美国神童9岁上大学，13岁被博士班录取，梦想成为理论物理学家！现实版小谢尔顿就是他！（附视频&摘要稿）

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首先问大家一个问题，还记得自己13岁的时候在干什么吗？估计大部分人都是在念初中吧。

一名来自美国明尼苏达州的13岁男孩即将获得大学学士学位——主修物理学，辅修数学，并已被这所大学的物理学博士项目录取。现在他的父母正在想办法，如何支付这笔费用。

这位天才男孩叫埃利奥特·坦纳（Elliott Tanner），被称为极度有天赋的孩子，在明尼苏达大学保持着3.78的平均成绩，在参与本科研究的同时也在辅导同学。

他想成为一名高能理论物理学家，并最终成为该大学的物理学教授，然而，他的母亲米歇尔·坦纳说，研究生课程的学费一直是一个很难支付。根据OneStop大学网站，即使作为州内居民，埃利奥特的家庭也必须为秋季和春季学期支付总计约40,600美元，或者每学期约20,300美元。

米歇尔说："我们试图申请任何奖学金、研究金、助学金，但都没有成功。我们惊讶地发现，大学没有向埃利奥特提供经济资助。在米国，只有3%的物理学博士新生没有得到学费减免/或经济资助，所以我们从来没有想到，我们会因为13岁的埃利奥特入学学费而发愁。”

这对父母为埃利奥特的研究生学费发起了助学基金会，截至到4月24日，在44000美元的目标中已经筹集了25059美元。

“我对物理学有一种难以置信的热情，这一直是我最喜欢做的事情之一。”埃利奥特谈到他的职业道路时说。他的妈妈说他在3岁时就开始阅读和做数学题。经过几年的家庭教育和花了两年时间完成的高中课程，他在9岁时开始上大学课程。“听到埃利奥特故事的人说他不像是个孩子，或者他成长得太快了。"米歇尔说。

他在很大程度上仍然是个孩子，唯一不同的是他在不同的大楼里上学。埃利奥特将于2022年5月12日正式毕业，获得物理学理学士学位，并辅修数学。

小爱因斯坦

13岁的天才男孩被博士课程录取

↓↓↓ 上下滑动，查看解说稿 ↓↓↓

A child science prodigy has wowed his professors and classmates by becoming a college graduate at the age of 13.

Elliott Tanner recently graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in physics, with a minor in mathematics.

"I feel ecstatic, " Elliott, a Minnesota resident, told Live Science.

"It is a truly surreal experience.

" Though incredible, this achievement does not make Elliott the youngest college graduate in U.S.history.

That title belongs to Michael Kearney, who graduated from the University of South Alabama with a bachelor's degree in anthropology in 1992 at the age of 10, according to the BBC.

Elliott's parents are "incredibly proud" of the hard work and dedication he displayed to get his degree at such a young age and are pleased that he has become an inspiration to lots of people.

"While he has an amazing capacity to learn, he's also a kind and funny human being, " Michelle Tanner, Elliott's mom, told Live Science.

"He inspires us to be better people everyday.

" Elliott plans to earn a doctorate if his parents can raise the necessary funds.

In the future, Elliott aims to be a professor at the University of Minnesota and become an expert in high-energy theoretical physics, the study of the most elementary building blocks of matter and the fundamental forces between them.

"I can't wait to get started, " he said.

Age is just a number Elliott's parents first realized their son was gifted before he started school; he displayed remarkable language and math skills from the age 3.

When he was 5, Elliott enrolled in his local kindergarten but was quickly taken out of school when it became clear that a traditional education experience would not be a good fit for him.

"He was talking about particle accelerators when he was 5 years old, when other kids were pretending to be Superman on the playground, " Michelle said.

Elliott was then homeschooled by his parents, who supported his inquisitive nature and appetite for knowledge on their own.

The pair tried to limit Elliott to the curriculum of his peers, but despite their best efforts, he advanced at an astonishing rate.

"Elliott ended up learning and consuming information quicker than we could provide it, " Tanner said.

"His room was filled with textbooks that he would read immediately.

" He often chose to spend his birthday money on books instead of toys or games, she added.

By age 9, Elliott had already completed most of the normal high school curriculum, and his parents were struggling to keep up with him.

So they enrolled him at his local community college.

"As parents, we were terrified, " Tanner said.

"But he excelled, and the school administration and other students took him under their wings.

" It was at community college that Elliott really forged his passion for physics.

