She can avoid references to Einstein, but this theoretical physicist is to watch | MNN

At 14, what did you like to do? Maybe go to the movies, play sports or play with friends online? By the time Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski, Ph.D., was 14, she had built and flown her own plane.

It was at that time that she first attracted the attention of the geniuses of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she went to have the federal government verify that her plane is monomodable.

Despite the interest of MIT, the Chicago native was on the waiting list when she applied for undergraduate studies. OZY reports that two professors who saw his plane intervened, calling him "off the charts", and she was then admitted. She graduated at the top of her class, averaging 5.00, the highest possible score. She also became the first woman to win the MIT Physics Orloff Scholarship.

After MIT, she headed for a Ph.D. program in theoretical physics at Harvard University's Center for Basic Natural Laws. During her stay, she studied topics such as quantum gravity, black holes and space-time. This week, she earned her doctoral degree.

What is the next step for the new Dr. Gonzalez Pasterski? It seems that she can make her choice: she has a permanent job offer from Jeff Bezos in her aerospace company Blue Origin, her research was cited by theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, she was interviewed by the Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and NASA have eye on it. She will probably continue her work on quantum gravity, a theory that attempts to explain gravitational physics in terms of quantum mechanics.

But you will not find it touted by its exceptional, especially on social media because it "has not and has never had a Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram account". (She does however have a YouTube channel.) As she writes on her website, PhysicsGirl.com. "I have so much to learn, I do not deserve attention."

Even if she thinks maybe the reference to Einstein is too much, it's clear that incredible things are waiting for us, as shown in the video below.

Increasing interest in physics

It is also an outstanding example of a growing trend: efforts to increase interest in STEM areas are paying off. According to the American Institute of Physics (AIP), the number of people with a Bachelor of Physics in the United States is increasing.

In 2017, 8,633 bachelor's degrees in physics were awarded, compared to about 8,000 in 2015. This figure has increased by 4% per year over the last 13 years, resulting in a small but steady increase in physics graduates.

The number of women studying or working in the field of physics has also increased, although, again, it is low. In 2017, about 40% (about 65,000) of high school students who passed the AP Physics exam were women. According to the most recent data, however, among the physics departments of colleges and universities, women represent only 16% of faculty and staff. Although 16% may seem weak, this number is up from 10% in 2002.

Why this drop of interest from high school to professional world? A 2016 study on women's retention in physics found that women cited two main factors: negative relationships with graduate counselors and the "two-body problem," which is when a couple with two university partners must find two jobs in the same geographical area
area.

Hopefully the lessons learned from this study will help as many young smart women to embrace science as Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski and show the example.

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She can avoid references to Einstein, but this theoretical physicist is to be watched.

Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski, who built and flown her own plane at age 14, has just earned a PhD from Harvard and she is proof of the increasing power of STEM thrust.