The next Einstein is here. Are we ready yet?
She is 22 and already a physics PhD candidate at Harvard. She studies some of the most complex concepts like spacetime and blackholes, and you can only find her on her website – physicsgirl.com where she regularly updates her research work. Amazon already has a standing offer for her right now. She is a first generation Cuban-American woman, so Trump should definitely take notice.
Who is the “next Einstein”?
Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski is an MIT graduate who has left the world of physics stunned with her research work. She took the world by storm some years back when she was just fourteen and had successfully built a single engine aircraft in a workshop in her father’s garage. Let me reiterate – she was only 14.
Pasterski soon moved from building planes to concentrating on physics which she considered one topic of “utility”.
Hertz Foundation, Smith Foundation and National Science Foundation have given her grants to support her studies and work.
Her area of research
Sabrina worked on the CMS experiment of the Large Hedron Collider. Her work has formed the basis of a recently discovered triangle that connects soft theorems, memories and symmetries. Soft theorems are photons with energy and symmetry in physics refers to a physical feature that remains unchanged under some transformations.
Pasterski has been cited by Stephen Hawking in his work. That is SOMETHING.
What we should learn from her success
1. Pasterski belongs to a nation where it is believed that immigrants, and especially the Latin-American community is only confined to administrative work and can never directly participate in the scientific community. Her achievements is a reminder that achievements are possible if we believe.
2. Only 26% of science grads have jobs in their chosen fields, according to American Community Survey. Nearly 30% of physics and chemistry post doctoral candidates are unemployed. With her job offer from Jeff Bezos, it is clear that aviation is very successful in the US market, obviously because of the high nature of military spending. As a result, genuine research in science is jeopardized.
3. Women are rare in scientific fields, a fact that doesn’t even need validation from statistics. This is also because of the limited early exposure given to the girl child. In India, it is even more so because of discriminatory practices prevalent in families. The result? There is only one Tessy Thomas in the country whereas a number of men already have their hands on constructing ballistic missiles.
4. The contempt towards millenials must stop. We are not a stupid generation, as it has been deemed almost always. The thing is, lifestyles have changed and so with it, the way of thinking of most of the people. With so many issues at hand, we have the privilege to choose which information we want to dwell on and what is not of relative significance to us.
If you complain that we have technology and are not making proper use of it, well that is an issue that holds ground because Pasterski was untrained and according to her father, she learnt everything from the internet.
Other recommendations:
http://edtimes.in/2016/06/42152/
