Declan Walden, a junior pursuing a double major in both physics and applied mathematics at the University of Rochester, was selected to give an oral presentation at the post-deadline session at this year’s Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO) in Charlotte, NC. Declan presented work he performed at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics as part of the LLE Undergraduate Program. Declan actively participated in all experiments and, under the guidance of Assistant Research Professor Ivan Komissarov, performed a novel theoretical analysis of water diffusion in hydrogels (a standard phantom for human skin). The post-deadline session at CLEO—a plenary evening session that all conference participants attend—is by far the most-competitive and prestigious event during the conference. “He is absolutely an outstanding student,” says Senior Scientist Roman Sobolewski. Congratulations and good luck to Declan on this extraordinary achievement!
