A room where sound goes to die — and scientists go to study
- July 11, 2017
- CWU
Andy Piacsek swings open a bank vault-style door on what looks like a chamber of horrors.
Spiky wedges sprout from the walls and ceiling. Piacsek, a physics professor at Central Washington University, stands on the only flat surface: a metal grating suspended above claw-like serrations thrusting up from the floor.
Injuries are inflicted here, Piacsek confirms — but only to the occupants’ musical sensibilities.
“It hurts my ears,” says Megumi Taylor, a flute player and student who joined Piacsek in the chamber on a recent afternoon. “I don’t like the way it sounds in here.”
Read more of this story in the Seattle Times.
CWU News
Douglas Honors College at CWU to celebrate 50 years (part 1)
July 15, 2026 by Tran Nha Pham
CWU professor saving lives in Cameroon through his love of soccer
July 13, 2026 by Rune Torgersen