The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are honored to have awarded the achievements of the 2010 $5,000 Life Sciences Student Award Columbus Scholar:

Jason Gandelman

Senior
Staples High School
Westport, Connecticut

Jason's high school research investigated toxic compounds called Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs), which are known to contribute to the long-term health problems associated with diabetes, a disease his family has a long history with.

Jason's study showed that yeast has evolved mechanisms to minimize the formation of toxic AGE compounds. Attempting to identify a protein that will block the human body's receptor sites from binding with AGEs, Jason believes his study will lead to new medications to prevent or cure blood vessel and kidney damage associated with diabetes.

Jason is president of his high school engineering team, investment club and debate team, which finished third at the Harvard National Debate Tournament. He counts stock investment as a hobby, and has served on the Westport Youth Commission for four years. A long-time volunteer, he has received recognition for his water quality work with Earthplace. He is also fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Jason has achieved Finalist status in the Intel Science Talent Search, the Siemens Award for Advance Placement - Math and Science, 2010 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, as well as many Connecticut State honors.

Jason aspires to continue conducting research in biological chemistry at Harvard University.

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are honored to have awarded the achievements of the 2010 $5,000 Life Sciences Student Award Columbus Scholar:

Anirudh Mohan

Senior
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Alexandria, Virginia

Anirudh's primary passion lies in the field of biomedical engineering, with an interest in pursuing both technical and business perspectives.

During his last two years of high school, he conducted nanobiotechnology research at George Mason University. His research involved the nanoengineering of polymers to synthesize novel, "smart" diagnostic devices which can be utilized in lieu of conventional techniques, such as differential diagnosis.

Anirudh published his results in American Chemical Society journals. He has achieved semifinalist status in the Siemens Competition, and received multiple science fair honors at the Virginia State level.

Anirudh is an avid competitor in his school's Lincoln-Douglas and Student Congress Debate teams. Founder and later captain of his school's Student Congress team, he was recognized as a top 32 Lincoln-Douglas debater in the nation by the National Catholic Forensic League. He also has strong interests in music and computer science. He developed an online "peer-to-peer" service tutoring for elementary and middle school students in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area. He is also interested in supporting two causes K-8 education and autism awareness outreach.

In the Fall, he will pursue his studies as an Angier B. Scholar at Duke University.