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
ROADS from Earth to Venus National Challenge celebrates student innovation
June 24, 2026 by Darci Snowden
Recent graduate keeping her options open as she enters the workforce
June 24, 2026 by David Leder