[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 126 (Monday, September 20, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7200-S7202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
2010 DAVIDSON FELLOW AWARD RECIPIENTS
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today, I have the distinct pleasure of
recognizing before the Senate some of the most talented and brightest
young people in the United States. The 2010 Davidson Fellows Award is
being given to 20 young students who are under the age of 18 and have
already demonstrated superior ability and achievement in the areas
science, music, literature, mathematics, and technology. I would like
to take this time to recognize each of these extraordinary young
individuals and their projects.
In the area of science, we have 12 young students with remarkable
projects that have contributed to scientific progress. This includes
Kyle Loh, a 16-year-old young man from Piscataway, NJ, who conducted
screening of chemical libraries and identified compounds that can help
convert human and mouse skin cells into pluripotent stem cells.
Pluripotent stem cells have the potential to differentiate into many
different cell types. The chemical compounds he identified obviate the
need to destroy embryos. Kyle's studies advance regenerative medicine
and provide insights into the molecular mechanisms that underlie the
conversion of skin cells into pluripotent stem cells.
Jonathan Rajaseelan, a 17-year-old young man from Millersville, PA,
synthesized six new chemical carbene complexes of the metal Rhodium.
Rhodium complexes act as catalysts in multiple organic synthesis
reactions, including the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and
industrial chemicals. The catalytic effects of his complexes make these
processes safer, inexpensive, and less
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environmentally hazardous by eliminating the need for large quantities
of hydrogen gas, a dangerous explosive. Jonathan's work has the
potential to contribute to greener methods of making medicines,
pharmaceuticals, and other chemical products.
Eric Brooks, a 16-year-old young man from Hewlett, NY, studied the
genetic factors affecting metastatic progression of prostate cancer.
Approximately 30 percent of men with prostate cancer will die from it,
but it is difficult to predict who will get the metastatic diagnosis.
Eric developed models based on evolutionary selection to identify genes
that may affect metastatic potential either positively or negatively.
His observations may be used to design better clinical predictors to
indicate who must undergo painful treatment and for whom the treatment
is unnecessary.
Meredith Lehmann, a 14-year-old young woman from La Jolla, CA,
researched the spread of epidemics. Using trip data from all 3,076
counties in the continental United States, she found long distance auto
travel, which accounts for five times as many passenger-miles as air
travel, governs simulated epidemic evolution. Large hub airports near
population centers are not disproportionately more important in
contrast to existing research. Meredith's findings suggest epidemic
models should incorporate automobile and air travel data, but
transportation network restrictions are unlikely to be effective.
Laurie Rumker, a 17-year-old young woman from Portland, OR,
investigated the susceptibility of organoclay to biodegradation by
microorganisms within river sediments. Organoclay is a chemically
modified clay material used to prevent hydrophobic pollutants from
rising into the water ecosystem. Through spectrophotometric analyses
and oxygen uptake tests, Laurie found biodegradation of the chemical
structures within organoclay which could impair the ability of the
organoclay to adsorb and retain pollutants. Laurie's work has important
implications for the treatment of contaminated sediments.
Benjamin Song, a 16-year-old young man from Audubon, PA, researched
colon cancer biomarkers in urine. Colon cancer is the second leading
cause of cancer death in the United States, even with the sensitive but
invasive colonoscopy. Benjamin designed and tested polymerase chain
reaction assays targeting a known colon cancer epigenetic marker. His
work shows potential for a urine test for colon cancer that is
noninvasive, fast, affordable, and sensitive. In addition, his method
could be adapted to virtually any cancers with known DNA alterations.
Merry Sun, a 16-year-old young woman from Chappaqua, NY, studied
therapeutic ultrasound's potential in treating recurrent and metastatic
cancers. Traditional therapies like radiation, chemotherapy, and
surgical resection are ineffective in immune responses against tumor
cells. Merry found that therapeutic ultrasound causes stress and light
damage to tumor cells, which alerts the immune system to respond and
target the tumor. Her results demonstrate the possibility of a novel,
non-invasive, non-toxic cancer therapy that treats solid tumors as well
as systemic metastases.
James Ting, a 17-year-old young man from Holmdel, NJ, synthesized
bismuth nanowires which demonstrate quantum confinement, the reduction
of electrons to a one-dimensional axis. By using physical vapor
deposition, he created lawns of bismuth nanowires as well as isolating
single nanowires to add to silicon chips. James' research focuses on
the creation of single electron transistors, which are useful in the
new field of spintronics. The spins of these electrons could then be
harnessed and used for information storage and act as the building
blocks for quantum computers.
Scott Boisvert, a 16-year-old young man from Chandler, AZ,
demonstrated a link between amphibian aquatic environments and the
growth of pathogenic fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which has
contributed to the loss of over 32 percent of amphibian species
worldwide. Using ion chromatography and ion-coupled plasma
spectrometry, Scott studied how the water chemistry of a habitat
affects the growth of the microorganism. Scott's project has broad
implications for understanding the pathogen's propensity to infect an
amphibian host and controlling the spread of infection, benefiting
conservation efforts.
Janie Gu, a 16-year-old young woman from Morganville, NJ, researched
noise reduction of atomic magnetometer systems, advanced devices that
measure magnetic fields with extreme precision. To increase the signal-
to-noise ratio, she tested the loss factors, such as measurements of
magnetic noise produced, of various ferromagnetic materials for use in
the magnetic shield around the system, improving the precision by more
than 44 percent. Janie's work has applications in the military,
medicine, information storage, mineral and oil detection, space
exploration and fundamental physics experiments.
