Jack Andraka, 15, photographed above at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair where he won $75,000 for his pancreatic cancer screening test. Excerpt below from a column by Michael A. Robinson, for Money Morning about teen geniuses making a difference.  

He’s barely old enough to shave… but Jack Andraka is already hard at work helping America win the war on cancer.

Just last month, the Baltimore-area whiz kid took top honors at a key contest hosted by Silicon Valley legend Intel Corp. (NasdaqGS: INTC). He invented a low-cost, cutting-edge cancer screen that could save thousands of lives every year.

Andraka now ranks as a rising star and radical change agent who could have a huge impact on high tech and medicine. He also pocketed a cool $100,000 in prize money.

And all at the ripe old age of 15…

He’s one of the reasons why I say it pays to remain upbeat about America’s future. He and these six other youngsters I’m about to tell you about demonstrate how much innate talent we have in this country, and I believe that’s one reason why we can’t help but succeed in the long run.

Don’t get me wrong. America faces big challenges – rising debt, chronic job losses, and political gridlock, to name but a few.

Yet we’re also the one country that steadily produces bright young entrepreneurs who change the world around them. Where others see obstacles, these teens see opportunities.

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