[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 116 (Monday, September 18, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9674-S9675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING THE 2006 DAVIDSON FELLOWS

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, it gives me great pleasure to pay 
tribute to 16 outstanding scholars who have recently been announced as 
2006 Davidson fellows. The Davidson Institute scholarships promote and 
reward students under 18 years old who have undertaken invaluable 
projects and studies for the greater good of our country and the world. 
These individuals are more than deserving of this great honor. Allow me 
to introduce each of the scholars and describe a bit about them and 
their projects.
  At the age of 12, Drew Petersen, of Oradell, NJ, is the youngest 
student ever accepted into the Manhattan School of Music Conducting 
Program. He hopes to become a performing pianist, composer, and 
conductor. Drew's project is entitled ``Keeping Classical Music 
Alive.'' He hopes that he can reach audiences through his piano 
performances and inspire them to become more active and engaged 
listeners in all areas of their lives.
  Shivani Sud, a 16-year-old from Durham, NC, discovered a technology 
to deliver chemotherapeutic molecules to cancerous cells with increased 
efficiency. Her project is entitled ``HIV-1 Tat and IGK-Chain Secretion 
Based Protein Transduction: a Novel Strategy for Molecule Delivery.'' 
Shivani's research can help combat cancer and infectious diseases 
through more effective chemotherapy treatments. A senior at Jordan High 
School, Shivani hopes to eventually perform research in the field of 
medicine as a physician scientist.
  Heather Engebretson is a 16-year-old from Tuscaloosa, AL, who views 
music as a method of communication and a tool for social progress. 
Heather's portfolio, ``Music as a Universal Communication,'' showcases 
her wide range of prestigiously awarded musical talents. Heather will 
attend the University of Alabama this fall majoring in vocal 
performance, in hopes that the combination of this experience and the 
courses she has taken through the Johns Hopkins distance learning 
program will help her in someday fulfilling her dream of becoming an 
opera singer.
  The discoveries of 17-year-old Michael Viscardi from San Diego, CA, 
can potentially aid in next-generation aircraft design, aerodynamics, 
medical imaging, astronomy, heat flow and fluid dynamics. Michael's 
project, ``On the Solution of the Dirichlet Problem with Rational 
Holomorphic Boundary Data,'' portrays his solution of the thermal 
equilibrium of a heated metal plate. Michael will attend Harvard and 
the New England Conservatory in the fall, majoring in mathematics and 
violin performance respectively, and I have no doubt that he has the 
potential to become both a successful mathematics professor and a 
professional violinist.
  As a 17-year-old woman from Austin, TX, Stephanie Chen has already 
established herself as an award-winning musician. Stephanie explores 
each piece in her piano portfolio, ``A Musical Painting,'' by creating 
images in her mind then, in her performance, conveying this passion to 
the audience. Stephanie is entering her senior year at Westwood High 
School and would like to pursue medical studies in college and play the 
piano professionally.
  Kyle Dacuyan is a 16-year-old young man from Sterling, VA, with a 
passion for writing. Kyle illustrates that he is able to empathize with 
other viewpoints throughout his portfolio entitled ``What Have You 
Been, Where Have You Gone.'' Kyle's work examines familial 
relationships, complexities and oddities, and exhibits his 
unflinchingly honest look at pride, love, and social class. As he 
enters his senior year at Potomac Falls High School, Kyle hopes to 
continue his lifelong passion for writing through his pursuit of 
college degrees in English and writing. Kyle also hopes to someday 
teach at the college level.
  Seventeen-year-old Varun Kumar, of Bellaire, TX, is determined to 
improve diagnostics in the field of medicine through more effective 
magnetic resonance imaging, MRI. The implications of Varun's research, 
found in his portfolio entitled ``Novel Properties in Europium DOTA--
tetramide Complex for use in MRI Contrast Agent,'' could provide a more 
comprehensive and less invasive form of diagnosis in almost every field 
of medicine. Varun is a recent graduate of Bellaire High School and 
will be attending Rice University in the fall. He plans to major in 
biochemistry and pursue a career in medicine or medical research, and I 
wish him the very best of luck.
  Sheela Krishnan is a 17-year-old young woman from Suffren, NY, who 
analyzed Paenicbacillus larvae, the bacterium that causes American 
foulbrood disease, AFB, a fatal disease that attacks honeybee larvae. 
Sheela created a safe, non-invasive and inexpensive preventative 
measure to protect honeybees in vivo from AFB. Sheela portrays her work 
in her portfolio entitled ``Isolation and Characterization of a 
Potential Probiotic Cocktail for the Control of American Foulbrood in 
Domestic Honeybees.'' Sheela is a recent high school graduate and will 
be attending Brown University as a member of the 8-year liberal medical 
education program. She hopes to major in both anthropology and biology 
and then go on to become a doctor.
  The research of 17-year-old Adam Solomon, of Bellmore, NY, can help 
unlock clues about stellar evolution and formation, the history of our 
galaxy, and the formation of planetary systems. Displayed in his 
portfolio entitled ``The Effects of Age on Brown Dwarf Spectral 
Features in the Near-Infrared'' is Adam's creation of an analytical 
tool for estimating a brown dwarf's age and mass. Adam will attend Yale 
University where he plans to major in astronomy and physics and hopes 
to move on to the University of Cambridge for a master's then on to 
Caltech or Harvard for a doctorate degree.
  At the age of 17, Yi Sun, of San Jose, CA, applied combinatorial 
mathematics to derive a formula for the expected winding number of a 
random walk on a unit lattice. Scientists can use this research to 
predict how many times the polymer will coil around an obstacle, or 
rod, thus, indicating the strength of the polymer. Yi's astounding 
research is displayed in his portfolio entitled, ``Combinatorics: On 
the Expected Winding Number of a Random Walk on the Unit Lattice,'' and 
can be used in physics, computer science and material science. Yi 
recently graduated from The Harker School and will be attending Harvard 
in the fall. Yi plans to major in mathematics and physics and hopes to 
pursue careers in both fields.
  Thirteen-year-old Travis Johnson, of Milwaukie, OR, has been studying 
classical guitar since he was 8. Travis is establishing himself as an 
award-winning musician, and his portfolio is entitled ``Trails of Hope: 
The Importance of Adding New Music to the Classical Repertoire.'' 
Travis is currently home-

