Vehicle Noise Control Engineering Academy - Powertrain Noise Track ACAD02

Alan D. Stuart, Lead Instructor, is an emeritus professor of acoustics at Penn State. Since 1993, he taught fundamentals of acoustics courses on both the graduate and undergraduate levels, as well as graduate courses on structural acoustics and applied acoustics. He has conducted numerous professional short courses on acoustics and vibrations and noise control engineering. At Penn State, he was the coordinator of the Summer Program in Acoustics and the Distance Education Program in Acoustics and received numerous awards for his contributions to Continuing and Distance Education. He is an active member of SAE, ASA, INCE and ASEE. Dr. Stuart designed, developed and narrated the Pre-Academy web-based lessons.

Michael F. Albright is co-founder and General Manager of Signal.X Technologies, LLC, a firm specializing in NVH engineering and custom test and measurement application development. He brings over 20 years of NVH experience to the SAE Noise Academies team. His past positions include Business Development Manager for the NVH consulting group of LMS North America, Management and Project engineering positions at the Roush Anatrol Division of Rousch Industries, Inc. and Civilian engineering for the U.S. Navy. With experience predominantly in the automotive industry, Mr. Albright has addressed a very diverse range of noise and vibration control issues including Powertrain NVH, Vehicle NVH, Brake noise, Engine accessory noise, Driveline NVH, Test procedure and facility development, Test/CAE Hybrid simulation methods, as well as a host of manufacturing quality issues. Mr. Albright's degrees include a BSME from University of Cincinnati and MSME from Purdue University.

Eric Frank began his career at the Dana Corporation as an NVH Engineer, focused on driveline components and vehicle development for their customers. Following this, he became a Project Engineer at MTS Systems where he developed skills as a Technical Consultant. In 2006, Eric joined the consulting firm of Sound Answers where he continued to serve as a Senior Project Engineer and other roles related to both technical projects and management. This group eventually joined B&K and now HBK, where Eric is the Head of the Sound & Vibration Engineering Services group.

Throughout his career, Eric has worked closely with customers in several industries on Sound Quality and Jury Analysis. He has authored or co-authored more than 20 papers and technical articles for SAE and other publications. Eric has been a member of SAE’s Noise & Vibration committee since 2012. He has a B.S. Acoustic Engineering, Purdue University, 1999 and a M.S. Engineering Program/Project Management, University of Michigan – Dearborn, 2015.

Todd Freeman is currently a team lead and manager of the HBK Sound & Vibration Engineering Services team in the US, responsible for management and execution of sound and vibration consulting projects in a variety of industries to solve customer problems. He has been a part of this team for 15 years, and has experience with sound quality, transfer-path-analysis, rotating machinery, full-vehicle NVH development, as well as many other areas.

Prior to HBK, Todd held roles with Magna Steyr and Ford Motor Company as an NVH Engineer supporting vehicle development efforts. He has aB.S. Mechanical Engineering, Grand Valley State University, 1998 and a M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan – Dearborn, 2002.

Greg Goetchius is currently the Lead for Noise and Vibration Engineering at Joby Aviation in Santa Cruz, CA as. Greg has overall responsibility for interior noise performance, exterior noise testing, GVT and modal testing, and also aircraft flight test noise and vibration data analysis. Prior to Joby Aviation, Greg led the NVH teams at both Lucid Motors and Tesla Motors with primary responsibility for the NVH performance of the Lucid Air and Tesla Model S. From 2002 until 2010, Greg was the Global Director of Research and Development at Material Sciences Corporation (MSC) in Canton MI, where he led a global engineering team in supporting the implementation of MSC’s various acoustical products, including “Quiet Steel”. Greg’s Noise and Vibration development career began at Chrysler Motors in 1986. He was part of the NVH Department for 15 years, focusing his efforts on advanced NVH methodologies, target setting and NVH CAE.

Greg has been an active member of SAE for over 20 years. He was the General Chair of the SAE 2009 International Noise and Vibration Conference, and has served as the Chair of the SAE Automotive Chassis Activity (ACA). In 2015, he received SAE’s Forest R McFarland Award. He has a B.S.M.E. Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 1986 and a M.S.M.E. Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan – Dearborn, 1988.

