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Both the Davidson Academy Reno and Davidson Academy Online 2019-2020 applications are now open! The Davidson Academy offers two educational options specifically designed to meet the needs of profoundly gifted students – an online campus for those living anywhere in the U.S. and a day school in Reno for local residents.
The 2019 Davidson Fellows Scholarship application is now available!
See below for more details. |
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What's New in Gifted Education
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2018 Davidson Fellows Award Ceremony in Wash., D.C.
Twenty
young
people were
recently honored at the Davidson Fellows award ceremony for their work in science, technology, engineering,
mathematics
and music. Davidson Institute for Talent Development founder Bob Davidson presented the awards at the 17th annual ceremony held at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. In recognition of their remarkable achievements, each of the
2018 Davidson Fellows received a $50,000, $25,000 or $10,000 scholarship.
2019 Davidson Fellows Scholarship Application
The 2019
Davidson Fellows
Scholarship application is now
available online. Young people 18 and younger have the opportunity to earn a $50,000, $25,000 or $10,000 scholarship in recognition of a significant piece of work in the categories of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, music, literature and philosophy, or a project that represents outside the box thinking. The application deadline is Wed., Feb.
13, 2019. |
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Broadcom MASTERS -
STEM
Innovation
on Display
The Broadcom
Foundation
and
Society
for Science
& the Public
(SSP)
recently
announced
the
2018
Broadcom
MASTERS STEM
competition
winners.
Winners
include: Georgia Hutchinson of Woodside, Calif.,
who
was awarded
the top
prize for
her computer
model that determines where the sun will be at any date and time,
and Jack Albright, 14, Hillsborough,
Calif., for
developing a machine learning tool to predict the onset of impacts from Alzheimer’s on cognitive abilities.
Source:
ScienceNews |
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New Resource on Acceleration Policies
Developed by numerous gifted education organizations, including NAGC and the Belin-Blank Center, Developing Academic Acceleration Policies (PDF) is designed to offer direction and clarity to school districts on gifted education practices. The report includes recommended elements of an acceleration policy, a summary of research supporting academic acceleration and much more! Source: The High Flyer |
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Challenging Summer Options
Application season has begun for
Epsilon Camp,
a
two-week
summer
residential
camp
serving
promising
young
mathematicians
and
their
families
through
an
intensive
student
program
and
parent
workshop.
The
mission
of
Epsilon
is to
connect
precocious
children
(7-11)
to
professional
mathematics
and
build a
supportive
community
with
peers
and
families.
Epsilon
Camp
2019
will be
held
from
July
14-27, 2019.
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Admission season has also begun for
MathPath, a four-week summer residential camp whose mission is to inspire and advance the most mathematically gifted middle school age students (11-14).
Epsilon and MathPath, both founded by Dr. George R. Thomas, are independently run and differently organized enrichment camps where students advance in a non-competitive atmosphere.
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Davidson
News
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Davidson
Academy -
Online and
Reno
Campuses
The
Davidson Academy
offers two
educational
options
specifically
designed to
meet the
needs of
profoundly
gifted
students –
an online
campus
for those
living
anywhere in
the U.S. and
a day school
on the
University
of Nevada,
Reno campus
for local
residents. Both options
are centered
on a
rigorous
academic
environment
where
students thrive among
their
intellectual
peers.
Academy
classes are
grouped by
ability
rather than
by age,
providing
profoundly
gifted
students an
educational
opportunity
matched to
their
abilities,
strengths
and
interests.
Apply Today!
The
2019-2020
applications
are open
for both the
Davidson
Academy
Online
campus
and
Reno
day school!
Visit the
Qualification
Criteria and How to Apply
pages to
read about
the
application
process. The
deadline to
apply for
the Reno
campus is
Jan. 30,
2019. The
deadline to
apply for
the online
campus is
March 31,
2019.
Davidson
Academy
Online:
In-Person
Regional
Events
Davidson
Academy
Online
In-Person
Regional
Events offer an opportunity to hear more about Davidson Academy's online campus. The
events will include presentations on admissions, curriculum, technology, and our vision. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions throughout. Space is limited for each so please select the one that works best for your schedule.
The
following
event
dates and
locations
have been
announced: - Sun., Nov. 18, 2:30 p.m.
