An interesting article in the NY Times focuses on Natalie Portman who, in addition to winning the "Oscar" for best actress this past Sunday, was also an Intel Science award winner: the "depressingly impressive" details are provided at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/science/01angier.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=homepage
As the article notes: |Ms. Portman is one of a handful of high-profile actors who happen |to have serious scientific credentials — awards, degrees, patents |and theorems in their name. Ms. Portman also studied neuroscience when she was at Harvard. One of her professors remembers: |“I’ve taught at Harvard, Dartmouth and Vassar, and I’ve had the |privilege of teaching a lot of very bright kids,” said Abigail A. Baird, |who was one of Ms. Portman’s mentors at Harvard. “There are |very few who are as inherently bright as Natalie is, who have as |much intellectual horsepower, who work as hard as she did. She |didn’t take a single thing for granted.” What is even more impressive is how Ms. Portman engaged in effective and efficient time management, juggling her schoolwork and acting career. Quoting from the article: |Whether as a student in her class or a research assistant in her lab, |said Dr. Baird, who is now an associate professor of psychology |at Vassar, “Natalie never once asked for an extension or to be |excused from her responsibilities.” | |If she was scheduled to appear on the Letterman show, for example, |she would finish her paper early. “She’s sincerely confident and has |a good grasp of her strengths and weaknesses,” said Dr. Baird, and |she is wise beyond her years. “One of things she said was: ‘It’s |weird that there are so many people at Harvard who do amazing |things outside the classroom. It just so happens that people like to |watch what I do.’ ” Oh, if only more students were like her. -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=9104 or send a blank email to leave-9104-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
