Reno, Nev. – The Davidson Institute of Talent Development has announced the 2016 Davidson Fellows. Among the honorees is 18-year-old Maya Varma of Cupertino, Calif. Varma won a $25,000 Davidson Fellows Scholarship for her project, A Wireless Smartphone-Based System for Diagnosis of Pulmonary Illnesses. She is one of only 20 students from across the country to receive this honor.
“I have been a Davidson Young Scholar since the sixth grade, and I am so excited and honored to receive this prestigious award,” said Varma.
Because of a growing prevalence of respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Varma decided to design a low-cost diagnostic tool to detect and monitor pulmonary illnesses. Her project consists of a 3D-printed spirometer shell, pressure sensors and electronics, and a software application that can be run on any smartphone. As a patient exhales, the pressure sensor in the spirometer shell measures flow rate and records quantitative metrics of lung performance on the app, providing an economic solution to monitoring and treating respiratory diseases.
“Current spirometry equipment used in hospitals costs thousands of dollars, which is beyond the means of health care facilities in many developing nations,” Varma said. “With the increasing proliferation of Internet-connected smartphones across the world, low-cost smartphone-based medical devices are now an attractive alternative to traditional custom-made medical equipment, especially in developing countries.”
Fascinated by microcontrollers at an early age, Varma has improved existing and invented new technologies to save lives. In addition to her work with medical equipment and robotics, she also enjoys painting and drawing. Varma has won the grand prize at the California State Science Fair for her neuropathy analyzer for diabetic patients, as well as earning the highest cumulative GPA of her graduating class at Presentation High School. She plans on pursuing her Ph.D. and continuing to use the power of technology to design medical devices that will improve the quality of life for everyone.
“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 have been a Davidson Young Scholar since the sixth grade, and I am so excited and honored to receive this prestigious award,” said Varma.
Because of a growing prevalence of respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Varma decided to design a low-cost diagnostic tool to detect and monitor pulmonary illnesses. Her project consists of a 3D-printed spirometer shell, pressure sensors and electronics, and a software application that can be run on any smartphone. As a patient exhales, the pressure sensor in the spirometer shell measures flow rate and records quantitative metrics of lung performance on the app, providing an economic solution to monitoring and treating respiratory diseases.
“Current spirometry equipment used in hospitals costs thousands of dollars, which is beyond the means of health care facilities in many developing nations,” Varma said. “With the increasing proliferation of Internet-connected smartphones across the world, low-cost smartphone-based medical devices are now an attractive alternative to traditional custom-made medical equipment, especially in developing countries.”
Fascinated by microcontrollers at an early age, Varma has improved existing and invented new technologies to save lives. In addition to her work with medical equipment and robotics, she also enjoys painting and drawing. Varma has won the grand prize at the California State Science Fair for her neuropathy analyzer for diabetic patients, as well as earning the highest cumulative GPA of her graduating class at Presentation High School. She plans on pursuing her Ph.D. and continuing to use the power of technology to design medical devices that will improve the quality of life for everyone.
“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.
