Talented Youth Embrace Challenge to Excel

22 Students Named 2012 Davidson Fellows and Receive $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 Scholarships

RENO, Nev., Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Producing highly-qualified professionals, including scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs is critical to maintaining economic productivity in the United States. Public discourse on our nation's competitiveness tends to focus on the needs of low-performing students. As important to our country's future success are the most capable of students, who are reaching high levels of academic excellence and, if given the proper support, can help propel the U.S. forward in an ever-competitive world.

Among these high achievers, 22 bright young people named as 2012 Davidson Fellows exemplify the extraordinary work that can be accomplished by U.S. students who are given opportunities to excel.  

The Davidson Fellows program offers $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 college scholarships to students 18 or younger, who have created significant projects that have the potential to benefit society in the fields of science, technology, mathematics, literature, music and philosophy.  The Davidson Fellows scholarship program has provided nearly $5 million in scholarship funds to 206 Fellows since its inception in 2001, and has been named one of the most prestigious undergraduate scholarships by U.S. News & World Report. The Davidson Fellows is a program of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Reno, Nev. that supports profoundly gifted youth.

"The Davidson Institute is built on the belief that individuals, who have extraordinary intelligence and talents, when encouraged and supported, can improve the quality of life for us all," said Bob Davidson, co-founder of the Davidson Institute. "We are delighted to recognize this group of resourceful and distinguished young people for their fascinating projects – projects that have the potential to benefit society."

Positive contributions to society made by the 2012 Davidson Fellows include:

• Discovering how intracellular signaling in plants works to produce an effective immune response against bacterial pathogens.
• Contributing to a better understanding of consciousness with implications in fields ranging from medicine to artificial intelligence.
• Identifying the biomechanism to provide a therapeutic target to curing Parkinson's disease.
• Investigating a tumor suppressor gene and its usefulness as a biomarker for liver cancer.
• Fabricating a novel dual hydrogen production and water purification device using wastewater as its sole fuel source.
• Developing algae as an effective oil source for biodiesel.

The 2012 Davidson Fellows Award Ceremony is scheduled for Wed., Oct. 3 in Washington, D.C. with all scholarship recipients attending.

The following students are this year's Davidson Fellows:

2012 Davidson Fellow Laureates
$50,000 Scholarships

• Mr. David Ding, 18, Albany, Calif.; Mathematics
• Mr. Manoj Kanagaraj, 18, Chino Hills, Calif.: Science
• Miss Sara Volz, 17, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Science
• Mr. Michael Yan, 18, Pepper Pike, Ohio; Science

2012 Davidson Fellows
$25,000 Scholarships

• Mr. Nathan Chan, 18, Burlingame, Calif.; Music
• Miss Ashley George, 18, Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.; Science
• Mr. Philip He, 17, Okemos, Mich.; Science
• Mr. Duligur Ibeling, 18, Osseo, Minn.; Science
• Mr. Ryota Ishizuka, 18, Cos Cob, Conn.; Science
• Miss Nina Lu, 18, Rockville, Md.; Science
• Miss Naomi Shah, 17, Portland, Ore.; Science
• Mr. Lijia Xie, 17, Lansdale, Pa.; Science

$10,000 Scholarships

• Mr. Saumil Bandyopadhyay, 17, Glen Allen, Va.; Science
• Mr. Alex Chen, 16, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; Science
• Mr. Sitan Chen, 17, Suwanee, Ga.; Mathematics
• Miss Ioana Grosu, 17, Troy, Mich.; Philosophy
• Mr. Bryan He, 18, Buffalo, N.Y.; Technology
• Mr. Xiaoyu He, 18, Acton, Mass.; Mathematics
• Mr. Kamden Hilliard, 18, Mililani, Hawaii.; Literature
• Miss Vaishnavi Rao, 17, San Diego, Calif.; Science
• Mr. Anand Srinivasan, Roswell, Ga.; Technology

About the Davidson Institute
Founded by Bob and Jan Davidson in 1999, the Davidson Institute for Talent Development recognizes, nurtures and supports profoundly intelligent young people, and provides opportunities for them to develop their talents to make a positive difference. The Institute offers support through a number of programs and services, including the Davidson Fellows and The Davidson Academy of Nevada. For more information about the 2012 Davidson Fellows, please visit www.DavidsonGifted.org/Fellows.  

SOURCE Davidson Institute for Talent Development