Alia Sabur
Alia Sabur | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 22, 1989 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Stony Brook University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Materials science |
| Institutions | Konkuk University |
| Doctoral advisor | Selcuk Guceri |
Alia Sabur (born February 22, 1989 in New York City, New York) is an American materials scientist. She holds the record for being the world's youngest professor.
Early life and education
Sabur became known after being accepted into graduate school at the age of 14. She had left public school in 4th grade, was admitted to State University of New York at Stony Brook at the age of 10 and graduated summa cum laude at 14. She also received a black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 9.[1]
After Stony Brook, Sabur attended Drexel University where she received her M.S. in 2006. Alia is recipient of the 2007 Dean fellowship from Drexel University.[2] In 2007 she took a temporary position at Southern University in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.[3]
“Alia was recruited by the most competitive graduate schools in the country. She is a tremendous addition to our rapidly growing program,” said College of Engineering Dean Selçuk Güçeri. “She is a fast learner and a creative thinker.”[4]
Mathematics career
On 19 February 2008, when she was appointed professor of mathematics at 18 years of age, the Guinness Book of World Records named Sabur the World's Youngest Professor, a designation that had been held by Colin Maclaurin since 1717.[5][6]
She was a professor in the Department of Advanced Technology Fusion at Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea.[3] Sabur, who signed a one-year contract with Konkuk University in February 2008 and began teaching there in June 2008, returned to her hometown of New York early 2009, without renewing her contract.[7][8]
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
In June 2010 Sabur appeared on CNN and Fox News' Hannity to illustrate her idea, which BP considered as an option to help alleviate the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.[9][10][11]
Graduate school controversy
In 2008, Sabur filed civil suit against Drexel University, claiming that the university engaged in fraud and defamation regarding Sabur's pursuit of a doctoral degree. In the suit, Sabur charges that Yury Gogotsi, her former Ph.D. advisor, improperly used her research to apply for grants, and deliberately obstructed her degree. Trial proceedings began on August 9, 2010. It is not clear specifically which of Sabur's ideas Gogotsi used in his own peer-reviewed journal papers and/or patents, where proper attribution was not carried out, and Sabur has yet to make any public effort to clarify the dispute in terms of specifics.
"But that was when I grew disillusioned with the science world. I saw bad conduct and realised that some professors weren’t motivated by a love of science. I fell out with the adviser who was supervising my PhD. I sued Drexel University in a civil lawsuit and the case has now gone into private, binding arbitration. I believe my adviser applied for grants and patents using my ideas, and took credit for them. He denies this and has accused me of stealing his work. Even though the university has cleared me of plagiarism it has still refused to award me my PhD.", says Financial Times article.[12]
This is the second lawsuit involving the Sabur family. In the previous one Alia Sabur's "parents brought suit on behalf of their daughter and alleged that defendants board of education, its members, and the school district failed to provide their daughter with appropriate educational services in violation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (excerpt from reference; case 203 F. Supp. 2d 292 US District Court For the Eastern District of New York, decided May 8, 2002) [13]. The case was dismissed.
References
- ^ Winerip, Michael (2003-01-22). "Reading at 8 Months? That Was Just the Start". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ http://www.materials.drexel.edu/News/Item/?i=1244.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b McNeill, David (2008-05-01). "University appoints world's youngest professor". The Independent.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ http://www.drexel.edu/univrel/drexelink/story.asp?ID=1594&vol=10&num=2.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ MacGowan, Carl (2008-04-21). "Guinness names Northport teen world's youngest professor". Newsday. Archived from the original on 2008-04-26. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
- ^ "Records of the week: 3rd – 7th March 2008". Guinness World Records. 2008-03-07. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Ahn Hai-ri; Lee Jong-chan; Choe Sun-uk; Lee Jeong-bong (2009-10-24). "Critics denounce expat college hires". Joongang Daily. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Considine, Bob (2008-04-24). "World's youngest professor can't legally drink". MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
- ^ "21-year-old's oil leak idea caught BP's eye". American Morning. June 7, 2010. CNN.
{{cite episode}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); External link in|transcripturl=|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|transcripturl=ignored (|transcript-url=suggested) (help) - ^ Rosenberg, Rebecca (2010-06-04). "LI brainiac offers oil giant a slick fix". New York Post. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- ^ "Three Ways to Fix the Gulf Oil Disaster". Hannity. June 7, 2010. Fox News.
{{cite episode}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); External link in|transcripturl=|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|transcripturl=ignored (|transcript-url=suggested) (help) - ^ Duguid, Sarah (2010-10-01). "First Person: Alia Sabur". Financial Times Magazine. Retrieved 2010-10-14.
- ^ "Sabur vs Brosnan, US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 203 F. Supp. 2d 292 (2002)". NY.Findacase. Retrieved 2011-06-28.