Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University Installs Microphone Array Ceiling Tiles

  • By Matt Jones
  • 12/08/21

Michigan Technological University (MTU) in Houghton, Mich., recently announced that it has outfitted two of its on-campus spaces with ClearOne BMA 360 Beamforming Microphone Array Ceiling Tiles. According to a news release, the technology offers wall-to-wall microphone coverage in large spaces, ensuring that each student in the space—and at home—can fully engage with the material or conversation at hand. The solution has been installed in a lecture hall and a multi-purpose space in the campus library.

“Digital connectivity and communications is central to virtually every discipline we teach at MTU today, and our students both expect and deserve class-leading tools that optimize efficiency and improve educational experiences,” said David Chard, MTU’s Director of Media Technology Services. “The ClearOne BMA 360 ceiling tile microphones now being used in the DOW 642 lecture hall and the library’s East Reading Room immediately transformed how each space could be used by enabling clear, crisp audio pickup of any voice in any seat through the units’ intelligent Voice Lift capabilities.”

Whether the space in question is being used for lectures, meetings or remote collaborations, the solution helps every voice in the room be heard. The units’ Voice Lift capabilities eliminate the need to pass around a microphone or for speakers to move to another part of the room before speaking. Microphone pickup is played back in real time, ensuring full audio quality for those both in and out of the room.

“We only install technologies that provide reliable experiences for users, and after years of success with various ClearOne products, we know these solutions are both easy to use and deliver industry-leading capabilities and performance,” Chard said. “During semesters impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, we implemented a host of ClearOne’s Chat 170 speakerphones in various smaller rooms, so both our students and faculty are aware of the brand’s status and usability.”

A news release states that the university community recorded and viewed more than 225,000 hours’ worth of instruction during the duration of the pandemic thus far. Reliable audio technology reduces the need for student tech associates’ assistance before and after class, as well as makes sure that remote learners aren’t missing anything going on in the classroom.

“Michigan Technological University’s installations present a true case study of what can be accomplished when institutions leverage ClearOne’s class-leading technologies and devices to support collaboration and communication in any size space,” said Zee Hakimoglu, ClearOne Chair and CEO. “It’s our hope that colleges, universities, corporations and businesses of all needs recognize the importance and value of reliable, helpful technologies that improve outcomes and support better utilization of space.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Colorado School District Breaks Ground on Unified PK–12 Campus

    The Haxtun School District No. Re-2J in Haxtun, Colo., recently announced that ground has been broken on a renovation/addition project that will unite its two schools, Haxtun Elementary and Haxtun Jr/Sr High School, according to a news release.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • Universities Continue to Launch Multimillion-Dollar Campus Transformations

    What makes the current wave of campus development especially noteworthy is its emphasis on multi-use functionality and community integration. Institutions are no longer investing solely in academic or athletic facilities in isolation. Instead, they are creating destinations that blend recreation, health, housing, and event-driven economic activity.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.