"For a long time, I wanted to be a mathematician, " Elliott said.

"Then I was exposed to a physics class that really intrigued and inspired me to learn more about the secrets of the world.

" A unique college experience When he was 11 years old, Elliott transferred to the University of Minnesota to start studying physics and math.

The ease with which Elliott transitioned to college life came as a shock to his professors and his significantly older classmates.

Advertisement "There is sometimes a short period of confusion as to why I am there [in class], but that wears off quickly, " Elliott said.

Although his college experience is a little different from that of his classmates, Elliott still hangs out with his peers in the student lounge, discussing homework, debating physics topics or watching movies.

"Being exposed to people that are just as passionate about physics as he is has been incredibly rewarding for him, " Tanner said.

"It satisfies his mind to be able to dive deep in with others at his level and learn from amazing scientists.

" Elliott has also had to deal with the media coverage that comes with being a prodigy.

He is often compared to Sheldon Cooper, the main character in "The Big Bang Theory" spinoff "Young Sheldon, " and he said he has even become friends with Iain Armitage, the actor that plays Young Sheldon.

"Young Sheldon has shown some of the hardships I have faced, " Elliott said.

"And I do appreciate seeing other gifted people on shows.

" Still a normal kid One of the biggest challenges Elliott and his family have faced is criticism, especially online, from people who do not understand his situation and make snap judgments about what his life must be like.

"People seem to have a preconceived notion that Elliott's childhood has been stolen from him, " Tanner said.

"People also assume he must be lacking in social skills.

" But this couldn't be "further from the truth, " she added.

However, Elliott has always enjoyed interacting with kids his own age, Tanner said.

He loves playing with other neighborhood children, doing stuff like building cardboard armor, making board games, visiting amusement parks and playing "Dungeons and Dragons.

" And just like the other kids, Elliott goes trick-or-treating on Halloween, but with a decidedly academic twist: He dresses up as Albert Einstein or theoretical physicist Richard Feynman, his favorite scientist.

What next? Elliott has been accepted into the University of Minnesota's physics doctoral program and is due to start his doctorate in the next academic year.

Unfortunately, his acceptance into the program has not come with the financial support students would normally receive.

Usually, the university provides students with a package that includes a stipend (basic salary), health insurance and a tuition waiver.

In this case, however, the physics department opted not to because they have apprehensions about giving Elliott teaching responsibilities, which is a big part of the program.

The decision came as a surprise to Elliott's parents, who were relying on the grant to support Elliott's education.

They estimate that the entire doctoral program will cost around $90,000 to complete.

"We never imagined sending a 9-year-old to college, let alone a 13-year-old to graduate school, so we never had the time to build up a college fund, " Tanner said.

The only option left was to start a GoFundMe campaign, she added.

As of April 28, Elliott's GoFundMe page has raised more than $28,000, which means that he should at least be able to complete the first year.

"We are so grateful that our friends, family, community and the general public have supported Elliott, " Tanner said.

"He wouldn't be able to continue his studies without the support."

Elliott, who lives in Minneapolis, started showing signs of being academically gifted from a very young age.

艾略特出生于美国明尼阿波利斯市，从很小的时候他就开始表现出在学术上的天赋。

He taught himself to read at age 2 or 3, and around age 5, while other kids were talking about superheroes, Elliott was voluntarily memorizing the periodic table, including the weights and atomic masses of each of the 118 elements, according to his mom, Michelle Tanner.

据艾略特的妈妈米歇尔·坦纳介绍，他在2岁、3岁时自学阅读，大约5岁，同龄孩子在谈论超级英雄时，艾略特就自己在背元素周期表，包括118种元素中每种元素的重量和原子质量。

At age 6, Elliott was classified as "profoundly gifted" on an IQ test — the highest level on the scale — said Tanner, a 45-year-old freelance photographer and social media manager.

45岁的自由摄影师兼社交媒体经理坦纳说，艾略特6岁时在智商测试中被评价为“极有天赋”——这是最高等级。

The family doesn't know how or why Elliott is so intelligent, but they think genetics are likely involved.

家里人并不知道艾略特为什么这么聪明，但他们认为这可能与遗传有关。

Tanner, who has a two-year associate's degree in graphic design, believes she was gifted as well, but had undiagnosed dyslexia.

坦纳拥有两年平面设计学的副学士学位，她认为自己也很有天赋，但患有未确诊的诵读困难症。

Her husband, who graduated high school but never went to college, is a music savant she said, while her husband's father is a "super-smart" civil engineer who taught himself six languages.

