This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Dennis Waldron ’10 (Owings, Md.), an electrical and computer engineering major, was awarded first prize in the student project competition at the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) OCEANS ’09 conference in Biloxi, Miss.
OCEANS is the world’s leading conference and exhibition on marine science, technology, and engineering. IEEE is a global authority in areas such as aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications, biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics. To win the competition, Waldron had to outperform undergraduate and graduate students from institutions around the globe.
Waldron is working on advanced research with William Jemison ’85, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Brandon Cochenour ’03 and Linda Mullen of the Naval Air Systems Command in the Department of the Navy. The project is a continuation of underwater laser imaging and communications work Waldron performed during an internship hosted by Cochenour in the summer of 2007.
In the current project, Waldron melded RADAR and lasers to create techniques necessary for high-resolution ranging and measurement underwater. Underwater environments are particularly challenging for optical signals, as particulates in the water cause significant scattering and absorption of light. This limits the accuracy at which range and resolution can be measured. Waldron’s experimental measurements will help Navy engineers with designing systems and predicting their performance.
Waldron plans to pursue a Ph.D. in electrical engineering with a focus on optics and photonics.