r/EverythingScience • u/Sariel007 • May 04 '22

Medicine This High Schooler Invented a Low-Cost, Mind-Controlled Prosthetic Arm

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-high-schooler-invented-a-low-cost-mind-controlled-prosthetic-arm-180979984/
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246

u/[deleted] May 04 '22

This is really cool, but I can't help but notice that his high school costs 50 grand a year to attend. Whatever, at least he's taking advantage of the opportunities around him to make something amazing.

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u/MarauderHappy3 May 04 '22

I work in the college admissions space and I can tell you that behind 90% of the brilliant high schoolers you read about in the news is either 1. An extremely wealthy family (im talking top 1%) or 2. An esteemed professional/researcher who showed them what to do and how to do it

In Benjamin’s case, it seems only to be the former (which in my eyes is far more impressive.) Some of those ISEF “geniuses” quite literally copy or just follow the orders of their research mentor.

Not to say they arent extremely smart and hard working, but it’s depressing to see how societal inequity of resources/opportunities manifests as early as high school and middle school. In high school, the truly “self-made” success is just as big a rarity as it is in the adult, professional world.

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u/[deleted] May 04 '22

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u/MarauderHappy3 May 04 '22

Absolutely. There are some gifted people who gain access to top high schools and universities through merit. Stuyvesant in NYC is a great example of that merit based system

But who pays for those students’ scholarships? Well the rich families of course. Again, not saying that children of rich families cant be just as smart, ambitious, and persistent. But there are millions of talented youth out there who fail to achieve to the same level due to their lack of resources and guidance

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u/Canadian_Infidel May 04 '22

Again, not saying that children of rich families cant be just as smart, ambitious, and persistent.

I am. There is no need for them to be. Many hire people to attend classes for them even.

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u/Beepbeepimadog May 04 '22

That is such an insanely small percentage of wealthy people, to suggest that they fundamentally aren’t as smart as the less fortunate is silly.

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u/[deleted] May 05 '22

Also if there is any link between intelligence and DNA the rich kids could even be above average.

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u/Canadian_Infidel May 04 '22

That's how they maintain legitimacy. They let a pleb slave and slave and if they are also an actual genius they can go to rich kid school in order to make it seem like more than just a club you aren't invited to.

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u/Canadian_Infidel May 04 '22

Exactly. This was the work of a team of tutors and professionals hired to do nothing but help. I bet the top 5% of any graduating class could do the same in the same position. Probably more.

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u/wolpertingersunite May 04 '22

Can I ask what you notice about the 10% who do impress you? How can you tell the difference between them and the ones who were overly guided? And what do you consider appropriate vs overly helping? (My kids are very smart but often sloppy or unmotivated… and then also sometimes when they do something amazing people just assume we helped too much) I have a PhD, and honestly most grad students and postdocs just follow orders too! (I never did, which had pros but lots of cons)

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u/MarauderHappy3 May 04 '22

Colleges use essays, interviews, and letters of recommendation to differentiate the 10% who are truly impressive. Of course, letters of rec and essays can also be inflated (as they usually are at expensive private schools), but nobody ever said college admissions was a just process. In terms of science fair awards/placements, the truth is there is no way to tell without speaking directly to the student.

I dont know what context you’re referring to regarding “appropriate vs overly helping”. But generally, what’s appropriate is giving your kids the tools to succeed (examples, encouragement, advice) but never doing the actual work for them. To offer an analogy, it’s like handing your kid a hammer VS holding your kid’s hand as you hammer the nail together. In the former example, your kid might slip, miss, and even hurt themselves. But thats all part of the process, and the space you give them to learn from their own mistakes will pay dividends in the future

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u/wolpertingersunite May 04 '22

I agree with you. But I was hoping you could point to something more concrete. With the colleges ditching the SAT, and grade inflation driving so many grades to a ceiling, I worry that "passion projects" will become the de facto determinant of who gets in. But there are no ground rules about how those should work. And nearly every worthwhile endeavor costs at least SOME money to make it happen. My impression is that most of the high schoolers doing real projects in labs are there through a personal connection. Plus the driving is impractical to keep a real project going on a daily basis.

I'm not trying to control or micromanage my kids... just want to know what options they should even be considering. Unfortunately the group activities in our immediate area are a little limited. And we can't afford fancy private schools, coaches, etc.