Michael Grimmer is a Staff project engineer with the General Motors Powertrain Division at the GM noise and vibration laboratory in Milford, Michigan. Mr. Grimmer has worked for GM since 1998 in the powertrain noise and vibration area. His work has focused on noise requirement allocation technology; vehicle integration; engine design; noise development and problem solving of engine, transmission, and accessory systems; component bench test design; sound quality measurement and metric development; and signature analysis for engine defect detection. Mr. Grimmer received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Arthur E. Howle is NVH Senior Technical Specialist, Roush Industries, Inc. Mr. Howle's career includes six years at a General Motors production facility and 27 years in vehicle development with Ford Motor Company. He has experience with many aspects of vehicle NVH, particularly powertrain and driveline related NVH including: front, rear, and all wheel drive architectures. He is an expert in the utilization of high tech testing and CAE to predict, identify, and solve difficult NVH issues. He has also been a major contributor to many advanced vehicle programs and launches. Mr. Howle has a BSME from General Motors Institute and a MSME from Ohio State University.

Thomas Reinhart is Program Manager for NVH in the Engine, Emissions, and Vehicle Research division of Southwest Research Institute. Previous roles include Senior Manager for NVH at Visteon Chassis Systems, where Mr. Reinhart was responsible for the NVH analysis and development of axles, driveshafts, and power steering systems. From 2001 to 2004, he was NVH Program Manager at Roush Industries, Inc. where he was responsible for NVH testing and development of diesel and gasoline engines, as well as transmissions, axles and accessories. Diesel fuel system noise was a special focus of this work. Prior to Roush, he was Director of Noise & Vibration Technology at Cummins, Inc. Mr. Reinhart has been involved in solving noise and vibration issues in engines, as well as in a wide variety of engine applications, including pickup trucks, heavy duty trucks, construction equipment, and marine. Mr. Reinhart has developed noise reduction features for diesel engines, four of which have been patented. He has published 15 technical papers on Powertrain NVH topics. Mr. Reinhart received his B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University. He also spent a year studying automotive engineering at the Technical University of Hannover, Germany. His master's thesis focused on the application of acoustic intensity measurements to diesel engines.

Pranab Saha With over 40 years of experience, Dr. Pranab Saha is recognized worldwide as an authority on automotive noise, body interior systems and sound package materials. He is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Kolano and Saha Engineers, Inc. In his role as principal consultant of the company, he leads automotive, commercial vehicles, other transportation systems, appliances and product noise related programs. He is the direct link between the client and company’s staff and resources. Throughout his career, Dr. Saha has directed and participated in numerous advanced noise control engineering programs and training programs including seminars and webinars for various OEM companies and suppliers worldwide.

Dr. Saha is an active member of SAE International, ASA, ASME, ESD, INCE-USA, and NSPE/MSPE. He has presented technical papers and has organized and chaired numerous technical sessions sponsored by SAE and other professional organizations. As a lifelong contributor to SAE International, Dr. Saha assisted in the development of several SAE Standards on acoustics and an SAE document, “How to Write an SAE Technical Paper,” which guides professionals through the writing process. He is the lead faculty member of the SAE Vehicle Interior Noise Academy and an associate editor for the SAE International Journal of Vehicle Dynamics, Stability and NVH. In 2021, Dr. Saha received the SAE International Medal of Honor, the SAE International Ralph K. Hillquist NVH Lifetime Achievement Award, SAE published his book on Acoustical Materials: Solving the Challenge of Vehicle Noise. Dr. Saha is an INCE-USA Board Certified Member, an INCE-USA Director, a Fellow Member of SAE International and ESD, and has been named an SAE Master Instructor. Dr. Saha holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Acoustics Specialty) from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Bruce Tuckeris a recent retired from General Motors with over 40 years of automotive N&V experience primarily in the powertrain area. His experience covers from the initial design concept through development, factory issues, and field issues such as warranty problem solving. Often this work has expanded beyond N&V into other areas of powertrain and vehicle systems. His most recent assignment was the Technical Specialist/Noise Lead Engineer for the GM “Small Block” engine family. Bruce has a B.S. Mechanical Engineering from Ohio State University, 1981. He has several patents, research disclosures, and awards from General Motors. Bruce is a member of SAE.