Samuel Raetz Silver Whistle ICU25

At the gala dinner of the International Congress on Ultrasonics (ICU 2025), Samuel Raetz, a researcher at the Acoustics Laboratory of the University of Le Mans (LAUM), received the prestigious Silver Whistle, an award presented by the International Commission for Ultrasonics (ICU). This award recognizes his major contributions to the field of ultrasound, both in theory and in practice.

This award is a collective recognition: it also rewards the work of our employees and students throughout my career." — Samuel Raetz

© ICU25 - X. Wang (ICU Chairman), O.B. Wright, S. Raetz and B. Henning (ICU president)

The Silver Whistle, designed to produce a sound spectrum rich in ultrasonic harmonics, symbolizes leadership in the field of ultrasound.

Samuel Raetz joins the list of recipients, which includes Vincent Tournat (2013 winner), also a member of LAUM.

An international award for a promising career

The Silver Whistle is awarded each year to an early-career scientist (10 to 15 years of experience) whose work has made a significant contribution to the international ultrasound community.

Samuel Raetz was nominated by the French Acoustical Society (SFA), with the support of Oliver B. Wright (Osaka University) and Matt Clark (University of Nottingham). His candidacy was selected by the ICU Board of Directors during their preparatory meeting for the congress.

In his letter of nomination, Jean-Dominique Polak, president of the SFA, highlights his research topics, which have made a significant contribution:

He has made a significant contribution, through his 36 publications in international journals, to the development of various aspects of ultrasonics: laser ultrasonics, applications of ultrasonics to non-destructive testing, surface acoustic waves, and Lamb waves. His most internationally renowned achievements are the evaluation and applications of zero group velocity Lamb modes and the development of picosecond ultrasonic interferometry (also known as time-domain Brillouin scattering) for imaging materials at the nanoscale."

About ICU 2025 

Held from September 21 to 25, 2025, in Paderborn (Le Mans' twin city), ICU 2025 brought together experts from around the world to share the latest advances in ultrasound propagation at a fundamental level and as applied to industry (material characterization, non-destructive testing, process measurement technology, sonochemistry, etc.) and medicine (for diagnosis and therapy), etc. ..) or medicine (for diagnosis and therapy), etc.