Dissertation on Stalactites

I wrote my dissertation on Ancient Rock Music: The sound stalactites make when hit by a rubber mallet. This project was inspired by a visit to Luray Caverns, Virginia, where I heard the “Great Stalacpipe Organ”, which produces sound by hitting stalactites with a rubber mallet. I created a simulation using finite-difference and modal methods of the sound the stalactites make by approximating them as a cantilever bar with variable diameter, undertook a field trip to record the sound of stalactites myself, and made a virtual instrument so you can play the instrument in a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).