@BYUAcoustics and @SoundstoAstound: Using social media to enhance research and outreach at Brigham Young University

Social media is increasingly used to attract the attention of the public to research activities and to promote interest in science worldwide. A concerted effort has been made by the Acoustics Research Group at Brigham Young University to promote acoustics with various methods of enhanced communications. Web page articles were developed with lay-language introductions to the group's research activities, which can be shared directly to social media sites. The group's Facebook page and research Twitter account @BYUAcoustics provide information about current research meetings, publications, and acoustics in the news, which help network with students who may be interested in joining the acoustics program and which keep alumni informed of current events. In addition, local outreach efforts have been expanded through use of social media. A general audience Twitter account @SoundstoAstound has been utilized to connect with students in our descriptive class and K-12 teachers who bring their students to tour our fa...