Nguyen Phan Tu Tam (front, C) poses with her friends on the campus of the University of Chicago.

Nguyen Phan Tu Tam has never had a lack of curiosity or questions.

She’s always found beauty in numbers and what she calls the mysterious stars in the sky. From dreaming about math, science and astronomy as a child in the southern province of Dong Nai, to winning accolades at universities in New Zealand and the US, 23-year-old Tam has never lacked the ability to put that curiosity into practice.

“I want to know about the world, and as I learn more, I find it interesting to know how things work and how strange things are,” Tam was quoted by the University of Canterbury’s Foundation Studies newsletter as saying.

Tam applied for an undergraduate program at the New Zealand university immediately after graduating from Luong The Vinh High School in the province’s Bien Hoa Town, 30 kilometers northeast of central Ho Chi Minh City, seven years ago.

“I looked through the websites of all the eight [state-funded] universities in New Zealand. I chose University of Canterbury because it had a Department of Astronomy,” she told the newsletter.

She has been fascinated by the stars since her father gave her an astronomy book to practice English as a child.

Before beginning university, Tam, then 17, attended the school’s Foundation Studies Program, which aims to prepare international students for their studies in New Zealand.

After one year, the course’s youngest student finished the program with a straight A+ average and was granted an undergraduate scholarship by the program. She was also admitted directly into 200-level physics, chemistry, astronomy, and mathematics classes, which were usually reserved for sophomores.

‘Whiz kid’

Tam had no problem gaining the respect of her teachers at Canterbury.

Foundation Studies Program Manager Ian Masters described Tam as a “whiz kid.”

Tam’s chemistry teacher, Graham Townsend, told the newsletter: “Tam stood out because she always thought very deeply about concepts in chemistry, and questioned the explanations I gave in class.

“In doing so, she has encouraged me to rethink some of my explanations. We have really worked together to understand some of these problems better.”

The two even co-authored a scientific research paper together.

In 2005, Tam graduated from the University of Canterbury and applied for doctoral scholarships at US universities.

After gaining admission to five schools that all offered her financial aid, Tam decided to study mathematics at the University of Chicago as she wanted to understand Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which she said she was “passionate about it to the very end.”

At the US university, Tam once again proved her ability and became a math instructor and lecturer three years later.

“My parents always hoped their children would step out into the world,” she said, adding that both her mother and father were teachers. “Now I’ve followed their path as a teacher while also living up to their hopes of exploring the world,” she said.

Tam now plans to finish her doctorate next summer and continue studying mathematics in the US or Europe after that.

VietNamNet/Thanh Nien