MEDIA ADVISORY
September 19, 2007		 Contact Information:
(775) 852-3483 ext. 425
communications@davidsongifted.org


TOP STUDENT ACHIEVERS SHOW U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATION
Seventeen of Nation's Brightest Young Minds to be Recognized at Library of Congress
for Positive Contributions to Society

Students Will Receive National Awards and Meet with Congressional Representatives
WHO:

Seventeen students from across the country, all under the age of 18, will be honored on Capitol Hill with

scholarships ($50,000, $25,000 and $10,000) from the Davidson Institute for Talent

Development for their significant contributions in science, mathematics, technology, literature

and music, including:

  • Pioneering a method for isolating DNA to detect the early stages of cancer

  • Discovering a process that could revolutionize the plastics recycling industry

  • Developing a new encryption technique for top-secret communications

  • Engineering a new process to inhibit bacterial pathogens

  • Performing advanced musical compositions for piano, cello and violin at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center

  • Creating a literary portfolio focused on deepening our understanding of human responses to grief

WHEN:  Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007
WHAT & WHERE:  Davidson Fellows Awards Ceremony: Library of Congress – 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
(media interview/photo ops start at 5:15 p.m.) Members Room, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St., SE; sponsored by Senators Harry Reid (Nevada) and Chuck Grassley (Iowa).

Meetings with Members of Congress: Capitol Hill – Davidson Fellows meet with Congressional representatives from their respective states or districts. Digital photos will be available upon advance request.
 

Davidson Fellows: Students under the age of 18 who submit an original piece of work recognized by experts in the field as significant with the potential to make a positive contribution to society. The award categories are science, technology, mathematics, music, literature, philosophy and outside the box (www.DavidsonFellows.org).

Davidson Institute: Located in Reno, Nev., the Davidson Institute for Talent Development is a nonprofit foundation founded in 1999 by former educational software entrepreneurs Bob and Jan Davidson. The institute’s mission is to recognize, nurture and support profoundly intelligent young people. For more information, please visit www.Davidson-Institute.org, or call (775) 852-3483 ext. 424.

$50,000 Scholarships

  • Miss Alexandra Courtis, 17, Davis, Calif.; Science

  • Mr. Yale Fan, 15, Beaverton, Ore.; Technology

  • Miss Madhavi Gavini, 17, Starkville, Miss.; Science

  • Mr. Todd Kramer, 17, Port Jefferson, N.Y.; Music

  • Miss Katherine Orazem, 17, Ames, Iowa; Literature

$25,000 Scholarships

  • Mr. Nate Bottman, 17, Seattle, Wash.; Mathematics

  • Mr. Michael Harwick, 17, Bridgewater, N.J.; Literature

  • Miss Danielle Lent, 17, Cedarhurst, N.Y.; Science

  • Miss Celeste Lipkes, 17, Wesley Chapel, Fla.; Literature

  • Mr. Yuqing Meng, 16, Madison, N.J.; Music

  • Miss Janet Song, 15, Norristown, Pa.; Science

         $10,000 Scholarships

  • Mr. Richard Alt, II, 17, Fredericksburg, Va.; Science

  • Miss Christina Beasley, 17, Vienna, Va.; Literature

  • Mr. Billy Dorminy, 15, McDonough, Ga.; Technology

  • Miss Shannon Lee, 15, Plano, Texas; Music

  • Mr. Graham Van Schaik, 16, Columbia, S.C.; Science

  • Miss Nora Xu, 17, Naperville, Ill.; Science

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