Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Alia Sabur: World's Youngest Professor

Materials scientist Alia Sabur has been breaking records for nearly a decade:

She was the youngest student to attend college, when she was 10, and four years later, the youngest woman to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from Stony Brook University. By 18, she had her doctorate degree in Materials Science and Engineering.
Last semester she taught math and physics classes at Southern University in New Orleans. And now? She's a professor in the Department of Advanced Technology Fusion at Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea, and Research Liaison with her alma mater, Stony Brook University. Her hiring at age 18 makes her the youngest college professor in history. In addition to teaching, she'll also pursue research in developing nanotubes for use as cellular probes.

She told Voice of America that she wants to help dispel the stereotype that girls aren't as good at math and science as boys.
"I'm hoping to be a role model for other girls," she says, "and inspire them to go into those subjects so that they can prove the same thing, that girls are good at math and science and that you don't have to be really nerdy or weird to be successful in them."
And she is also a musician - she studied the clarinet at Juilliard School of Music the same year she started college, and made her solo debut in front of an orchestra at age 11 - and has a black belt in tae kwon do.

Amazing!
(via Zuska)

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3 comments:

ROSA E OLIVIER said...

Piú giú, in fondo alla Tuscolana...!?...passavo per un saluto!

tagercito . said...

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abby said...

how inspiring, thanks for posting this.

I had fun going through her gallery and looking at all the pictures under "Media People" - what a life she must have led already, and she's only 18, too cool!

(the "Before College" are awesome too, imagine her sitting next to you in Calculus class :-) )
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