The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $500,000 Project Grant to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) under the Engineering (CFDA #47.041) program to design, fabricate, and evaluate acoustic-to-optical nanoscale transducers. The goal of this 3-year project is to develop novel micro-auscultation devices that can efficiently convert weak sound waves into optical signals, enabling the detection and interpretation of acoustic signatures from small biological objects like cells, bacteria, and viruses. The project will leverage near-field plasmon-dielectric coupling effects and impedance-optimized acousto-compressible polymer nanofiber cladding layers to fabricate the transducers. Techniques like laser Doppler vibrometry and high-speed digital holographic microscopy will be used to characterize the acoustic resonance and response of the plasmomechanical transduction mechanism. This research is expected to advance scientific knowledge and transform the ability to monitor health, diagnose diseases, and study fundamental biological processes through acoustic sensing.