I don't think it's that hard! 12-year-old prodigy earns master's degree in quantum physics
Unlike most 12-year-olds, who have just finished elementary school, Laurent Simons doesn't look much different from other 12-year-olds, but the Belgian prodigy with an IQ of 145 has already earned a master's degree in quantum physics from the University of Antwerp. He received his bachelor's degree a year ago and is now preparing for his doctorate. "I don't think it's that hard, I haven't reached my limit yet."
Belgian media reported that Laurent received his master's degree on July 11, local time. For the past year, Laurent has worked as a guest student at the University of Munich and the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics with an international research team on a laser project in which lasers are used to detect the smallest cancer cells. He received his master's degree with honors.
Laurent Simons was born on December 26, 2009 and has been called a "prodigy" and "genius" since he was a child. he graduated from high school at the age of 8, received his bachelor's degree at 11 and now has a master's degree at 12.
Born to a family of dentists, Laurent entered elementary school at age 4 and finished at age 6, often changing schools because he was moving too fast. He then skipped straight from elementary school to high school and received one-on-one instruction, his genius being that he never forgets what he has learned.
Thus, he completed high school in just two years. In order to graduate successfully, he had to take an exam every day for the last six weeks of high school. During the summer, he interned with a cardiologist in Amsterdam and attended a course for the gifted. An intelligence test showed Laurent's IQ to be over 145.
After graduating from high school at the age of 8, Laurent attended Eindhoven University of Technology. During this time, there was a withdrawal fiasco at the end of 2019, as his parents demanded that he finish university before his 10th birthday, and they wanted to break the record of the youngest undergraduate graduate of American Michael Kearney, but were opposed by the school. After withdrawing, he enrolled at the University of Antwerp.
In July 2021, Laurent, 11, received his bachelor's degree in physics at the University of Antwerp with "the highest grades in his field. Having already earned credits for his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology, he completed his bachelor's degree in physics in one year, which is normally designed for six semesters (three years).
One year later, Laurent had received his master's degree with 88% distinction. In fact, it only took him one semester, while his classmates took two years to complete their master's degrees in physics.
During his master's degree, Laurent interned at the Attoworld research team in Munich, working with professors from the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics and the University of Munich. "We conducted a study with lasers to detect cancer cells in people's blood, and the work was very interesting."
Laurent Simons during his internship in Munich
In the future, Laurent hopes to pursue a medical doctorate, his dream being to create artificial organs. "I still have a long way to go to achieve my dream. I hope to eventually be able to replace as many body parts as possible with artificial organs."
Reference link：
https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20220710_96135582
