Lenhard Ng
Encyclopedia
Lenhard Ng is an American
mathematician
working primarily on symplectic geometry. Ng is an associate professor of mathematics at Duke University
.
and his Ph.D. in Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 2001. He is married to Astrid Giugni.
who was once thought to be the "smartest kid in America". At age 10, he earned a perfect score of 800 on the math portion of the SAT-I. He is one of the youngest children to have achieved this feat. At the age of 11, he earned a perfect score on the College Board
Test of Standard Written English. He earned a perfect score on the American High School Mathematics Examination in all 4 years of high school. He attended the Johns Hopkins
Center for Talented Youth
and was one of the gifted children included in the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth
longitudinal cohort. He was estimated to be top one in approximately one million of his age-mates.
At the age of 12, he began taking courses (on a part-time basis) at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He was not yet 13 when he won the Written Round of the MATHCOUNTS competition. At the age of 14, he participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad
and earned a Silver medal. He participated in this competition for the next two years and earned Gold medals. He entered college (Harvard University
) full-time at the age of 16 and majored in Mathematics
and Physics
, graduating Summa Cum Laude in three years. He competed in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
while at Harvard University
and was a three-time fellow, one of only 18 people to have achieved this feat since 1938. The first time he became a Putnam Fellow was at the age of 16, making him one of only 5 people (the 4 others being Arthur Rubin
, Noam Elkies
, David Ash, and John Tillinghast) in the history of the competition to have achieved this feat.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
working primarily on symplectic geometry. Ng is an associate professor of mathematics at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
Personal life
Lenhard Ng is an American of Chinese descent. His father, Jack Ng, is a professor of Physics at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He earned his B.A. (Summa Cum Laude) in Mathematics and Physics at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and his Ph.D. in Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 2001. He is married to Astrid Giugni.
Child prodigy
Ng was a child prodigyChild prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
who was once thought to be the "smartest kid in America". At age 10, he earned a perfect score of 800 on the math portion of the SAT-I. He is one of the youngest children to have achieved this feat. At the age of 11, he earned a perfect score on the College Board
College Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
Test of Standard Written English. He earned a perfect score on the American High School Mathematics Examination in all 4 years of high school. He attended the Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins was a wealthy American entrepreneur, philanthropist and abolitionist of 19th-century Baltimore, Maryland, now most noted for his philanthropic creation of the institutions that bear his name, namely the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the Johns Hopkins University and its associated...
Center for Talented Youth
Center for Talented Youth
The Center for Talented Youth is a gifted education program for school-age children, founded in 1979 by Dr. Julian Stanley at Johns Hopkins University. It was initially a research study of the rate at which gifted children can learn new material and became the first program of its kind to identify...
and was one of the gifted children included in the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth
Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth
The Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth is a study project and was founded by Dr Julian Stanley in 1971 at the Johns Hopkins University. In 1986, it moved to Iowa State University, where it was headed by Dr Camilla Benbow until 1990, and from then on by Dr Benbow and Dr David Lubinski...
longitudinal cohort. He was estimated to be top one in approximately one million of his age-mates.
At the age of 12, he began taking courses (on a part-time basis) at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He was not yet 13 when he won the Written Round of the MATHCOUNTS competition. At the age of 14, he participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad
International Mathematical Olympiad
The International Mathematical Olympiad is an annual six-problem, 42-point mathematical olympiad for pre-collegiate students and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. It has since been held annually, except in 1980...
and earned a Silver medal. He participated in this competition for the next two years and earned Gold medals. He entered college (Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
) full-time at the age of 16 and majored in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, graduating Summa Cum Laude in three years. He competed in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, often abbreviated to the Putnam Competition, is an annual mathematics competition for undergraduate college students of the United States and Canada, awarding scholarships and cash prizes ranging from $250 to $2,500 for the top students and $5,000...
while at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and was a three-time fellow, one of only 18 people to have achieved this feat since 1938. The first time he became a Putnam Fellow was at the age of 16, making him one of only 5 people (the 4 others being Arthur Rubin
Arthur Rubin
Arthur Leonard Rubin is an American mathematician.-Biography:As an undergraduate he placed among the top five competitors in the William Lowell Putnam Competition on four occasions , a feat matched by only six other undergraduate students since the first competition in 1938...
, Noam Elkies
Noam Elkies
Noam David Elkies is an American mathematician and chess master.At age 14, Elkies received a gold medal with a perfect score at the International Mathematical Olympiad, the youngest ever to do so...
, David Ash, and John Tillinghast) in the history of the competition to have achieved this feat.