Here's a shout-out to Jimmy Lin, a Johns Hopkins University Phd/MD candidate who's marrying two cool ideas: mapping genomes and Internet crowdfunding.

His novel approach with his nonprofit startup, Rare Genomics Institute, earned him a spot among the 25 TED Fellows for 2012. Being a TED Fellow is a high profile honor because the group attracts big thinkers from across the sciences, arts and humanities. TED conferences all over the world are typically big events where the overarching theme is a sharing and cross-pollination of envelope-pushing ideas.

TED Fellows get to participate closely in at least one big conference. The TED Fellows program is still young, but it's had over 5,000 applicants over the past few years, with only a few dozen being selected.

Lin, as a TED Fellow, becomes eligible to be chosen as a senior fellow, which is a two-year program that brings them to four worldwide conferences to learn and share new ideas.

I believe that Lin is the first Baltimorean to be a TED Fellow. Good news!