[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 132 (Thursday, September 17, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9549-S9550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 2009 DAVIDSON FELLOW AWARD RECIPIENTS

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, it is my distinct pleasure to bring 
before the Senate today the achievements of some of the most brilliant, 
inventive young minds in the United States. I take this time to 
acknowledge the 19 recipients of the 2009 Davidson Fellows Award, a 
scholarship awarded to exceptional students to assist them in 
furthering their education. These scholarships are given by the 
Davidson Institute for Talent Development to profoundly gifted 
individuals under the age of 18 who have completed academically 
rigorous projects that demonstrate a potential to make a significant, 
positive contribution to society. This year's recipients achieved 
academic distinction in the areas of science, literature, philosophy, 
out-of-the-box thinking, technology, and music. These young individuals 
are more than deserving of this honor and our recognition. I would like 
to take a few moments to describe what each recipient has accomplished.
  In the realm of science, we have eleven remarkable young people, 
including Eric Sherman, from Ephrata, PA, who developed a technique 
that allows scientists to identify potential bone marrow donors for 6 
percent of the cost and 1 percent of the time of traditional 
techniques. Using polymerase chain reaction and cycle sequencing, he 
sequenced the genes that determine a person's Human Leukocyte Antigen 
type. Eric then wrote a computer program to analyze the DNA sequence 
and return possible antigen matches. This technique can potentially be 
used to identify donors for other transplantable organs, such as 
kidney, liver, and lung, creating the opportunity to save hundreds of 
lives and millions of dollars each year. Eric is 15 years old.
  A 17-year-old young woman from Albuquerque, NM, Erika DeBenedictis 
researched methods of identifying low-energy paths for spacecraft. By 
carefully planning the route a spacecraft will take, it is possible to 
reduce the amount of fuel needed by utilizing the natural gravity and 
motion of planets in the solar system. Erika developed an itinerary-
based algorithm to reach specified destinations, which streamlines the 
process of finding low-energy paths. Such orbits are particularly 
useful for heavy spacecraft, in which self-propulsion is especially 
difficult. Use of low-energy paths would allow these spacecraft to 
reach previously impractical destinations.
  A 17-year-old young man from Rochester, MI, Rahul Pandey created a 
negative index refraction lens made of metamaterials. Metamaterials 
have the unique property to bend electromagnetic waves of a certain 
frequency backward, so an image is possible on the opposite side of a 
lens. He modeled the energy flow of negative index materials in terms 
of lens geometry, refractive index, focal length, and source distance, 
finding a perfectly linear relationship. Rahul's work has applications 
in stealth technology, antenna elements, radio frequency signal 
switching, and lenses that do not adhere to the diffraction limit.
  Aditya Palepu, from Oakton, VA, developed a pattern classification 
algorithm that extracts linear and Gaussian relationships from raw data 
using a bottom-up approach. Given any data set, all possible models are 
generated, iteratively weeded down, and refined to better fit the data. 
This algorithm is effective on benchmark Iris data and synthetic 
distributions, and was designed so the model library can be expanded to 
more data sets. Aditya's work has applications in facial/object 
recognition, data mining, trend analysis, and was used to classify a 
Washington, DC crime database revealing the clustering of criminal 
activity. Aditya is 17 years old.
  From Woodbury, MN, Prithwis Mukhopadhyay researched the molecular 
mechanism by which carrageenan may induce pre-malignant cell 
transformation. Carrageenan is an FDA-approved food additive found in 
dairy products, processed meats, dog food, infant formula, and 
cosmetics. Using mammary epithelial cells, he found carrageenan reduced 
ASB activity and increased sulfated sGAG, especially chondroitin 
sulfate, which induced cell migration and pre-malignant transformation. 
At 16 years old, Prithwis' work shows how carrageenan influences breast 
cancer cell proliferation and migration.
