Douglas High School graduate and Stanford University doctoral candidate Drew Hall won the $10,000 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Humanitarian Supreme prize for a hand-held diagnostic laboratory that can be used in the field.
Drew graduated from UNLV in 2005 with a degree in computer and electronic engineering and went on to Stanford, where he received his master's in electronic engineering, according to his mother, Joanie Hall.
"Obviously his father and I are quite proud of him," she said.
According to the engineers' Web site, Drew and his team developed the NanoLab, which can test for the proteins associated with specific diseases in bodily fluids.
The NanoLab could be used in Third World countries where access to medical laboratories and technicians is limited.
"The majority of diagnoses in these regions are based upon patient signs and symptoms," according to the team. "While this method of patient care is suitable in straightforward situations such as diagnosing the flu, the vast majority of illnesses cannot be determined by simple observation."
According to the team, the device is portable, cheap, easy to use and can provide a result in 15 minutes.
"The NanoLab can be implemented anywhere in the world without relying on skilled technicians or expensive laboratory equipment," the team wrote in their submission.
Drew played football and wrestled while he was at Douglas High School. He was one of six valedictorians for the Class of 2001.
I received a note from Comstock Seeds' Ed Kleiner, who said they're big fans of the Rocky Mountain bee plant.
Ed said they grow it on their property to bring in pollinators for their other seed corps.
"It's past its peak in color but still pretty," he said.
I've received as many calls on that column as anything I've had in the paper for a long time.
After I the column was published I came across the U.S. Department of Agriculture page on the bee plant. Interestingly, it is reported in most of Nevada, but not Douglas, Carson City, Mineral, Esmeralda, Clark and Pershing counties.
For more information, visit http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=clse.
Kurt Hildebrand is editor of The Record-Courier. Reach him at khildebrand@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 215.
