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Bill Harlan

The nine members of the 2013 Davis-Bahcall Scholarship class have arrived at the Sanford Lab for their first two weeks of study. The four-week program, made possible by major support from 3M, also includes study at Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy and at Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, both near Chicago.

This year?s scholars are:

Zachery Crandall of Lidgertown, N.D., is a recent graduate of Britton-Hecla High School. He will major in chemistry at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) in Rapid City. Last year Crandall participated in the South Dakota Boys State program and in the Upward Bound Summer Program, where he received to summer honors.

Adrian Del Grosso of Huron, S.D., will major in computer science and engineering at SDSMT. Like four of his fellow scholars, Del Grosso had a pre-Davis-Bachall internship. His was with Innovative Systems, an engineering firm in Mitchell, S.D. Last month, during our public videoconference between a luncheon in Mitchell and the 4850 Level, Del Gross helped out at the Mitchell end by having a video conversation with former Davis-Bahcall scholar Sophia Elia, who was underground.

Ka Yan (Karen) Lee, graduated from Aberdeen (S.D.) Central High School in May. She plans to study architecture at the University of Minnesota, but she also admits to an interest in research. ?I?m still open to exploring options,? she said, which is what she?ll do over the next four weeks.

Rashyll Leonard of Montrose, Colo., just finished her freshman year at SDSMT, where she is majoring in physics. She learned of the Davis-Bahcall program through a ?mass email? to the Physics Department, and she thinks her experience this summer will help her decide where, in the vast field of physics, she will focus her studies.

Lia Meirose is a recent graduate of Sturgis (S.D.) Brown High School. She will study mechanical engineering at Montana State University. In high school Meirose played volleyball, basketball and golf. She also was on the student council, was a member of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, she qualified for the National Honors Society and served on the Youth Leadership Team.

Rachel Nevin graduated from Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls and will major in mathematics and physics at Augustana College in Sioux Falls. She was a drum major for the award winning Lincoln Patriot Marching Band, a member of the National Honor Society, and the state treasurer for DECA (formerly the Distributive Education Clubs of America.). This year she attended the American Choral Directors Association National Honor Choir in Dallas, Texas. She also was a National Merit Scholarship finalist.

Daniel Ostraat graduated from Canton (S.D.) High School in May, and he will study engineering at South Dakota State University. His high school physics teacher, who was a Davis-Bahcall chaperone, urged him to apply for the program.

Eric Roach, a graduate of Brandon Valley High School in South Dakota, is majoring in physics at the University of South Dakota (with double minors in mathematics and Spanish). He is in the Honors Program at USD and is a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Long term, Roach is considering medical school or graduate school for an advanced physics degree.

Dakotah Simpson, a graduate of Lead High School, is a familiar face at the Sanford Lab, where he has participated in internships and other programs. He?s also a regular and strong competitor in the West River Math Contest. He played basketball, baseball and golf in high school, and he?s looking forward to his first trip outside the United States.