Davidson Institute Release:San Jose Student Awarded For Creating Wearble Device That Detects Autistic Episodes
Reno, Nev. – The Davidson Institute of Talent Development has announced the 2016 Davidson Fellows. Among the honorees is 14-year-old Raghav Ganesh of San Jose, Calif. Ganesh won a $25,000 Davidson Fellows Scholarship for his project, Serene: An Assistive Biomedical System for Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is one of only 20 students from across the country to receive this honor.
“I am humbled and honored to be named a Davidson Fellow, and receive recognition for my project,” said Ganesh. “I feel inspired to continue my research and am happy that I can share my project with more people.”
Ganesh developed a system to predict and prevent autistic “meltdowns” using a mobile application, wearable device, and desktop and mobile applications. The wearable device has sensors that measure and interpret the stress level of the wearer, and will signal the caregiver on their smart phone when symptoms of a meltdown are detected. The device also initiates a therapeutic response to calm the user when symptoms are present. The desktop application tracks the device wearer’s stress levels over time and creates thresholds for all the sensors in the device. This technology could enable autistic individuals to be more independent without requiring a caregiver to remain nearby with the anxiety that a meltdown may occur at any moment.
Ganesh is a self-taught computer programmer. He often tinkers with electronics and writes applications, and enjoys learning how things work first-hand. In his spare time, Ganesh likes playing soccer, swimming, and playing the violin. At 14-years-old, Ganesh is the youngest Davidson Fellow to be honored this year. He will enter Lynbrook High School as a freshman this fall. He aspires to study biomedical engineering and wants to become an entrepreneur.
“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.
“I am humbled and honored to be named a Davidson Fellow, and receive recognition for my project,” said Ganesh. “I feel inspired to continue my research and am happy that I can share my project with more people.”
Ganesh developed a system to predict and prevent autistic “meltdowns” using a mobile application, wearable device, and desktop and mobile applications. The wearable device has sensors that measure and interpret the stress level of the wearer, and will signal the caregiver on their smart phone when symptoms of a meltdown are detected. The device also initiates a therapeutic response to calm the user when symptoms are present. The desktop application tracks the device wearer’s stress levels over time and creates thresholds for all the sensors in the device. This technology could enable autistic individuals to be more independent without requiring a caregiver to remain nearby with the anxiety that a meltdown may occur at any moment.
Ganesh is a self-taught computer programmer. He often tinkers with electronics and writes applications, and enjoys learning how things work first-hand. In his spare time, Ganesh likes playing soccer, swimming, and playing the violin. At 14-years-old, Ganesh is the youngest Davidson Fellow to be honored this year. He will enter Lynbrook High School as a freshman this fall. He aspires to study biomedical engineering and wants to become an entrepreneur.
“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.