  Fiona Wood, from North Haven, CT, explored the brain's ability to 
perceive and measure interval time using late-spiking (LS) neurons. She 
created the first biophysically realistic computational model of an LS 
neuron, and used it to construct neural networks that can accurately 
and realistically encode time. For all animals, an ability to perceive 
and measure time is essential for a wide variety of tasks. Fiona's work 
can lead to better understanding of brain diseases in which interval 
time encoding is impaired, such as Parkinson's, Huntington's, and 
schizophrenia. Fiona is 17 years old.
  A 17-year-old young man from Winston Salem, NC, Darren Zhu worked to 
develop more efficient data storage technologies by exploring 
nanofabrication methods for spintronics. Spintronics, or spin-based 
electronics, are inherently more powerful than electronics, as they 
exploit electron spin and subsequently are more sensitive than 
integrated circuit technology. He incorporated molecular self-assembled 
monolayers, or SAMs, into spintronics and performed surface analyses to 
find that isocyanide-based SAMs are a viable candidate for 
implementation in nanoscale spintronics fabrication. Darren's work has 
strong applications in nanotechnology, specifically in the field of 
nanolithography.
  A 16-year-old young man from Addison, TX, Roman Stolyarov designed 
and produced an omnidirectional dielectric mirror for visible light 
using a unique one-step fabrication process. The mirror is composed of 
12 ultrathin alternating layers of two chalcogenide glasses, which were 
deposited by thermal evaporation onto a transparent silicon dioxide 
glass substrate. Simulations show that doubling the number of 
alternating layers would produce near perfect reflectivity, a 
phenomenon impossible for silvered mirrors, given their inherent losses 
in the visible spectrum. Roman's process will allow for rapid 
manufacturing of wavelength specific mirrors with applications in radar 
filtration and fiber technologies.
  From Teaneck, NJ, Yael Dana Neugut studied arsenic metabolism and 
renal function in an arsenic-exposed population in Bangladesh. She 
found that the association between urinary excretion of arsenic 
metabolites and creatinine is likely due to their shared metabolic 
pathway, and that creatine may be an effective way to prevent and treat 
long-term exposure to arsenic.

[[Page S9550]]

More than 100 million people worldwide are chronically exposed to high 
levels of arsenic and are at risk of serious diseases, such as cancer 
and heart disease. A randomized trial of creatine supplementation is 
currently underway in Bangladesh. Yael is 17 years old.
  A 17-year-old young man from East Setauket, NY, Jason Karelis studied 
an enzyme called MenD that plays a role in the biosynthesis of a lipid 
called menaquinone in Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium that causes 
staph infections. Menaquinone is an electron carrier crucial to S. 
aureus. Jason constructed a mutant strain of S. aureus with a disrupted 
MenD gene and observed its growth on media only with menaquinone added, 
evidence that MenD is vital for S. aureus. Staph infections are a major 
public health concern and Jason's work provides a platform for a new 
class of antibiotics.
  From Hilo, HI, Nolan Kamitaki designed a computer simulation to 
determine how viral characteristics and medical supply distribution 
patterns affect an epidemic's spread across a social network. Starting 
with a particle-based simulation to analyze basic interaction rates, he 
moved to a small world network, modeling an epidemic's spread across a 
population. Nolan's findings showed that children, due to their greater 
degree of social connection, are most useful for prevention and are the 
most effective recipients of medical processes. Nolan is 16 years old.
  In the area of literature, we have a young woman from North Potomac, 
MD. Amy Levine, a 16-year-old, examines the shades of gray between 
black and white in her literature collection, Grayscale Unraveled. She 
demonstrates how life choices that have the greatest impact initially 
do not appear to be choices at all, but have the potential to be the 
most transformative. Amy's portfolio explores the small yet important 
events that determine who we are and how we live, while breaking down 
the black and white decisions people make to show the grayscale that 
describes the world.
  Also in the area of literature, we have Nicole Rhodes, a 17-year-old 
from Vancouver, WA, who created the portfolio The Dictionary of 
Distance to explore different facets of distance in writing. She 
considers the distance between a piece's narrator and characters, the 
space between the author and the work, and the space separating 
characters and other elements to determine how distance alters memory. 
