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Both the Davidson Academy Online and Reno Campus 2020-2021 applications are now open! The Davidson Academy's two educational options are specifically designed to meet the needs of profoundly gifted students. The online campus is available for those living anywhere in the U.S. and and Canada, while the Reno campus located on the University of Nevada, Reno campus serves students residing in Northern Nevada. See below for more details. |
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What's New in Gifted
Education
Announcing the 2019 Davidson Fellows
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Meet the
2019 Davidson Fellows!
Davidson
Fellows have
completed
graduate-level
projects or
portfolios
that have
the
potential to
benefit
society.
Each will
receive a
scholarship
and be
recognized
for their
achievements
at a special
awards
reception in Washington, D.C.
Positive contributions to society made by the 2019 Davidson Fellows include:
- Developing a promising therapeutic option for highly aggressive cancers and a way to amplify existing chemotherapies.
(Varun Kumar, Laureate, pictured left)
- Applying research that could guide future synthesis of antibody drugs for targeted cancer treatments.
(Cynthia Chen, Laureate, pictured right)
- Through the violin, empowering learners to challenge themselves and measure their own progress and successes by an internal ideal of mastery, leading to greater effectiveness and self-satisfaction. (Charlotte Marckx, Laureate)
- Creating an automatic diagnosis system for Parkinson's disease from an
MRI scan with a 96.6% accuracy, which includes the capability to aid future
research attempts.
(Neeyanth Kopparapu)
- Developing a methodology that takes a crucial first step towards ultimately combating climate change. (Siona Prasad)
The 2020
Davidson
Fellows
deadline is
February 12,
2020 and the
application
will open in
November. |
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NAGC
Conference
Thousands of individuals
from around
the world
will come
together
November
7-10 for
the
National Association
for
Gifted
Children's
66th
Annual
Convention
in Albuquerque. The
largest gathering
devoted to gifted and talented education offers:
- 200+ content-rich sessions in gifted education
- Networking with gifted education leaders, parents,
teachers, and renowned researchers
- Family Day fun and learning experiences
- Live interviews and engaging conversations with
leading experts
- Exhibit Hall featuring state of the art products,
publications, and resources
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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
Canada, and a 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
2020-2021
applications
are open
for both the
Davidson
Academy
Online
and
Reno
campuses!
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. 31,
2020. The
deadline to
apply for
the online
campus is
March 31,
2020.
Single-course enrollments are now available through the Davidson Academy's online campus! This year the Davidson Academy is again offering two English and two math courses for single-course enrollment. These courses have the same curriculum, workload expectations, instructors, and calendar as the full-time Davidson Academy. Please view the Single-Course Enrollments
page and our infographic
for more
information.
Davidson
Academy
Online
Campus - Meaningful, Highly Personalized Social Interactions
Beyond
the advanced
academics
offered, the
hallmark of
the Davidson
Academy
Online
campus is
the
authentic
opportunities
for
meaningful
interactions
with
classmates
and
instructors
that happen
daily. Online
campus
students
have rich
opportunities
for
socialization
through our
courses and
extracurriculars.
Students
Meghana and
Nate
describe how.
Davidson
Academy
Reno Campus -
Visit for an
On-Site Tour
For more than
13 years, the Davidson Academy’s free, accredited
Reno
campus
has centered
on
interpersonal
and
instructional
dynamics
creating an
atmosphere
that is
vibrant with
intellectual
energy and
dialogue.
Upcoming school tours will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the following Fridays (RSVP Required):
Oct.
18,
Nov. 15 and
Dec.
6.
For more
info, please email outreach@davidsonacademy.unr.edu. |
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Davidson
Young
Scholars
The national Davidson Young Scholars program provides FREE services designed to nurture the intellectual, social, emotional, and academic development of profoundly intelligent young people between the ages of 5 and 18 (students must be between the ages of 5 and 16 when applying). Benefits of the program include:
- Consulting Services
-
An Online Community
-
In-person Connections
-
Community Service Endeavors
-
Summer Programs (fee-based)
Read success stories to see how the Young Scholars program has helped make a difference in the lives of these students. The application deadline is the first of each month. |
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Legislative
& Policy
News
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COLORADO
– Following the Aurora school district
changing its method of identifying gifted students,
the number of students
from
underrepresented
backgrounds
in the
district's
gifted program increased 17 percentage points last school year. Source:
9news.com
GEORGIA
– The Glynn County
school
district plans to enhance its gifted education programs this school year
via an
expanded
amount of
programs
offered in
elementary
schools.
Source:
The
Brunswick
News
MASSACHUSETTS
–
A scathing
independent
report found
that
Massachusetts
lacks
programs for
gifted
students,
doesn't
collect data
on
top-performing
students or
train
teachers to
identify
them, and
lacks an
official
definition
of "gifted."
