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Clarkson doctoral candidate awarded second prize for research on improving underwater laser-radar systems

Posted 12/15/14

NORWOOD -- Clarkson University electrical and computer engineering doctoral candidate David Illig of Norwood recently was awarded second prize at a poster session for his research on improving …

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Clarkson doctoral candidate awarded second prize for research on improving underwater laser-radar systems

Posted

NORWOOD -- Clarkson University electrical and computer engineering doctoral candidate David Illig of Norwood recently was awarded second prize at a poster session for his research on improving underwater laser-radar systems.

Illig, who is funded under an Office of Naval Research grant, placed second in the Student Posters Program and Competition at the OCEANS '14 St. John's Marine Technology Society and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Conference.

Illig's poster, "Statistical Backscatter Suppression Technique for a Wideband Hybrid Lidar-Radar Ranging System," was selected out of 21 posters presented. He was awarded $2,000.

Illig said his research focuses on using signal processing to enhance the performance of underwater laser-radar systems. He compared underwater navigation to driving a car at night.

"Imagine you're driving and it's a clear night, and with your high beams you can see further down the road. If you're driving and it's rainy or cloudy, you can try to use your high beams, but the light just bounces off," he said. "In the ocean, there is a lot of stuff in the water that scatters the light and makes it harder to track what you're trying to find."

Illig also is a 2013 Department of Defense and American Society for Engineering Education Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship recipient. He has worked with researchers at the Naval Air Systems Command's Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, Md., and he looks forward to continuing his work with the Department of Defense after graduation.

"I'm really proud of this achievement," he said. "This is recognition on an international stage for the work I've been doing here at Clarkson and with our Navy partners, so it's really exciting to be recognized for our efforts."