Quick Shot

Dr. Danae Polsin, scientist in the High-Energy-Density Experimental Physics Group at LLE and Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Rochester, received the 2023 Outstanding Young Alum Award from the SUNY Geneseo Alumni Association. This annual award recognizes SUNY Geneseo graduates who have achieved early distinction in a chosen profession. Danae graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Geneseo in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in physics. While at Geneseo, Danae was a member of the Geneseo Nuclear Physics Research team that worked closely with the Omega Laser Facility at LLE and the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She was part of a select group of research students who traveled to other universities and national laboratories to conduct experiments and present at conferences across the country. In 2013, only around 6500 bachelor’s degrees in physics were awarded nationwide, with fewer than 1300 to women. In 2018, when Danae earned her Ph.D. in physics from the University of Rochester, fewer than 1700 Ph.D.’s in physics and astronomy were awarded in the U.S. and of these, only 390 were to women. “Danae is a member of a distinctive group of women who are changing the landscape of physics and making [the field] more appealing for all genders,” says Professor Steve Padalino, Danae’s academic and research advisor at SUNY Geneseo.