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

CWU Trustees to meet in Ellensburg May 21-22
May 14, 2026 by Marketing and Communications

Senior BFA exhibition explores mental health, trans experience
May 13, 2026 by Marketing and Communications