papers due by April 8. NOISE-CON is the best single opportunity in the U.S. to meet with your peers in Noise Control Engineering, learn from the technical presentations, short courses, and interact directly with companies offering noise control products and services.
In last year’s INCE-USA President’s Message, Judy Rochat pointed out that in recent years the Institute had been operating financially at a loss. INCE-USA maintains an investment account which is a cushion in case of unexpected setbacks (e.g., if a natural disaster were to cause cancellation of a yearly conference) and which has allowed us to pay the bills even while operating a little in the red. Because of the joint efforts of Directors, Officers, and IBO staff, however, I’m pleased to report that under Judy’s leadership we were able to close out our recent fiscal year at a slight surplus.
We look forward to seeing everyone in person at NC25, and we will be sure to keep you informed throughout the year of our technical programs, webinars, and anything else of note. Best wishes to all for a successful 2025.
Steve Sorenson, INCE-USA President
