Jonathan Munns MEng Acoustical Engineering
Current student
In the near future, I’d like to go back into building consultancy, and build on the basis I made during my year in industry. This is because of the enjoyment I got from my placement. The year’s experience I have should help to open opportunities in this area.
What made you choose to come and study at Southampton?
The A-levels that I chose were maths and further maths, physics, and music, so I was initially looking at maths and music joint honours courses. However, when I saw the Acoustical Engineering courses at Southampton, I decided to come to the Open Day. I was blown away by the facilities and opportunities offered by the course, as well as knowing that I would enjoy the maths needed for the course.
What is it like studying here?
Studying at Southampton can be intense, but only because of the quality of the teaching and depth of the material. In general, the lecturers are very supportive, open to your queries, problems and feedback, and my project supervisors have all been very helpful in driving me on to produce the best work I can.
The campus itself has all the academic buildings close together, yet doesn’t feel cramped. The centre of campus feels more modern than some of the outer buildings, but the university is always looking to improve campus. It is well lit and the student union runs a safety bus for anyone who likes a night out on campus.
The facilities available at the University are, particularly for Acoustical Engineering, the best in the country. Conducting lab sessions in one of the best anechoic chambers in Europe is an unforgettable experience, and not one I think could be found at another university. There is also a large range of software available to students both on campus and for download to a personal machine.
How do you rate study facilities at the University, such as the Library? Have you found the Library, its content and the study spaces available within it useful?
The library provides both a huge amount of material and a large amount of study space. Personally, I have used it more for the study space than the physical books in the library, but there is a large amount of resources available online through your student login.
What have been your Southampton ‘highlights’ so far?
Probably the highlight of the Acoustical Engineering course has been the loudspeaker design project in second year. The opportunity to design a cabinet and active crossover from a nearly blank slate was a test of ingenuity, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Once your design has been manufactured, you have the chance to measure its performance in the large anechoic chamber, and see if your design met the initial brief.
What other activities have you taken advantage of while at University?
All through my time as a student, I have been involved with performing arts societies. In particular, I was part of the Southampton University Brass Band for my first three years of study, and the Southampton University Jazz Band in my last, both of which are unauditioned, but have a high standard, large repertoire, and tour near the end of the year.
I have also been a member of the Christian Union, which is one of the largest in Europe. This brings together Christians from all churches on campus, including running four back-to-back carol services in December.
Have you had any exposure to employer involvement or research-led learning during your course? How did this help you grow academically or personally?
Alongside their lecturing, it is clear that the academic staff are researchers in their fields. The odd digression in a lecture might reveal some of what they have been working on, whether it is the impact of aircraft noise, or how best to describe non-linear acoustics in flows.
What are you enjoying most about your course?
Having just finished the main submission for my masters Group Design Project, I can look back on it and say that while it has been difficult, the chance to apply various parts of the skills and knowledge that I have gained over the past years is great. Getting stuck into some of the more challenging modules can be difficult, but seeing what can be achieved with that knowledge is a great inspiration.
Do you have the opportunity to study modules outside of your core subject area, and how do you think they are adding to your experience / will affect your future plans?
In third and fourth year, the option of different modules widens, with some modules from other subject areas, particularly maths, available. One of my friends took a maths module, and it helped her get to grips with some of the more analytical acoustics modules.
What networking, employment and work experience opportunities have you undertaken and how have they enhanced your undergraduate experience?
For those who started my course in the same year as me, it was compulsory to take at least 20 weeks’ work experience over the duration of the course. Most people did this as two 10 week summer placements, but I chose to do a year in industry between my third and fourth years of study.
The University, particularly the Institute of Sound and Vibration research, has a lot of contacts in industry which helps some to get placements, but most, including myself, find placements themselves, with careers advice from the university on CVs, cover letters, and how to approach companies.
My placement was at a multi-discipline building consultancy, in the acoustics department. Here, I would go to construction sites to perform measurements to determine the sound insulation ratings of partitions, perform ambient sound level measurements for planned developments, or write reports on these measurements. I was also involved in more internal work, looking at the effect that new standards would have on how the company worked and what changes would need to be made to procedures to accommodate this.
The placement helped me to appreciate how the theoretical knowledge that I had learned was applied practically in the building industry. I gained experience of testing to various standards and an understanding of how to design to meet these standards.
Do you have any idea of what you would like to do in the future? Have the opportunities you have taken up while at the University helped you have a clearer idea of what you might like to do?
In the near future, I’d like to go back into building consultancy, and build on the basis I made during my year in industry. This is because of the enjoyment I got from my placement. The year’s experience I have should help to open opportunities in this area.