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Alia Sabur, from NY, US, has clearly been ahead of the learning curve(曲线)since an early age.She finished elementary school at five, made the jump to college at 10, and by age 14, was earning a bachelor’s degree(学士学位)of science in applied mathematics(应用数学)from Stony Brook University-the youngest female in US history to do so.Her education continued at Drexel University, where she earned an MS and a PhD in materials science and engineering.
With an unlimited future ahead of her, Sabur directed her first career choice to teaching.“I really enjoy teaching,” said Sabur.“It’s something where you can make a difference.It’s not just what you can do, but you can enable a lot of other people to make their changes.” She was three days short of her 19th birthday when she was hired(雇佣)as a professor at Konkuk University in Seoul, Korea.This distinction made her the youngest college professor in history, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, beating the previous record held by Colin Maclaurin, a student of physicist Isaac Newton.
Although she doesn’t start until next month, Sabur has taken up(从事)teaching math and physics courses at Southern University in New Orleans.Sabur is old enough to teach, but not to join her fellow professors in a bar after work.In Korea, where the drinking age is 20, she might have more luck.In traditional Korean culture, children are considered to be one year old when they are born, and add a year to their age every New Year instead of their actual birthday.
In addition to her unprecedented(空前的)academic achievements, Sabur has a black belt in the Korean martial art of tae kwon do.She is also a talented clarinet(竖笛)player, who once performed with musicians like Lang Lang and Smash Mouth.So is there anything Sabur can’t do?