Meena Jagadeesan of Naperville, Illinois, and Sriharshita Munsunuri of Mill Creek, Washington ($50,000 each); Anurudh Ganesan of Clarksburg, Maryland, Raghav Ganesh of San Jose, California, and Maya Varma of Cupertino, California ($25,000 each), and Surabhi Mundada of Olympia, Washington and Kavita Selva of Houston, Texas ($10,000 each) were among the 20 individuals who were given fellowships by the Davidson Institute, for their breakthrough discoveries that have potential to benefit society, in Washington, DC.

“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, in a statement. “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.”

Davidson Fellows not only represent some of the brightest young minds in the country, but they also represent kindness, compassion and a strong desire to improve the world around them. Many of the fellows’ projects are inspired by personal experiences that drive them to find a solution to a problem, and each fellow is driven to use their passion and intelligence to make the world a better place, according to the Institute.

Take Anurudh Ganesan, 16, for example, who has created a non-electric vaccine transport system, Vaxxwagon. As an infant in India, Ganesan’s grandparents carried him nearly 10 miles to a remote health clinic to receive a vaccination. When they arrived, there were no viable vaccines left due to lack of refrigeration.

“It’s a social equalizer. No matter what age, race, or gender, viable vaccines can save lives,” the institute noted of Ganesan’s creation.

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