Source:
The
Eagle-Tribune
NEW YORK
– Appointed
two years
ago by New
York City
Mayor Bill
de Blasio, a
task force
recently
recommended
the
elimination
of the
city's
gifted
education
program to
better
integrate
schools. The
controversial
recommendation
has led to
concern
among gifted
advocates,
while de
Blasio
weighs next
steps.
Sources: New
York Times -
8/30,
8/27;
Chalkbeat,
The 74
OHIO
– The Berea
school district
has revised
its gifted services program requirements.
Source:
Cleveland.com
OREGON
– A complaint filed with
the Portland
school
district over its past noncompliance with state rules for the curriculum
of its
gifted
program has
been
escalated to
the Oregon
Department
of
Education.
Source:
Portland
Tribune
TEXAS
– The Fort Bend
school
district
recently outlined plans to revamp the identification process for its gifted program to increase the number
of underrepresented groups of second-graders.
Source:
Community
Impact
VIRGINIA
– Charlottesville City Schools will officially receive $468,000 to hire more gifted specialists.
As part of
the overhaul
of Quest,
the gifted
program will switch to a “push-in” model, and gifted specialists will work with all students in their regular classrooms.
Source:
The Daily
Progress |
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On the Web
Challenging Summer Options - Epsilon Camp & MathPath
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Admissions season begins November 1 at
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 2020 will be held from July 19 – August 2.
Admission season begins when – usually in October
– the Qualifying Test is on the web 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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In the Spotlight
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Brian Wu,
Davidson
Fellow
Advancing
Radial Velocity
Astronomy to
Help Find Planets
Capable of Supporting
Life
Brian Wu
of Scarsdale, N.Y.
will receive
$10,000 for
his
Davidson Fellows project, "Tatooine Found! Discovery and Characterization of the First-Ever Circumbinary Planet Detected Using Doppler Spectroscopy."
What kind of impact can your Fellows project, “Tatooine Found! Discovery and Characterization of the First-Ever Circumbinary Planet Detected Using Doppler Spectroscopy” have on society?
In recent
years, the
Earth has
experienced
a drastic
transformation
for the
worst.
Cities are
becoming
shrouded in
industrial
smog. Water
levels are
rising
uncontrollably.
And extreme
weather
plagues
remote
areas. Many
studies
indicate
that if we
don't put an
end to this
destructive
activity
over the
next several
decades,
then Earth's
ecosystem
will
experience
irreversible
damage. What
that means
is that we
may die out
if we don't
save our
planet.
What are some of your short-term and long-term plans?
Let's assume
that we know
of a planet
that is
habitable
and within a
reasonable
distance,
but without
a means by
which we can
get there,
humanity
will still
be confined
to Earth.
Therefore,
in order to
truly become
an
interplanetary
species, we
must not
only have a
deep
understanding
of our place
in the
universe,
but also
have an
efficient
transportation
method that
can get us
to our new
home. In
college, I
aspire to
major in
either
aerospace
engineering,
astrophysics,
or planetary
sciences.
During and
immediately
after my
undergraduate
years, I
hope to
continue the
work of my
current
startup,
Apextial
Innovations,
which
develops
innovative
technologies
for
suborbital
rockets and
nanosatellites.
I do plan to
eventually
step onto
the larger
scene of the
spaceflight
industry, as
well as
ultimately
lead efforts
to search
and
eventually
travel to
humanity's
second home,
elsewhere in
the universe.
Please describe your academic setting and some positive experiences with mentors.
The summer of my freshman year of high school, I got an opportunity to work with Professor Jian Ge of the University of Florida, where I began acquainted with the Doppler spectroscopy technique for exoplanet detection. For two weeks, I traveled with him to Tucson, Arizona, where I gained some valuable hands-on observing experience at the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter. I bonded with Dr. Ge over frequent hikes on Mount Lemmon, and not only was he a great mentor in scientific disciplines, but Dr. Ge was more than a mentor to me. Not only did I learn the basics of research in astronomy from Dr. Ge, but discussions between us commonly encompassed important life skills that further strengthened our relationship, as well as hilarious and intriguing anecdotes from Dr. Ge’s personal life. After returning from Tucson, I continued my intellectual journey with Dr. Ge at his lab in the Bryant Space Science Center of the University of Florida. I am truly thankful to have worked with Dr. Ge over the past three years, and I look forward to making many more discoveries with him in the future. |
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“All students should be tested and compared to one another within their own school buildings. Students could be screened for giftedness early, but not too early – perhaps in third grade — on math, verbal, and spatial reasoning measures. This would improve the talent development of disadvantaged students in the long run.”
-- Jonathan Wai & Frank C. Worrel, Chalkbeat (Source) |
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