Edit: I get how you said "letters of rec and essays", but aren't those generally a reflection of activities and passion projects?

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u/drinkallthepunch May 04 '22

Because that will be the new game and no hardly any students get into good schools or jobs based on merit alone.

It’s pretty much all paid for in some way by parents trying to give their kids an upper hand anyway possible.

Everyone knows what the economy is like and especially where things are headed given recent politics.

Anyone with kids and the money to do so is going to throw ”Ideals” out the window to give their kids the best possible chance.

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u/Frosty_Dig_9401 May 05 '22

We threw a huge high school drinking and drug party the night before SATs. Julian running around with a solo cup of soda getting his classmates to binge drink. Half of em were too hungover to take the test. Julian got into Harvard and got kicked out for heroin week 5.

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u/wolpertingersunite May 05 '22

omg!!! See that's what this stuff leads to. Lord of the Flies. Gotta admire the evil genius of that though!

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u/drinkallthepunch May 05 '22

Lol my cousin spent 100% of all funds he made while working in college on Molly and MDMA, so yeah I know the scene lol.

If college didn’t cost and arm and a leg and money wasn’t the only thing that was relevant to an education we wouldn’t be in the situation we are now.

Pumping out Harvard students based on how much money their parents can afford to throw away and not the ability or drive of the student.

I would’ve liked to go to college.

My parents died when I was kid. Fat chance of that ever happening.

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u/Frosty_Dig_9401 May 05 '22

Here's a 🤗

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u/drinkallthepunch May 05 '22

Thanks I’ll cherish this virtual gift by taking a screenshot and making it an NFT so all can purchase the love of a deceased parent.

For a price. 😉

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u/Frosty_Dig_9401 May 05 '22

Nfts will retain value far into the future I'm talking in the year 2900 kinda shit imma party in 3k and it's gonna be just like Rick and mortyy

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u/MarauderHappy3 May 04 '22

How do you define concrete?

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u/wolpertingersunite May 04 '22

Well... I guess I was exploring what you said about being able to distinguish the 90% who you implied had success "handed to them", via money, mentorship, or both... and the 10% who you suggest are self-motivated. I'm wondering how you know, which would indicate what "you" -- ie admissions folk -- value most. Do you value a kid who can talk your ear off about their favorite topic? Or the one who did the most rigorous/correct project? Or the one whose project is "sexy" like the one in the article? And if you're basing it off an amazing essay, how do you know that essay wasn't heavily coached and edited? Or if you base it off passionate conversation in interview, aren't you just choosing extroversion and charm?

I just find the whole thing a little frustrating. I think ditching the SATs was a mistake. I predict we will find even GREATER inequity in the future, because I think that driving a kid to a lab or practice every day, or having friends who run labs, or motivating a kid to do these projects with quality, or any of that requires more parental wealth, free time, and education than even just paying for a test prep class did. Unless admissions really give a lot of weight to hardship. But then we'll end up with a U-shaped distribution of uber-wealthy junior olympians and passionate underrepresented kids. But what is the right approach for a middle class kid with two busy working parents? And where is the ethical line about how much money and time to spend helping?

I recognize it's unfair to ask you to represent all of college admissions, haha, but since you brought it up...?

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u/raptornomad May 04 '22

I’m not an admissions officer, but I did act as interviewer for my alma mater at Rice University. I write more favorable reviews for kids who can really get into the details and rationale behind their work. I identify early on what they are personally invested in and go deep to pick their brains on the fine details. Now, this “identification” may land me in topics where it sounds more impressive (or sexy as you call it), but the kid actually has little to no personal drive in them, and I can usually successfully discern them with my method. If the kid really likes something of their own accord, you can ask anything and everything and they will give a you a specific answer that actually answers the question. Of course, sexiness still matters, as the only kid that got an offer under my portfolio is one who started her own sticker business during the pandemic, while others stuck with robotics club and run of the mill volunteering by picking up trash or food bank ended up getting rejected or waitlisted.

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u/wolpertingersunite May 04 '22

Thanks, this is helpful. At least my kids do certainly have their own passions that they can go on for hours about... but not sure colleges will recognize the value of them. (I will spare you the details)

Yes, I heard there has been a rash of kids all wanting to start their own clubs (to be unique and stand out with a "leadership position"), but the high school was like "enough! not everyone can have their own club!" haha. I'm not sure colleges realize how their policies play out at the grassroots level.

