Student honor roll

+Devin Banerjee, a senior at Calabasas High School, recently returned from a fourweek trip to Darjeeling, India.

Banerjee spent three weeks at a Buddhist orphanage and primary school, tutoring children in music, mathematics and conversational English. He also visited the neighboring countries of Sikkim and Bhutan.

Banerjee paid his own way and did this as a community service.

Last year he was in China on tour with the Calabasas Jazz Band, and was a National Merit Scholar semifinalist.

+Vamsi Chavakula, a graduate of Agoura High School, recently participated in the California Institute of Technology's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program.

Chavakula, a sophomore in biology, spent 10 weeks on a research project titled "Observing the Migration of Myelin Targeting CD4+ T-Cells in the Mouse Optic Nerve," working with mentors Scott Fraser and Carol Readhead.

The Caltech SURF program, now in its 28th year, offers undergraduates the opportunity to conduct independent research and to work on a oneto-one basis with faculty members. This year's program had more than 235 participants from around the world.

Students collaborated with potential mentors and wrote proposals that were funded with a $5,000 stipend. Participants also attend weekly seminars led by Caltech faculty and JPL technical-staff members.

Students will present oral reports on their projects at SURF Seminar Day on Oct. 21.

Chavakula is the son of Srinivasa and Bharathi Chavakula.