Talented Youth Embrace Challenge to Excel

20 Students Named 2013 Davidson Fellows and Receive $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 Scholarships

RENO, Nev., Aug. 29, 2013 /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, 20 bright young people named as 2013 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, engineering, mathematics, literature, music and philosophy.  The Davidson Fellows scholarship program has provided more than $5.3 million in scholarship funds to 226 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 2013 Davidson Fellows include:

• Developing an affordable arsenic water filter and test that is exponentially cheaper than current methods.
• Developing Celloidosomes®, a cell self-assembly process for bioengineering 3-dimensional tissues in a core-shell structure.
• Building a multi-mode 24/7 generator that is powered by any heat source – stove, flame, sun, etc.
• Creating a device that can simultaneously produce electricity and hydrogen gas from wastewater using anaerobic bacteria.
• Developing miRNA prognostic signatures as a diagnostic tool for breast cancer.
• Assembling musical pieces that represent the evolution of 20th century jazz and its as a global musical genre.

The 2013 Davidson Fellows Award Ceremony is scheduled for Sat., Sept. 28 in Washington, D.C. with all scholarship recipients attending.

The following students are this year's Davidson Fellows:

2013 Davidson Fellow Laureates

$50,000 Scholarships

• Miss Hannah Larson, 18, Eugene, Ore.; Mathematics
• Miss Samantha Marquez, 18, Midlothian, Va.; Science

2013 Davidson Fellows

$25,000 Scholarships

• Miss Ankita Ghoshal, 18, Austin, Texas; Science
• Mr. Coleman Hughes, 17, Montclair, N.J.; Music
• Mr.  Harrison Li, 15, Dix Hills, N.Y.; Science
• Miss Aashna Mago, 17, Newtown, Pa.; Science
• Miss Natalie Ng, 17, Cupertino, Calif.; Science
• Miss Kailee Pedersen, 17, Lincoln, Neb.; Literature
• Miss Lilia Popova, 18, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Science
• Mr. Thabit Pulak, 17, Richardson, Texas; Science
• Mr. David Steinberg, 16, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; Outside the Box

$10,000 Scholarships

• Mr. Joshua Brakensiek, 17, Phoenix, Ariz.; Mathematics
• Mr. Alec Brenner, 17, McLean, Va.; Science
• Mr. Michael Janner, 17, Redlands, Calif.; Science
• Mr. Ajay Krishnan, 17, Portland, Ore.; Engineering
• Mr. William Kuszmaul, 17, Lexington, Mass.; Mathematics
• Miss Emily Lipstein, 17, Port Washington, N.Y.; Science
• Miss Jiayi Peng, 18, Chappaqua, N.Y.; Science
• Mr. Vinay Sriram, 17, Boyds, Md.; Technology
• Mr. Vaibhav Vavilala, 18, Indianapolis, Ind.; Science

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. For more information about the 2013 Davidson Fellows, please visit www.DavidsonGifted.org/Fellows.  

High-resolution photos are available at www.DavidsonGifted.org/Fellows.

Coordinate interview opportunities with the Davidson Fellows and their nominators by emailing [email protected].

SOURCE Davidson Institute for Talent Development