Through this examination, Nicole is able to analyze the writing 
process, the writer's perspective, and the final written product. Her 
portfolio includes a variety of forms, styles, and subjects, united in 
this investigation.
  From Indianapolis, IN, Doreen Xu explores the foundation of evil in 
her philosophy portfolio, The Roots of Evil. She delves into the human 
psyche to examine several distinct sources of evil, concluding that all 
human evil is caused by frustrated human desire. Doreen explores this 
newly defined dimension of evil with an enlightened perspective, 
fostering a new method of viewing evil. She hopes this will allow evil 
to be more effectively combated, leading to a more progressive and 
harmonious global society. Doreen is 16 years old.
  The first recipient in the world of music is Melody Lindsay, from 
Honolulu, HI, who believes we celebrate mankind's best achievements 
through music. In her portfolio, Harping Around the World: Cultural 
Leadership for the 21st Century, she draws on her experience as a 
harpist to connect with audiences. She is particularly interested in 
inspiring young people to discover and pursue their own passion for 
classical music. Melody, at age 17, has performed on and serves as a 
Cultural Ambassador for NPR's ``From the Top'' and was a Focus on Youth 
Performer for the ninth and tenth World Harp Congresses.
  From La Crescenta, CA, Connie Kim-Sheng seeks to convey the insights 
of classical composers in her portfolio, Inspired by Beauty: Piano 
Masterworks. Her performance of pieces by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, 
Debussy, and Ginastera provide musical texts that illuminate the span 
of human feeling and experience, demonstrating a multitude of complex 
harmonies. At 17 years old, Connie has performed on NPR's ``From the 
Top,'' and for audiences in Sydney, Australia; Calgary, Canada; and Los 
Angeles. Through her music, Connie hopes to encourage greater respect 
for cooperation and pluralism in society.
  A 13-year-old young woman from San Diego, CA, Sarina Zhang strives to 
show the beauty and emotional value of classical music in her 
portfolio, Reaching out to the World with the Magic of Music. Through 
performance, she strives to connect with her audience, moving them with 
the simple truth of classical music. A pianist and cellist attending 
The Juilliard Pre-College Division, she has been featured on NPR's 
``From the Top,'' performed at Carnegie Hall, and toured 
internationally with the San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra.
  For exemplary works in the category of ``Outside the Box,'' 
recipients include Allison Ross from Mercer Island, WA. She created a 
portfolio, African and Western Heroes' Journeys in Literature: An 
Exemplification. Against the backdrop of August Wilson's fiction and 
the constructs of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Cycle, she explores the 
relationship between classical Western and African hero mythologies. 
Allison, at 16, investigates the derivations, common motives and 
cultural differences between the two traditions offering original 
narratives and critical analysis. Through this work, Allison hopes that 
others will share her enthusiasm for exploring themes that unite our 
heritages.
  And finally, in his ``Outside the Box'' project, a 15-year-old young 
man from Cupertino, CA, Anshul Samar seeks to make learning a side 
effect of fun with his project, Igniting Interest in Chemistry with 
Elementeo Chemistry Card Game. In Elementeo, players battle with their 
element army, activate reactions, create compounds, and conquer 
opponents using black holes and slippery bases. Anshul hopes that by 
introducing young people to chemistry in a fun and interactive manner, 
they will discover a passion for science and pursue it throughout their 
lives.
  These brilliant young men and women are essential for the success of 
their generation. It is our duty to recognize, support, and nurture 
their progression through academia as they mature into the leaders of 
their generation. We should consider ourselves privileged that some of 
the triumphs of these ingenious young minds have already born fruit. I 
would like to thank the Davidson Institute for making such scholarships 
available and for taking the time to seek out these worthy candidates. 
I would also like to thank each winner and applicant of the Davidson 
Award for showing to us the promise and potential your generation 
holds. We can rest assured that our future is in good hands.

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