2016 Child Mind Institute Rising Scientists Awarded College Scholarships

Winners were honored at the Child Mind Institute’s annual On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium in New York City

The Child Mind Institute (childmind.org) presented college scholarships to six outstanding high school students from the New York metro area who have demonstrated exceptional promise in science and a specific interest in neuroscience. The students received a $1000 scholarship, awarded at On the Shoulders of Giants, the nonprofit’s annual scientific symposium, which took place at the 2016 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s annual meeting in New York City.

The 2016 Child Mind Institute Rising Scientists are:

• Maximilian Bazil, John F. Kennedy High School (Bellmore)
• Cosette Davis, Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
• Rachel Goldman, Ardsley Union Free School District
• Claire Kelly, John F. Kennedy High School (Bellmore)
• Lauren Singer, Scarsdale High School
• Caitlin Unkenholz, Smithtown High School West

“I’m pleased to acknowledge these young investigators and their inspiring curiosity and drive,” said Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz, founding president of the Child Mind Institute. “I look forward to watching these students accomplish incredible things, and I am sure they will advance our understanding of the brain in novel ways.”

The Child Mind Institute Rising Scientist Awards were created to not only recognize outstanding achievement in science, and to nurture students’ love of science and encourage them to continue their research and study of the brain.

In addition to receiving the scholarship, the winners, their parents and faculty sponsors were invited to attend a breakfast with special guest John L.R. Rubenstein, MD, PhD, the Nina Ireland Distinguished Professor in Child Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and the 2016 Child Mind Institute Distinguished Scientist.

The Child Mind Institute Rising Scientist Scholarships are awarded annually. High schools in the New York metro region are invited to nominate their best 11th grade science student based on outstanding achievement in science studies, participation in related extracurricular activities and engagement in research studies or independent investigation. Special consideration is given to nominees who have shown particular interest in pediatric mental health and neuroscience. To be eligible for the 2016 scholarship awards, nominees had to be in the 11th grade during the 2015-16 academic year at a high school in the New York metro region.

Nominations were reviewed by a committee of mental health experts including:

• Harold Koplewicz, MD, founder and president of the Child Mind Institute
• Ron Steingard, MD, associate medical director of the Child Mind Institute; Professor of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School
• Michael Milham, MD, PhD, Phyllis Green and Randolph Cōwen Scholar and director of the Center for the Developing Brain at the Child Mind Institute
• Cameron Craddock, PhD, director of imaging at the Child Mind Institute
• Neal Ryan, MD, Joaquim Puig-Antich Professor in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and professor of clinical and translational science at the University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Steingard chaired the committee, which considered the merits of all nominations and used a point system to rate scientific achievement and to select the six winners.

The Child Mind Institute will be accepting nominations for the 2017 Child Mind Institute Rising Scientist Scholarships March 2017.

About the Child Mind Institute

The Child Mind Institute is an independent nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. Our teams work every day to deliver the highest standards of care, advance the science of the developing brain, and empower parents, professionals and policymakers with resources to support children when and where they need it most. Together with our supporters, we’re helping children reach their full potential in school and in life. We share all of our resources freely and do not accept any funding from the pharmaceutical industry. Learn more at childmind.org.