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A little bit backdrop of Ewin Tang: http://www.uta.edu/utamagazine/archive-issues/2010-13/2012/12/cultivating-genius/index.html http://www.uta.edu/utamagazine/a
by devy 8y ago
A little bit backdrop of Ewin Tang: http://www.uta.edu/utamagazine/archive-issues/2010-13/2012/12/cultivating-genius/index.html http://www.uta.edu/utamagazine/archive-issues/2010-13/2012/1...
- fatjokes 8y agoI like the last line: > And what about the future of UT Arlington’s latest wunderkind, Ewin Tang? “I haven’t come up with anything that is really ingenious yet,” he says. Be patient; he’s only 12. It only took 6 years. Not bad at all!
- theparanoid 8y agoAs someone who finished undergrad classes as a teenager. I totally failed to live up to my potential.
- lixtra 8y agoIt’s a probability game. The article states that he picked the problem that seemed easiest to him. Other people make different choices. And finally: even if you don’t achieve anything ground breaking till the end of your life it’s good you tried your chances.
- contingencies 8y agoDon't sell yourself short. Lots of important stuff happens when inquiring minds age and have the benefit of cross-disciplinary experience and perspective, plus new social, temporal and fiscal resources.
- sltkr 8y agoI was pretty confused by this link, until I realized that the part about Ewin Tang has been deleted from that page, which must have happened shortly after posting the link. Archive.org has the original text: https://web.archive.org/web/20180725201359/http://www.uta.edu/utamagazine/archive-issues/2010-13/2012/12/cultivating-genius/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20180725201359/http://www.uta.ed... Quoting for posterity: ---8<--- Twelve-year-old Ewin Tang is the latest in a line of wunderkinds to begin their UT Arlington careers while other students their age are still in elementary school or junior high. History suggests he’ll continue to amaze. Ewin Tang’s classmates tend to overlook the slight, bespectacled youth sitting in the front row until he answers the professor’s queries—all correctly. Then they ask their own questions. “Who is this guy?” “Why is he here?” And always, “How old is he?” At 12, Ewin, the son of bioengineering Professor Liping Tang, is the youngest student on campus and among the youngest in UT Arlington history. Since taking his first college courses at age 10, he has completed 20 hours, including classes in calculus and differential equations, all with a 4.0 GPA. “Other students just seem kind of amazed,” he says. “They ask about my age, what I’m majoring in. Some of them actually take pictures of me. They’re pretty cool with it, though; they really don’t bother me a lot.” Although the age gap usually prevents Ewin from forming close friendships with his classmates, many are eager to work with him once they recognize his abilities. Ewin’s college career began after he completed every math course available in his K-12 private school. His intellect had already prompted school officials to move him from third to seventh grade, but it was soon apparent that he needed more. After he scored 1920 on the SAT at age 10, his parents and school officials explored college enrollment. Dr. Tang acknowledges that having an immensely bright child can be challenging. “There are no books, no guidance on exactly what to do. This (college for someone so young) is a totally gray area.” The Tangs met with then-Provost Donald Bobbitt and later with Senior Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies Michael Moore. Ewin’s first classes, an online course in history and an on-campus calculus class, were tests he passed easily. “I think it makes a difference that I’m here,” Dr. Tang says. “Ewin has a place to go and a built-in support system.” In addition to his University coursework, Ewin works part time in his dad’s nanotechnology laboratory. He is developing a probe to detect bacterial infection, something that would greatly assist in diagnosing diseases. His career plans involve science or engineering, but he hasn’t yet settled on a specialty. “Our main concern when we began this was his social life,” says Dr. Tang, who notes that Ewin attends a private high school with students his own age for some courses and activities. “Academically he is fine, but we want him to stay in school and stay with kids his own age, to have friends his own age. So far it’s working out pretty well. Thanks to Dr. Moore, he’s having a very good experience.” “Other students just seem kind of amazed. They ask about my age, what I’m majoring in. Some of them actually take pictures of me.” Ewin spends part of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the private school, where he takes classes and participates in soccer, basketball, cross country, and the Science Olympiad. He also attends UT Arlington on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and does research in his father’s lab Tuesday and Thursday. As if that’s not enough, he works with a private tutor, studies Chinese, and plays the piano and erhu, a traditional Chinese instrument akin to a violin. While it might seem that Ewin’s case is unique, Moore and his predecessors in the Provost’s Office have seen others. Because such students don’t meet traditional enrollment requirements, they are evaluated case by case. “Typically, there is a detailed conversation with the parents about the challenges and rigors of college work as well as a thorough review of the student’s academic history,” Moore explains. “Obviously, we are looking for exceptional young men and women who show the ability to excel in the classroom as well as handle the collegiate environment.” Over the past two decades, several of these exceptionally young and brilliant students have used UT Arlington as a springboard to success. ---8<---