The Waukesha County Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed that Cory Papenfuss, a research associate in the Vibrations and Acoustics Laboratories in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has died as a result of injuries sustained in a plane crash Jan. 4 in Brookfield, Wisconsin. He was 41 years old.
“The Virginia Tech community is deeply saddened by the news of Cory’s death,” said Don Taylor, interim dean in the College of Engineering. “Cory was a highly regarded and deeply respected colleague who did important work on noise and vibration control. We extend our sincerest condolences and support to his family and to those close to him.”
An employee at Virginia Tech since 2006, Papenfuss’ work in the vibrations and acoustics lab was based on passive and active noise and vibration control applications that included commercial aircraft, military diesel generators, and prenatal hospital incubators. In addition to noise control applications, Papenfuss worked on a variety of custom analog and digital electronics in his research.
Papenfuss completed his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech in 2006.
Virginia Tech has been in touch with his family to offer support and assistance. As additional information is available, it will be shared through Virginia Tech News.