Recent Signature Program Graduate Named Thiel Fellow

Picture of Erin Smith
Shawnee Mission School District

Erin Smith, Biotechnology Signature Program and recent SM West graduate, was recently named a Thiel Fellow. 

She is one of only 20 people from around the world named into the 2018 class of Thiel Fellows. The Fellowship program, which launched in 2011, encourages talented young people to pursue big ideas and start companies.

Smith founded FacePrint, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool, to diagnose and monitor Parkinson's disease and commonly misidentified neurological disorders using video technology and early-stage facial muscle indicators. 

The Thiel Fellowship is a two-year program, which is offered to allow Thiel Fellows the option to skip or take a break before going to college. They receive a $100,000 grant and support from the Thiel Foundation’s network of founders, investors, and scientists.