[[Page S9675]]

schooled and taught privately by teachers outside of the home. He 
studies music at Marylhurst University. Master guitar classes have 
played a large role in his life the past few years, and likely will 
play a role in his career ambition to become a classical guitarist.
  Albert Shieh is a 16-year-old young man from Paradise Valley, AZ, who 
created a computational tool used to analyze genetic sequence 
variability in humans, which will help in developing a better 
understanding of gene sequence variations that occur when a single 
nucleotide in the genome sequence is altered. Albert's research 
portfolio, ``A Novel Algorithm for Automated SNP Genotyping,'' holds 
the promise to find the genetic basis for Alzheimer's disease, autism, 
and bipolar disorder with highly targeted, personalized treatments. 
Albert recently graduated from Chaparral High School and will attend 
Harvard in the fall and major in mathematics. Albert aspires to have a 
career as an intellectual property lawyer.
  Anna Stalker, a 15-year-old young woman from Birmingham, AL, 
addresses the persistent search for truth through different literary 
expressions and experiences in her portfolio, ``The Reincarnation 
Journals.'' In imagistic works, Anna explores the search for truth and 
beauty through depictions of human interaction and the interactions of 
the larger cosmos. When Anna's individual pieces are gathered, a larger 
meaning emerges. Entering her junior year at The Alamont School, Anna's 
main source of academic and social enrichment is the Duke Talent 
Identification Program, TIP. Although she has no concrete career goals 
yet, she is sure of one thing--she wants her life to be a meaningful 
reflection of her passions.
  A 17-year-old young woman from Beaverton, OR, Anarghya Vardhana 
worked in the field of number theory to develop new starting values for 
the Lucas-Lehmer primality test. Her theorem/method, found in her 
portfolio entitled ``Novel Method of Computing Jacobi Symbols for 
Mersenne Numbers,'' can directly contribute to the pharmaceutical, 
chemical, materials, financial and information technology industries. 
Her theory also has broad implications in cryptography, specifically 
enhancing encryption systems to protect against identity theft. A 
recent high school graduate, Anarghya will attend Stanford University 
in the fall, and is leaning towards a major in physics or biology 
combined with a math major or minor.
  Xin--Cindy--Wang is a 17-year-old from Geneva, IL, and is a recent 
graduate of the Illinois Math and Science Academy. Displayed in her 
portfolio, ``nm2608A, A New Naturally Arising Mouse Model for Human 
Autosomal Recessive Achromatopsia 2,'' is Xin's identification of a 
gene responsible for complete colorblindness in mice. Spanning genetics 
and ophthalmology, her results may one day be used to help people with 
achromatopsia 2, the most severe form of colorblindness, in which 
people can only see in shades of gray. I wish Xin much luck as she 
begins attending Harvard in the fall, where she will be working towards 
a major in a biology-related field and becoming a college professor.
  At the age of 16, Steven Wu, of Folsom, CA, is contributing to the 
scientific world in a major way. Steven designed a computer simulation 
algorithm that produces superior results when compared with the current 
commercial software in terms of better simulation of ion movement due 
to more accurate electrical field data. Steven's project is entitled 
``Optimizing Quadruple Ion Trap Geometry by Computer Simulations.'' 
Advancements in ion trap geometry can improve all areas of laboratory 
science through mass spectrometry, as well as better monitoring of 
atmospheric pollutants and detecting hazardous chemical substances. 
Steven will be a senior at Mira Loma High School this fall. He plans to 
major in biomedical engineering/bioengineering, combining his interests 
in biochemistry and mathematics and eventually become a research 
physician/scientist.
  As I said, these young men and women are more than deserving of the 
awards they have earned. Through hard work and determination, these 
individuals have already made changes in the fields of science, 
writing, and mathematics, which will no doubt improve the lives of the 
many others all over the world. As the President indicated in his State 
of the Union address, our country's future competitiveness in the 
global economy will depend on bright and promising young people. 
Learning about these 16 remarkable students makes me optimistic about 
our Nation's future. I thank the Davidson Institute for their efforts 
to encourage and nurture our future leaders in a variety of fields and 
I thank these young and talented scholars for all of their innovative 
contributions to society.

                          ____________________