- Brooklyn, OH
- Mon., Nov. 19, 6 p.m. - Columbus, OH
- Mon.,
Dec. 3, 4:30
p.m. -
Houston,
TX
- Tues.,
Dec. 4, 10:30
a.m. - Sugar Land, TX
-
Wed.,
Dec. 5, 5:00 p.m. - Grand Prairie, TX
-
Thurs.,
Dec. 6, 12 p.m.
-
Dallas,
TX
- Fri.,
Dec. 7, 3
p.m. - Naperville, IL
- Sat.,
Dec.
8 at 10
a.m. - Chicago, IL
-
Mon.,
Dec. 10, 6 p.m.
- Marietta, GA
Tues.,
Dec. 11, 5:30 p.m. - Atlanta, GA
Thurs.,
Dec. 13,
6:30 p.m.
- Boulder, CO
Fri.,
Dec.14,
12:30 p.m.
- Denver, CO
Thurs.,
Jan. 10,
4:30
p.m. -
Alexandria,
VA
See
the
Davidson
Academy
Events page
for more
detailed
information.
Please RSVP
here: http://bit.ly/daoopenhouse1819.
Davidson
Academy
Online
Virtual Open
Houses
Join us to
learn more
about this
exciting
online
learning
option on
the
following
dates: Tues.,
Nov.
27, 6 p.m. PT;
Mon.,
Dec.
10, 4 p.m. PT; Thurs.,
Jan.
24, 5 p.m. PT; Tues.,
Feb. 19, 6 p.m. PT;
and,
Wed. Mar. 13,
4 p.m. PT.
RSVP here >
Visit the Davidson
Academy
Reno School for a Tour
on Dec. 7
A school tour
will be held
from 2 p.m.
to 4 p.m. on Friday,
Dec.7.
RSVP
here >
For more
info, please email outreach@davidsonacademy.unr.edu.
News
& Updates
Two new
videos:
Overview
Video &
Alumni Video
More Admissions Directors Are Targeting Online Students/a>
At Davidson
Academy,
Gifted
Students
Thrive with
Online
Learning |
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Summer at Davidson
Spend some of your summer with Davidson! We offer opportunities for the whole family and students of all ages.
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Davidson Summmer STARS*
Ages 8-12:
STARS offers Davidson Young Scholars the chance to attend a short, residential summer program with peers from all over the country.
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Davidson THINK Summer Institute
Ages 13-16: THINK is a challenging academically-focused program for gifted students who attend two full courses at University of Nevada, Reno and receive college credit.
Note: THINK participants do not need to be Davidson Young Scholars.
- Young Scholar Summit*
Family Event: During this weekend experience, Young Scholar families from all over the country connect with one another while enjoying special activities, workshops, and dynamic speakers.
*To participate in STARS and/or the annual Summit event,
learn how to become a part of the Young Scholar community.
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Legislative
& Policy
News
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ILLINOIS – The Chicago school district plans to spend about $450,000 to expand its competitive International Baccalaureate programs in 56 schools. Each IB school will receive between $1,000 to $17,000 for professional development for teachers and administrators. Source: Chalkbeat
INDIANA – The Indianapolis school district has made incremental progress in increasing the proportion of students from underrepresented groups into high ability programs. Source: Chalkbeat
KENTUCKY – Despite efforts to increase diversity, racial disparities remain among students enrolled in the Jefferson County school district's gifted program. Source: CPS’ Gifted and Talented program. Source: WFPL
MAINE – The University of Maine is working to increase enrollment in its Early College program, which allows qualifying high school students to attend college classes. Source: Press Herald
WISCONSIN – The state's largest school districts — Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Racine and Kenosha - are partnering in a new initiative they hope will narrow racial achievement gaps. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
WYOMING – The Teton school district is attempting to increase diversity among it gifted and talented program. Source: Jackson Hole News & Guide |
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On the Web
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Google
Science Fair
The seventh
Google Science Fair challenges students ages 13 to 18 to submit science projects that explore unanswered questions or tackle scientific hurdles.
Finalist will go to Google’s headquarters in hopes of walking away with one of many awards or the grand prize. Students have until
December
12, 2018
to submit
their
projects.
Featured Articles and Resources
The
Davidson Gifted
Database features articles, resources and state policies to help students, parents and educators pinpoint gifted information.
