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Davidson Fellows are students under the age of 18
who have completed a significant piece of work in science,
mathematics, technology, music, literature or philosophy.
The work of a Davidson Fellow must have the potential to make a
positive contribution to society. During the past five years, 74
Davidson Fellows have been recognized by the Davidson Institute and
each Fellow has received a $50,000, $25,000 or $10,000 scholarship.
Positive contributions to society made by the 2005
Davidson Fellows include:
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Development
of an effective method of treating malignant glioma, the deadliest
form of brain cancer, combining chemotherapy and gene therapy.
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Design
of a computerized security system based on electric field sensing
that is user-friendly and able to store collected data while
providing essentially foolproof security.
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Creation
of a literary portfolio exploring intertwining themes of
universal, social and individual perspectives linking personal
identity to family, heritage, culture and humanity to illustrate
complex interconnections.
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Advancement
in the field of computerized object and facial recognition based
on differential geometry concepts with security applications.
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Research
into the physics of dust particles to aid in the design of
exploration and support systems for Martian spaceflight missions.
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Discovery
of a method to reduce the risk of eye infections by contact lens
wearers and cataract patients with intraocular lenses.
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Musical
compositions and performances transcending culture and time
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Development
of a new type of web search engine that categorizes
search results and ranks the relevance of returned Web pages to a
search query.
Contributions of Davidson Fellows recognized since
2001 include:
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Identification of the
relationship of specific proteins in the human immune system in
order to develop more effective treatments for HIV patients.
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Discovery of how DNA
“bends” under certain circumstances to form RNA, providing a
foundation for future research in nanotechnology and
biocomputation.
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Confirmation of the
existence of a super-massive black hole in a neighboring galaxy
found by analyzing NASA data studying the amount of radiation
emitted from Centaurus A.
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Development of a more
adaptive and accurate spam filter, which is 99 percent effective.
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Discovery of a biological
connection as to why people gravitate toward religion.
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Isolation and testing of
the gene that is believed to cause colorectal cancer, enabling
doctors to treat the disease much more effectively.
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Identification of
antibodies that can extend the life of terminal cancer patients by
retarding the spread of malignant tumors.
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Mathematical modeling of
gasoline sprays to reduce automobile emissions.
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Utilization of the herb
fenugreek as a cost-effective, safe and natural way to preserve
fruits and vegetables, and as a non-toxic water purifier.
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Click here to visit the Davidson
Fellows Press Room.
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