The Acoustical Society of America is an international scientific society dedicated to increasing and diffusing the knowledge of acoustics and its practical applications.
The ASA was instigated by Wallace Waterfall, Floyd Watson, and Vern Knudsen. On December 27, 1928, approximately 40 scientists and engineers interested in acoustics met the Bell Telephone Laboratories in New York, NY, to consider the formation of a scientific society for acoustics. Just a few months later, the Acoustical Society of America held its first meeting on May 10-11, 1929, with approximately 450 charter members. In 1931 the Acoustical Society joined with three other scientific societies to form the American Institute of Physics .
From its inception, the ASA's members have helped develop acoustical standards. In 1932, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) appointed the Acoustical Society as sponsor of a committee to standardize acoustical terminology and measurements. In 1957 this committee split into three follow-on committees: S1 on Acoustics, S2 on Mechanical Shock and Vibration, and S3 on Bioacoustics, with a fourth, S12 on Noise, added in 1981. The ASA also distributes ISO and IEC standards.
The ASA publishes the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (JASA), the Acoustics Research Letters Online (ARLO), and a wide range of books and videos on topics related to acoustics.