Cardinal & Gray Society Holiday Luncheon

Members of the Cardinal & Gray, Emma Rogers, and Katharine Dexter McCormick (1904) Societies are invited to hear from Mark Rau, MIT assistant professor of music technology. In this live webcast from December 11, 2025, he presents The Design, Acoustics, and Study of Musical Instruments, an exploration of how vibration, acoustics, and computational tools reveal the science behind sound.  Rau is interested in the fields of musical acoustics, vibration and acoustic measurement, audio signal processing, and physical modeling synthesis, among other areas. As a lifelong guitarist, his research tends to focus on anything that involves guitars or audio effects often used with guitars. These pursuits—combined with a passion for physical design and construction—have led to an interest in luthiery, the craft of making and repairing stringed musical instruments. This, in turn, helps guide Rau’s research in musical instrument acoustics, measurement, and modeling.