她说，她丈夫是一名音乐制作人，高中毕业，从未上过大学，而她丈夫的父亲是一名“绝顶聪明”的土木工程师，自学了6种语言。

After one year in a local kindergarten, where Elliott was far outpacing his peers, Tanner started homeschooling her son.

在当地的幼儿园学习了一年后，艾略特远远超过了他的同龄人，坦纳开始在家教育她的儿子。

"We kept providing for him," she said of herself and husband Patrick, a 56-year-old music producer. "But he was flying through the curriculum and then pretty soon he outsmarted us. So we approached the local community college."

“我们一直是自己教他，”她谈到自己和丈夫帕特里克，一位56岁的音乐制作人。“但他很快就学完了课程，远远超过了我们。所以我们联系了当地的社区大学。”

Elliott started attending Normandale Community College at age 9, graduating with an associate's degree at age 11. Then, he began his studies at the University of Minnesota.

艾略特9岁开始上诺曼代尔社区学院，11岁毕业并获得副学士学位。之后，他开始在明尼苏达大学学习。

Elliott says his classmates were initially shocked he was in their class: "For them there was a little bit of a 'wow' period. Who is this kid?"

艾略特说，他的同学最初这位同班同学感到震惊：“对他们来说，刚开始一直好奇：这小子是谁？”

Ultimately though, he didn't feel out of place at all with the other physics students, a group he describes as preferring to stay in rather than going out partying every night. "For me it was just normal," he says. "Everyone was really kind to me."

但最终，他一点也不觉得和其他物理系学生格格不入，他形容这个群体更喜欢呆在家里，不会每晚都出去派对。“对我来说，这很正常，”他说。“每个人都对我很好。”

Though they are thrilled about their son's achievements, his parents have encountered one problem: paying for graduate school. As two self-employed workers, they didn't think they would have to pay for school so soon.

虽然他们对儿子的成就感到兴奋，但艾略特的父母遇到了一个问题：支付研究生院的费用。作为两名个体户，他们没想到这么快就要交学费了。

They also hoped Elliott would receive some kind of financial aid, as he did for his undergraduate degree.

他们也希望艾略特能获得某种形式的经济资助，就像他获得本科学位一样。

Tanner said she was "shocked" that the university didn't give Elliott any financial aid for the Ph.D. program, which she estimates will cost about $87,000 in total. The University of Minnesota declined to comment, citing privacy restrictions.

坦纳说，她感到“震惊”的是，该大学没有为艾略特的博士项目提供任何财政援助，她估计该项目总共将花费约87000美元。明尼苏达大学以隐私为由拒绝置评。

Since then, the family has started a GoFundMe page, and thanks to hundreds of generous donations, they recently announced that they've raised enough money to fund his first two years — and are now focusing on year three.

从那以后，这个家庭建立了一个GoFundMe页面，由于数百名热心人士的慷慨捐款，他们最近宣布已经筹集到足够的资金来资助他的头两年学习——现在开始筹备第三年。

"We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible outpouring of support everyone has shown for Elliott," Tanner wrote on the fundraising page. "Please know how incredibly happy and thankful we are."

坦纳在筹款页面上写道：“我们非常感谢每个人对艾略特的大力支持。”。"请知道我们是多么的快乐和感激。"

However, Elliott doesn't consider himself to be much different from others his age."I feel like I'm a regular 13-year-old," he says. "I just go to a different school."

然而，艾略特并不认为自己和同龄人有什么不同。“我觉得自己就是一个普通的13岁孩子，”他说。“我只是去了一所不同的学校。”

Still, balancing his studies and having fun at home can make for an interesting juxtaposition.

尽管如此，他在平衡学业和享受家庭生活方面经历了很有趣的过程。

For instance, one day he may be presenting his research on "Determining the Momentum Distribution of Cosmic Muons," while the next day he'll get dressed up in a homemade costume made of cardboard boxes.

例如，有一天他可能会展示他关于“确定宇宙介子的动量分布”的研究，而第二天他会穿上由纸板盒制成的自制服装。

"I can still find time to play with friends," says Elliott, whose favorite games include Dungeons & Dragons and Minecraft along with board games like Risk and Catan.

“我仍然有时间和朋友们一起玩，”艾略特说，他最喜欢的游戏包括《龙与地下城》和《我的世界》，以及像Risk和《卡坦岛》这样的棋盘游戏。