Articles
G-Squared. Supporting Your Gifted LGBT Student
provides a
number of
suggestions
that may be
helpful in
guiding a
gifted LGBT
student.
In Is Your Child Gifted, Learning Disabled or Both?,
Carol
Bainbridge
discusses a
number of
similarities
that exist
between
giftedness
and ADHD.
Six Strategies for Challenging Gifted Learners
offers
educators a
number of
ideas on how
to best
challenge
gifted
students.
Resources
Produced by
the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY),
the
Bright Now
Podcast offers
after-school courses and camps in Math, Coding and Robotics for students in grades K-12.
CyberMath Academy (Cambridge, MA) offers
after-school courses and camps in Math, Coding and Robotics for students in grades K-12.
The
book
Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Challenges: Overcoming Adversity Around the World provides inspirational short stories of young people who overcame adversity and persevered in the face of extreme challenges.
The
Stanford Online High School (OHS) is an independent school for academically talented and motivated students in grades
7-12. Online
instruction
includes
live,
synchronous
seminars on
a
college-style
class
schedule,
encouraging
independence,
discipline
and time-management
skills. |
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In the Spotlight
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Erin Smith, Davidson Fellow
Developing a Tool to Detect Early Stage Parkinson’s Disease Within Milliseconds
Erin Smith of Lenexa, Kan.
will receive
$25,000 for
her
Davidson Fellows project, "FacePrint: A Diagnostic and Monitoring Tool for Parkinson’s Disease Using Dynamic Video Footage Tracking and Digital Action Unit Biomarkers Generated by Spontaneous and Posed Facial Expressions."
What kind of impact can your Fellows project, “FacePrint” have on society?
FacePrint is driven from the belief that mental and neurological conditions like Parkinson’s can be beaten if detected early by leveraging digital tools. Since the initial description of Parkinson’s disease 200 years ago, diagnostic methods have experienced minimal advances. FacePrint is dedicated to the development of non-invasive cognitive and motor health assessment tools that will enable earlier and more effective evaluations of patients who may be at risk for Parkinson’s disease and commonly misidentified disorders, and help advance research of better targeted and disease-modifying treatments. FacePrint turns previously subjective, subtle facial changes that family members noticed in their loved ones that were often imperceptible to medical professionals who did not know them as well into objective indicators of disease onset. FacePrint is establishing the groundbreaking medical significance of facial expressions as a mechanism to provide external manifestation of neurological changes associated with early stages of conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.
What are some of your short-term and long-term plans?
I am currently working on developing FacePrint full time. I am preparing for upcoming publications and clinical trials with Stanford Medical School and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. I am also working on a few other projects that will launch mid-2019. Ultimately, I hope to redesign mental health care in the primary care setting using objective, innovative technological approaches.
Please describe your academic setting and some positive experiences with mentors.
Currently, I am on leave from Stanford University as a 2018 Thiel Fellow. My cognitive framework for what an education means has radically shifted each day of my fellowship. I have come to view true learning as the expansion of the human mind. Often, this is unattainable within the confinement of classroom walls. My education is presently occurring outside of the traditional academic setting in the form of technology development, clinical trials, reading anything I can get my hands on, and having long conversations with fascinating individuals. The process of starting a startup has been one of the most formative experiences of my life. Mentors have been the backbone of this journey and my broader life education. One of my first and most influential mentors is my research teacher from high school named Mrs. Brenda Bott. Mrs. Bott believes in the power of simple ideas and the innate potential of individuals. Pursuing audacious goals that positively impact society is a core tenant of Mrs. Bott’s teaching mentality- a mentality that continues to shape my daily work. Another thing I have learned about mentors is that people are so generous and willing to help if you will merely ask. During high school, I sent a lot of random emails to people that I read about or watched a TED talk from and found inspiring. Many sent back and became close mentors that I still regularly work with today.
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“Acceleration strategies – such as advancing students an entire grade level or in specific subjects – are one of the most effective approaches to help ensure all children who demonstrate readiness for more advanced instruction receive quality gifted and talented programming . . . Rather than requiring gifted children to endure repetitive work with content they have already mastered, educators can use a variety of acceleration strategies to challenge these learners with more stimulating and enriched content.”
-- Sally C. Krisel
& M. René Islas, in The High Flyer post, Developing Academic Acceleration Policies |
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If you have information to include in a future newsletter, please contact us at admin@davidsongifted.org.
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