Soundscapes and the Anthropocene

May 10, 2025

Convened by: Megan D. Gall, Associate Professor of Biology and Director of Neuroscience and Behavior, and Justin Patch, Associate Professor and Chair of Music.

This multidisciplinary program will explore how humans impact natural soundscapes and how soundscapes influence us. The morning—geared towards those with an academic interest in the subject—will feature talks from leading experts in soundscapes, from biology to music to architecture. The afternoon and evening are open to those in the local community interested in engaging with the sounds in their environments. Participants can take a sound recording workshop or take a tour of architectural spaces. In the evening, there will be a film screening of Sonic Sea followed by a Q&A with the director.

Program Schedule

Schedule
Biographies

Registration and Light Breakfast

8:00–8:45 a.m. (registration in Lobby, breakfast in Elm)

Research Presentations

9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (Beech)

Listening and Politics: Podcasting, Intimacy and the Presidential Campaign

Justin Patch, Associate Professor and Chair of Music, Vassar

9:00–9:30 a.m.

The Ecology and Neuroscience of Communicating in Noise

Megan Gall, Associate Professor of Biology, Director of the Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Vassar

9:30–10:00 a.m.

Hyperchorality: Phenomenologies of Voice and Air in the Anthropocene

10:00–10:45 a.m.

Dr. Martin Daughtry, Associate Professor of Music, NYU

Coffee Break

10:45–11:00 a.m. (Elm)

Research Presentation: Invited Speaker in the Natural Sciences

Dr. Bryan C. Pijanowski, Director of the Center for Global Soundscapes, Professor of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University

11:00–11:45 a.m.

The Sonics of Spaces: Design for Communication

Dr. Karen Van Lengen ’73, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Architecture, Former Dean of the School of Architecture, University of Virginia

11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Lunch (provided) and Exhibition of Student Work

12:30–2:00 p.m. (Elm)

Exploring Built Soundscapes

2:00–3:30 p.m. (open to the public, departs from Elm, campus)

Here, we will take a guided experiential walk through the architectural spaces of Vassar College with Dr. Karen Van Lengen. Participants will learn how to identify components of the soundscape, discuss the influence of the built environment on sound, and reflect on the emotional resonance of the soundscapes they experience.

Recording and Analyzing Sound Workshop

3:30–5:30 p.m. (Elm, open to the public)

Hosted by Tim Boycott’16, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, Bobbi Estabrook, and Daniela Hedwig, K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics; Cornell University.

Recording Workshop Overview:

This sound recording and analysis workshop will introduce common sound recording equipment and best practices for the novice sound recordist. We will demonstrate a broad range of equipment and approaches use in recordings sounds from the environment, from opportunistic on-the-go recordings made with personal devices to professional-grade recordings for research and monitoring efforts. We will also demonstrate basic sound analysis workflows as well as how to contribute recorded media to public archives. Interactive portions of this workshop will provide participants with hands-on experience making recordings, analyzing sound data, and contributing valuable sound information to public repositories.

Dinner Break

5:30–7:00 p.m.

Screening of Sonic Sea

7:00–9:00 p.m. (open to the public)

Q&A with filmmaker Daniel Hinerfeld ’85, Director of Content Partnerships at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Learn more about the film at sonicsea.org.

Please see this guide for places to eat in the area.