Michael Kearney
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Michael Kearney (born January 18, 1984) is a child prodigy known for setting several world records, and teaching college at the age of 17.
The son of a Japanese mother and a Caucasian father, he was schooled at home by his parents, especially his mother, and accelerated in his academic career. He was misdiagnosed with ADD and his parents declined to use the offered prescription of ritalin.
He spoke his first words at four months. At the age of six months, he said to his pediatrician "I have a left ear infection". [1] He learned to read at the age of ten months. [2]
For a while, he was the world's youngest postgraduate and the holder of several Guinness world records, but the master's degree record was broken by Tathagat Avatar Tulsi. His 118-page master's thesis is entitled "Kinetic Isotope Effects of Thymidine Phosphorylase." His research is focused on an enzyme that could potentially slow or stop the growth of cancer cells without harming health.
He is listed in the Guinness Book as the world's youngest university graduate at the age of 10, receiving a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of South Alabama. This was after enrolling at Santa Rosa Junior College at the age of 6 years and 7 months, from which he graduated at the age of 8 with an associate of science in geology. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a master's degree in chemistry at the age of 14, and taught at Vanderbilt University at 16. He received a second Master's degree in Computer Science from Vanderbilt when he was 17.
In October 2006, he became a finalist on the Mark Burnett/AOL quiz/puzzle game "Gold Rush", winning $100,000. In November 2006, in front of a national audience on Entertainment Tonight, he went on to win the grand prize of an additional $1,000,000.
His sister, Maeghan, is also a child prodigy.
[edit] References
- ^ Kearney, K.J. and C.Y. (1998). Accidental Genius. Woodshed Press. ISBN 0962874612. p. 24
- ^ "Accidental Genius". MegaFoundation.org. Retrieved on 2006-09-02.
