Every year a new child prodigy seems to pop up and battle both puberty and the challenge of earning multiple degrees before they can see an R-rated movie at the theater.  We’ve highlighted the latest crop of young geniuses who are real-life, present day Doogie Howsers (minus the IBM computer diary).

March Tian Boedihardjo, the Doogie Howser of Mathematics

March Tian Boedihardjo is a Chinese prodigy who was born in 1998. At the age of 9 he was accepted into the Hong Kong Baptist University to study mathematics, making him the youngest university student in Hong Kong. He is currently enrolled in a custom five-year course that will earn him an undergraduate and a masters degree.

How He Compares to an Average Kid
March at 9: Studying mathematics at the university level
Average 9-Year Old: Learning fractions, decimal placement, and basic multiplication and division

Wendy Vo, the Doogie Howser of Linguistics

Currently 9 years old, Wendy Vo is a Vietnamese-American child prodigy who is already fluent in 11 languages: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Hindi, Arabic and Russian. The little wunderkind also composes her own music, having already created over 40 songs.

How She Compares to an Average Kid
Wendy at 5: Composing music and beginning to master multiple languages
Average 5-Year Old: Learning correct grammar usage and basic sentence structure and listening to Kidz Bop.

Michael Kearney, the Doogie Howser of Academics

Currently in his mid-twenties, Michael Kearney  graduated from high school at the age of 6 and enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College, emerging with an Associate of Science degree in Geology by the time he was 8. By 10 years old he graduated from the University of South Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, earning him the Guinness Record for being the world’s youngest university graduate. Michael also earned a master’s in biochemistry from Middle Tennessee State University when he was 14 and another master’s in computer science from Vanderbilt (where he also taught) at the age of 17.

How He Compares to an Average Kid:
Michael at 8: Earning an Associate of Science degree in Geology
Average 8-Year Old: Learning about worms and different kinds of soil

Adora Svitak, the Doogie Howser of Writing

Adora Svitak, born in 1997, is an internationally published author who has written novels, short stories, poems and essays since she was just 6 years old. By the age of 7 she could type over 70 words per minute and published her first novel, Flying Fingers. She’s lectured about writing and literacy at Whitney Young and Depaul University in Chicago. In addition to being a spokesperson for various reading campaigns, Adora currently blogs over at adorasvitak.com and aspires to someday win the Nobel Prize in Literature and Peace.

How She Compares to an Average Kid:
Adora at 6: Writing a multitude of essays and short stories
Average 6-year old: Learning to write clear, coherent sentences and paragraphs that form a central idea.

Akrit Jaswal, the Doogie Howser of…well, Medicine

Indian-born Akrit Jaswal has gained international attention for performing surgery at just 7 years old. Born in 1993, Akrit developed a strong interest for science and anatomy at an early age and was allowed to observe surgeries by the time he was 6.  Later he became the youngest university student ever in India, studying for a Bachelor of Science degree. Akrit hopes to find a cure for cancer and is currently researching various theories of gene therapy.

How He Compares to an Average Kid:
Akrit at 7: Performing major surgery
Average 7-Year Old: Learning about germs and how to properly wash their hands

Kathleen Holtz, the Doogie Howser of Law

California native Kathleen Holtz enrolled at Cal State Los Angeles when she was just 10 years old. When she was 15 she earned a spot on the law review at UCLA Law, and in fall 2007 she passed the bar at the age of 18, becoming the youngest lawyer in the state of California and one of the youngest in U.S. history.

How She Compares to an Average Kid:
Kathleen at 15: Entering Law School
Average 15-year old: Learning the laws of driving

Tathagat Avatar Tulsi, the Doogie Howser of Physics

Born in India in 1987, Tathagat Avatar Tulsi powered through school at a young age, completing high school when he was 9, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree by age 10 and earning a Master of Science degree by the time he was 12. Labeled a physics prodigy by The Times, Tathagat wrote a well-received research paper about quantum search algorithms when he was 17. When not impressing people with his speedy mental calculations, Tathagat develops quantum algorithm software.

How He Compares to an Average Kid:
Tathagat at 12: Earning a Master of Science degree
Average 12-year old kid: Learning about molds, algae and fungus

Alia Sabur, the Doogie Howser of Everything

Alia Sabur has the distinction of being the world’s youngest professor according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Born in 1989 to Iranian immigrants, Alia enrolled at Stony Brook University when she was 10 years old and at 14 became the youngest female in U.S. history to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics. She then earned an M.S. and PH.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Drexel University, and she is currently a professor of Advanced Technology Fusion at Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea. In addition to her mathematics prowess, Alia is also a music prodigy and has performed with orchestras since she was 11. She has also contributed groundbreaking work to the medical world with her research and development of nanotube-based cellular probes.

How She Compares to an Average Kid:
Alia at 14: Earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics
Average 14-year old: Learning how to simplify expressions using integers, exponents, and radicals

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Sources:
http://www.aliasabur.com/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alia_Sabur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tathagat_Avatar_Tulsi
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/11/19/18-year-old-kathleen-holtz-passes-the-california-bar/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akrit_Jaswal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adora_Svitak
http://www.adorasvitak.com/Main.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Kearney
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_Tian_Boedihardjo
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1561260/Maths-boy-9-wins-university-place.html