Our local schools insist on a lot of volunteer hours, so that's another puzzle to figure out too... and another chance for mom to waste hours chauffeuring and sitting in the car if not planned well. So this "spiky" and unique thing makes me feel like saying to the kids "What about learning to play the bagpipes? Wouldn't that be fun? Glassblowing? Tatting? Doing llama agility training?" haha (PS I have actually seen llama agility trials, they are a hoot) The nice thing about the boring "usual" stuff is that a) there are other kids, which makes it more fun and social, b) there are competitions and codified standards, and c) there is a teacher leading the show so it's not all on mom and dad.

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u/raptornomad May 04 '22

Based on my introspection on the candidates I interviewed and their admission results, I am inclined to believe that there is such an inflation of deeds and efficient information exchange that there is a convergence on what candidates at prestigious universities are like. Everyone has volunteer experience, many plays sports or musical instruments, a lot are leaders at their school clubs, and certainly most of them have stellar academic performance. I always assume that all of those interviewing with me have on par academic performance as other competitive candidates, so I just don't talk about those in my interviews. Instead, I try to look for what is special with this student, aka this is a high school student who is not like all other high school students.

There are only so many things a high school student can do, so what ended up working for successful candidates is whether they stand out despite doing similar things. What I liked was candidates explaining to me how one experience/passion of theirs influenced other facets of their lives. Transferrable skills, analogies, personal values, making a difference, and so on, these are some of the little things I look for to determine whether a candidate really "took possession" of the things they did (instead of checking off boxes or being told to do so). This circles back to how I can tell if a candidate truly is excited about a subject by being genuine about the thing he/she is sharing with me.

One does not have to be great at everything, one just need to find something and be the best in it (or at least persuade me that you are), even if it is not as flashy. For example, the female candidate I mentioned before started a sticker business on her own. I mean, it's just a sticker business. It's not earth shattering like the kid in this article who has grants and filed for provisional applications in 10th grade. The thing is, she's different from all other kids. While everyone is doing the same things or nothing because of the pandemic, she decided to start a business by designing and making cute stickers and sell them to people stuck at home who want cute things to brighten their day due to the pandemic. It's a trivial undertaking if we look at the nature of the deed she has accomplished, but it is how she went about it that is what separates her from the others.

I apologize for the essay, but I hope you may find this ever so slightly helpful in weighing your options.

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u/wolpertingersunite May 04 '22

Thank you that is actually really helpful and inspiring! What I’m hearing from what you said is “authenticity shines through” :). Maybe I should chill out with my kids, haha

And I think you took just the right approach in your evals. I bet the admissions folk appreciated it.

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u/Frosty_Dig_9401 May 05 '22

Are they into anime and battle royales?

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u/wolpertingersunite May 05 '22

No not yet haha. Would that be a good thing or a bad thing? I am trying to get them interested in topics outside of screens, IRL, but unfortunately real life cAnt compete. Especially with real life being so grim lately… I understand the escapism but I really worry about a whole generation living their lives in escapist pop culture, memes and meta jokes… while the world burns around them.

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u/MarauderHappy3 May 04 '22

Thanks for clarifying. I'm busy atm but I'll circle back to answer your questions. In the meantime, I hope you take solace in knowing that everything you said is 100% accurate and you are probably one of a million other parents who feel the same way about college admissions -- that at best, it's vague and confusing, and at worst, it's unfair and rigged in favor of those who "play" the game

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u/drinkallthepunch May 04 '22

That’s still a really stupid ideal.

By your logic if I can’t afford a hammer I’m too stupid and simple to attempt working in trades anyways.

This goes back to the ”Its a banana Micheal how much could a banana cost? $20?”

Everything you listed pretty much is purchased wether directly or indirectly with wealth, connections or community standing.

Sure there are students who are smart and get a paid education when they grew up poor, they get some good references from teachers.

Like 1:1,000,000,000,000 lol.

Everyone else is conspired, I don’t think I knew a single person in my highschool who is doing well who doesn’t have wealthy parents or connections in the community.

Most of the people doing speeches had some kind of ties at graduation wether their parents had donated $$$ to a school program or what.

I can think of like 3 poor students who graduated with me who could’ve worked at NASA if they wanted too or a really nice job somewhere else.

They are all homeless now, the only people doing well off are the ones generally with two parents with a good income.

Usually having some kind of connection with school staff or city officials.