The mechanical engineering senior design team behind last spring’s Leaf Blower Noise Cancellation project is making noise—in all the right ways. On Oct. 17, they were honored by the UK’s Noise Abatement Society with the Quiet Mark Industry Award, recognizing their innovative approach to creating a significantly quieter leaf blower.
Three members of the team—Leen Alfaoury ’24, Madison Morrison ‘24, and Andrew Palacio ’24—along with their instructor, Stephen Belkoff, adjunct professor of mechanical engineering and lead instructor of the Senior Design course, made the trip to London to accept the award in person at the Palace of Westminster. Team member Michael Chacon ’24 was unable to make the trip.
“The students were a team of accomplished engineers who tackled a difficult and, by all accounts, annoying problem,” Belkoff said. “They’ve earned every accolade that they have received. Getting recognized at the Houses of Parliament was icing on the cake. Working with the team was an absolute pleasure.”
The Noise Abatement Society, a UK-based charity, is dedicated to raising awareness about the effects of sound on humans and promotes solutions to noise pollution pragmatically and sustainably. The group’s annual John Connell Awards, known as the “Noise Oscars,” are now in their 23rd year.
“Many congratulations to the Johns Hopkins students for tackling the universal problem of noisy leaf blowers and successfully creating less intrusive sound-emitting technology which may be used for other applications,” said Gloria Elliott, Quiet Mark chair and co-founder.
The team’s improved leaf blower drops the overall noise level by nearly 40% while almost entirely erasing the most obnoxious frequencies. The design is patent-pending and project sponsor Stanley Black & Decker expects to be selling them in two years. The leaf blower team won the Dean’s Design award for mechanical engineering at Design Day 2024.