Two San Ramon teens were recognized by the Davidson Institute as among the most recent recipients of thousands of dollars in scholarship funding in the organization's fellowship program, which aims to recognize students for their research achievements in literature and science.

This year's 21 honorees for the Davidson Fellows Scholarship Program included Neel Redkar, 18, and Mackenzie Duan, 17, with Redkar receiving $25,000 in scholarship funding and Duan receiving $10,000.

"To me being a Davidson Fellow means being able to interact with and be friends with other amazing creators, working together to make the world a better place," Redkar said in an announcement Monday.

Redkar's award was for designing a neural network -- an artificial intelligence method that aims to replicate the way the human brain functions -- that identified a more energy and cost efficient Metal Organic Framework than those already in existence, and which holds the promise of pulling hydrocarbons from the air for use in gas appliances.

"This breakthrough paves the way for a carbon-neutral future with far-reaching implications for humanity and the environment," program organizers said in the recent announcement.

Duan was awarded for a project that features a combination of prose, poetry and screenplay that analyzes "the unresolved friction of language and memory moving in circular patterns, relating to alternative futurities, Chinese-American histories, and the act of translation."

Duan said that to her, the fellowship represents a relationship towards other people that inspires ambitious projects such as hers.

"I am incredibly grateful to be included in this year's cohort among such extraordinary people," Duan said.

This year marks the Nevada-based Davidson Institute's 22nd of awarding scholarships of $10,000, $25,000 and $50,000 that are aimed at facilitating the organization's mission of supporting gifted young people's endeavors.

"We are proud to announce this year's class of Davidson Fellows Scholarship recipients who have completed significant projects with the potential to benefit society in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, literature, and music," Davidson Institute founder Bob Davidson said. "The innovations and new thinking added by each class of Fellows serve as an inspiration for future scholars to apply novel technologies and groundbreaking ideas to solve the world's most difficult problems."

Redkar and Duan, along with the 19 other fellows named in this year's awards, are set to be recognized in an upcoming reception in Washington D.C., as well as a virtual ceremony next month.