Joe Corcoran

Joe is currently pursuing a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in Virginia Tech’s VAL, researching the characterization of the structural response of residential buildings with respect to different key construction parameters (e.g. stud spacing, drywall thickness, insulation type, etc.) The research is related to a project, headed by Dr. Ricardo Burdisso and funded by NASA, in which the overall goal is the development of a numerical model to predict the acoustic transmission of weak sonic booms into a typical house. Joe has assisted in designing, fabricating, instrumenting, and testing a simple structure. Modal testing and analysis and finite element analysis are key tools to his research, which allow him to determine the test structure’s natural modes of vibration. He also performed acoustic modal testing and analysis on the structure’s closed, interior acoustic space, examining a few different newly published and conventional techniques.

Joe received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in Spring 2008 from Virginia Tech enrolled in the 5 year B.S./M.S. program. In his free time, Joe enjoys playing guitar, keyboard, bass guitar, listening to music, playing basketball, baseball, and tennis, and watching his favorite sports teams.