Seeing sound from all angles at Wisconsin Science Fest

Sound can be an incredibly powerful experience, able to dominate our attention, convey information, transport us from the here and now or add or relieve tension and emotion.

Indicative of how immersive the sense of sound can be, no fewer than seven people from all corners of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s academic disciplines will track sound from vibrating source through our heads and onto our heartstrings in “SoundWaves: Music to Our Ears,” from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28 at the Wisconsin Science Festival in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, 330 N. Orchard St.

Physics educator and showman Mike Randall will demonstrate the physical properties of sound, and hearing researcher Ruth Litovsky will describe how the ear changes those physical sound waves into electrical signals to be sent to the brain.

Just how those signals are understood by the brain falls to neurologist Matthew Banks, along with an exploration of our emotional relationship to sound by psychologist Jenny Saffran.

To provide listeners some meaty audio to retrace those steps, a trio of UW–Madison musicians — Daniel Grabois (horn), Felicia Moye (violin) and Christopher Taylor (piano) — will perform the Brahms Horn Trio.

The demonstrations, discussion and music are free and open to the public.