Introduction to the Theory and Design of Sonar Transducers
After receivng a B. S. degree in Physics at the University of Texas and then serving as a naval officer in World War II, Oscar Bryan Wilson earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Califoronia at Los Angeles. There his dissertation under the direction of R. W. Leonard was the first work to quantify the effect of magnesium sulfate ionization on sound absorption in sea water. From 1952 to 1957, Dr Wilson was engaged in R&D; work on high amplitude sound , combustion oscillations and their control, and industrial applications of of mechanical vibarations at the Bodine Soundrive Company in Los Angeles. In 1957, Dr Wilson joined the faculty of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. His teaching concetrated in acoustics, underwater sound and sonar transducer design; his research addressed elastic and inelastic properties of materials, acoustic properties of marine sediments, ambient noise in the ocean, and acoustic transducer design. Dr Wilson was active in consulting in architectural acoustics and noise control. He is a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America. a member of the American Physical Society, The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, American Geophysical Union and the Society of the Sigma Xi. His outside interests were in amateur sports car racing, piloting his light plane, photography and music. Dr Wilson passed away in 2009.