UNI professor wants to cut the noise in education

A University of Northern Iowa professor is part of a group pushing for better acoustics in classrooms. Audiology professor Joseph Smaldino says old schools have bad acoustics — and some new schools are even worse.Smaldino says kids can’t learn in classrooms, which have noisy ventilation systems.Smaldino says kids aren’t the only ones who suffer.Smaldino says noisy classrooms force teachers to yell, which causes damage to the vocal chords. In addition, Smaldino says the noise causes fatigue.Smaldino, who’s a member of the Acoustical Society of America, hopes standards for classroom acoustics are soon developed and adopted.