UNH Today

Research Snapshot: Eerie Quiet

Stanley Ellis, a research engineer with UNH’s Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, tests a detector inside Morse Hall’s anechoic chamber, a room lined with pyramid-shaped material that absorbs all sound, radio waves, and electromagnetic radiation. Space scientists rely on this eerily quiet space to block outside interference so they can focus solely on the radio frequency emission of the equipment they are testing, including wireless transmitters, antennas, and other electronic devices.

Vision Quest

A 2017 guest lecture appearance at RiverWoods retirement community in Exeter has resulted in an estate sale purchase of a second observatory for the University of New Hampshire, one that brings new technology to students conducting research and utilizes an optical system long coveted by the UNH Astronomy Committee.