Rebecca Jolitz, a 15-year-old young woman from Los Gatos, CA,
examined whether hypolithic cyanobacteria, a photosynthetic organism
found under rocks in climatically extreme environments, could
theoretically have enough sunlight to survive on Mars. Using an
original computer program that simulated a million individual beams of
sunlight hitting a Martian rock, Rebecca found that there was enough
light for cyanobacteria to survive on Mars, indicating that Mars may
not be a dead world. Rebecca's research could help to discover the
means through which life on Mars may exist.
Sahil Khetpal, a 17-year-old young man from Plano, TX, developed a
carbon nanotube-based drug-delivery system for tumor targeted
chemotherapy and photo-therapy of cancer, a dual therapy. This
versatile platform attacks tumors on two fronts and mitigates the
severe side effects associated with conventional chemotherapy. He also
investigated a gadonanotube for the development of a new drug delivery
system. Sahil's system has the potential to both diagnose cancer at an
earlier stage and provide the dual therapy mechanism to efficiently
combat it.
In the area of music, there are two talented young musicians that
have produced significant contributions to the art of music. Yeeren
Low, a 13-year-old young man from East Stroudsburg, PA, explored and
experimented with sound in various aspects of music through five
compositions. In his portfolio, Art of Sound, his goal is to enrich the
body of the contemporary classical music genre, and create new musical
expressions and listening experiences. Yeeren is particularly
interested in promoting greater awareness and exposure to the richness
of the classical music genre, thus contributing to its wider
recognition, appreciation and overall advancement.
Kevin Hu, a 16-year-old young man from Naperville, IL, traverses the
globe and explores cross-sections of humanity in his violin portfolio,
Sociomusicology: Exploring and Sharing the Worlds of Music. His
portfolio includes selections of music that, at times, were repressed
by political regimes, or conversely, celebrated for their heartbreaking
beauty, all while representing an array of raw humanity. Kevin's goal
is to present music as a tangible and dynamic tool in human healing,
self-discovery, and dignity.
In the area of literature, we have one creative and inspired student,
John Michael Colon, a 17-year-old young man from Wayside, NJ. John's
portfolio, Art as Empathy: A Study of the Syncretic Potential of
Literature, demonstrates the utility of literature and art in society.
He writes that although human beings want to communicate their
fundamental experience, this worldview is too ineffable to express
directly; art and literature articulate this on a visceral level. John
Michael proposes through art and literature, the expression of ideas
can help tame the tendency to dehumanize others by helping us see their
ideas the same way we see ours, inspiring empathy.
We have two bright young individuals whose projects have advanced the
field of mathematics. Damien Jiang, a 17-year-old young man from
Raleigh, NC, studied the parallel chip-firing game, PCFG. Though not a
game, the PCFG is played on a graph, or network of nodes and edges, and
is closely related to a variety of mathematical models for complex
phenomena such as earthquakes, avalanches, and forest fires. By running
computer simulations of randomized PCFGs, Damien studied their tendency
to reach a cycle of repeating configurations, and mathematically proved
a theorem about its
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behavior on a graph. Damien's work has broad applications in disaster
preparedness.
Jonathan Li, a 17-year-old young man from Laguna Niguel, CA,
developed a mathematical model and computer simulation to analyze tumor
growth and is the first to study motility and contact inhibition, a
mechanism that limits cell growth when pressured by neighboring cells.
His research also revealed an inherent flaw of the Cellular Potts
Model, used to simulate cellular structure behavior. Jonathan's work
provides a method to predict the effects of motility on tumor
development and can be used to identify cancer phenotypes that
chemotherapy drugs can target, potentially improving treatment.
Finally, in the area of technology, we honor three innovative young
minds. Anna Kornfeld Simpson, a 17-year-old young woman from San Diego,
CA, developed a chemical-detecting robot. She used porous silicon, a
material that changes color in the presence of chemicals like alcohols
or nerve gas, and simple, low-cost circuit elements to detect color
change. The robotic microcomputer then ``sees'' the chemical instead of
``smelling'' it. Prototypes had a 100 percent response rate. Anna's
work has applications in security and counterterrorism, monitoring
industrial settings for toxins, and exploring locations too hazardous
for humans.
Alexander Gilbert, a 16-year-old young man from McLean, VA, developed
a computer algorithm which improves contrast in magnetic resonance
imaging, MRI. His program has been successfully applied to brain MRI
images, enabling more accurate image definition of tissues, such as
areas of demyelination, or plaques, which are often present in patients
with multiple sclerosis. Alexander's work is pertinent to MRIs of the
spine and other areas, and offers the potential for better diagnosis
and monitoring of multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases
including Alzheimer's disease.
Gavin Ovsak, a 16-year-old young man from Hopkins, MN, designed a
device to allow disabled individuals more effective access to
computers. His project, known as CHAD, circuit head accessibility
device, is a circuit board integrated onto a baseball hat to replace
the functions of a computer mouse through head movements and a bite
sensor. Gavin's work is less expensive, more efficient, and uses fewer
complex software interfaces than are currently available in the
assistive technology market, equalizing access to the social,
occupational, and global significance of the Internet.
I often say that America's gifted and talented students possess
remarkable potential. These 20 young individuals have demonstrated more
than potential. They have already made significant contributions to our
society in their short lives and one can scarcely begin to imagine how
much they will contribute to society throughout their lives, thanks in
no small part to the encouragement of the Davidson Institute as well as
their parents and mentors. They are an inspiration and a reminder that
if we fully support our most talented young people, we can look forward
to a bright future.
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