Davidson Institute Release: Palo Alto Student Awarded For Stem Cell Research Breakthrough In Development Of Multi-Color Genetic Construct
Reno, Nev. – The Davidson Institute of Talent Development has announced the 2016 Davidson Fellows. Among the honorees is 17-year-old Nicolas Poux of Palo Alto, Calif. Poux won a $50,000 Davidson Fellows Scholarship for his project, Development of a High-Resolution Multi-color Fluorescent Reporter for Clonal Analysis. He is one of only 20 students from across the country to receive this honor.
“Being a Davidson Fellow is a vindication of my efforts,” said Poux. “It shows me that I am able to make a significant contribution -- that I have gone from being a patient and a victim to being a part of the solution.”
Poux, a cancer survivor, began developing his project with a goal to help those battling cancer. His project, which he calls Skittles, is a genetic construct that labels and tracks cells by using colors. A cell possessing Skittles is randomly assigned one of 25 color combinations, which would allow that cell and any cell divided from it to be tracked based on its assigned color. This is a noteworthy breakthrough since current tools only allow cells to be labeled with three or four colors. By increasing the number of colors used, Skittles opens the possibility of investigating much more complicated systems, with the possibility of new studies in stem cell biology in particular.
Poux was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of six, and after battling cancer for seven years, he was inspired to help others facing life threatening ailments. He took a keen interest in stem cell biology, as it is the very science that saved his life in 2011 with a cord-blood transplant. Along with his medical contributions, Poux also volunteers for HopeLab Foundation, a nonprofit that develops therapeutic videogames for pediatric cancer patients.
When he’s not working on cancer-related projects, Poux enjoys hiking and biking around the foothills of Palo Alto. He also plays bassoon, piano and is teaching himself guitar. Poux will attend Stanford University in the fall, where he will study biology.
“We are thrilled to recognize the 2016 Davidson Fellows not only for their incredible projects, but also for the journey they forged to reach this point,” said Bob Davidson, founder of the Davidson Institute. “Every year I am amazed by the depth of the Fellows’ accomplishments. Through encouragement and recognition, the Davidson Institute for Talent Development anticipates that gifted students like these will be among the pioneers who will solve the world’s most vexing problems.” The 2016 Davidson Fellows will be honored at a reception in Washington, D.C., on September 21.
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship program offers $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 college scholarships to students 18 or younger, who have completed significant projects that have the potential to benefit society in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, literature and music. The Davidson Fellows Scholarship has provided more than $6.7 million in scholarship funds to 286 students since its inception in 2001, and has been named one of the most prestigious undergraduate scholarships by U.S. News & World Report. It is a program of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Reno, Nev. that supports profoundly gifted youth.
“Being a Davidson Fellow is a vindication of my efforts,” said Poux. “It shows me that I am able to make a significant contribution -- that I have gone from being a patient and a victim to being a part of the solution.”
Poux, a cancer survivor, began developing his project with a goal to help those battling cancer. His project, which he calls Skittles, is a genetic construct that labels and tracks cells by using colors. A cell possessing Skittles is randomly assigned one of 25 color combinations, which would allow that cell and any cell divided from it to be tracked based on its assigned color. This is a noteworthy breakthrough since current tools only allow cells to be labeled with three or four colors. By increasing the number of colors used, Skittles opens the possibility of investigating much more complicated systems, with the possibility of new studies in stem cell biology in particular.
Poux was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of six, and after battling cancer for seven years, he was inspired to help others facing life threatening ailments. He took a keen interest in stem cell biology, as it is the very science that saved his life in 2011 with a cord-blood transplant. Along with his medical contributions, Poux also volunteers for HopeLab Foundation, a nonprofit that develops therapeutic videogames for pediatric cancer patients.
When he’s not working on cancer-related projects, Poux enjoys hiking and biking around the foothills of Palo Alto. He also plays bassoon, piano and is teaching himself guitar. Poux will attend Stanford University in the fall, where he will study biology.
“We are thrilled to recognize the 2016 Davidson Fellows not only for their incredible projects, but also for the journey they forged to reach this point,” said Bob Davidson, founder of the Davidson Institute. “Every year I am amazed by the depth of the Fellows’ accomplishments. Through encouragement and recognition, the Davidson Institute for Talent Development anticipates that gifted students like these will be among the pioneers who will solve the world’s most vexing problems.” The 2016 Davidson Fellows will be honored at a reception in Washington, D.C., on September 21.
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship program offers $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 college scholarships to students 18 or younger, who have completed significant projects that have the potential to benefit society in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, literature and music. The Davidson Fellows Scholarship has provided more than $6.7 million in scholarship funds to 286 students since its inception in 2001, and has been named one of the most prestigious undergraduate scholarships by U.S. News & World Report. It is a program of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Reno, Nev. that supports profoundly gifted youth.