Part 2 - SAE

awards
Forest R. McFarland Award
Description
This award recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions toward the work of the SAE Engineering
Meetings Board (EMB) in the planning, development, and dissemination of technical information through
technical meetings, conferences, and professional development programs or outstanding contributions to the
EMB operations in facilitating or enhancing the interchanges of technical information.
The Award
Established in 1979, this award is administered by the EMB and honors the late Forest R. McFarland who was
himself an outstanding session organizer, a chairman of the Passenger Car Activity and a member of the EMB.
Funding for this award is through a bequest by Mr. McFarland to SAE and consists of a framed certificate
presented at the SAE World Congress.
Wade R. Bray
Vice President
HEAD Acoustics Inc.
Mr. Bray has been an active member of the Noise and Vibration Conference General
Committee for many years. He has consistently provided a high level of energy in all aspects
of the conference, but specifically in organizing two technical sessions in the “NVH methods”
Track for the 2007 conference. Wade did an outstanding job of working with the authors and reviewers in
creating excellent sessions resulting in high quality papers and presentations. In addition, Wade provided
excellent leadership of the Sound Quality Workshop which was one of the highlights of the conference.
Wade Bray has more than 30 years of experience in a variety of areas of acoustics, including automotive
sound quality, musical instruments, churches and performing arts venues, theatre sound system and
electroacoustic enhancement system design, and loudspeaker and teleconferencing acoustics. He holds
patents in the fields of electronic acoustic enhancement systems and open-loop electromechanical
positioners. An SAE member since 1999, he is active in the Noise and Vibration General Committee (organizing
the Instrumentation papers sessions and the Sound Quality Workshop since its inception), the Impulse Noise
Task Force and Brake NVH Standards Committee.
Since 1987 he has been active in North American activities involving the technologies of HEAD acoustics
GmbH of Herzogenrath, Germany, serving as Vice President of the former Sonic Perceptions, Inc. and its
successor, HEAD acoustics, Inc. of Brighton, Michigan, where he is chief technical officer and provides
customer training and support.
Prior to this activity he was a senior consultant at Jaffe Acoustics, Inc. (now Jaffe Holden Acoustics) in
Norwalk, Connecticut, where his research efforts centered on electronic variable acoustic systems for
performing arts venues and full-duplex concealed audio teleconferencing systems for boardrooms and large
conference rooms.
He was educated at Arizona State University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English and Bachelor of Science
in Physics, with additional studies in psychology and music. He is a member of the Acoustical Society of
America, Society of Automotive Engineers, Audio Engineering Society and is an Associate of the Institute of
Noise Control Engineering (INCE), serving as Technical Advisory Board chair for Perception and Effects of
Noise and participating in the Information Technology and Product Noise Emissions working groups.
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SAE 2009 Noise and Vibration Conference and Exhibition