Universities grasp for young Turkish physics whiz

By Bilal Acar

ANKARA (AA) - "As a child, I was curious about archeology and always enjoyed discovering new things," a member of an award-winning young Turkish physics team told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

Abdurrahman Hadi Erturk was part of the Turkish team that won three gold and two silver medals in the European Physics Olympiad, held last month in Riga, Latvia, and competed in the International Physics Olympiad held recently in Israel.

"Observing how the world is modeled engrossed me," Erturk said, adding: "I'm interested in asking different questions, thinking about the world, studying equations to explain it and building models."

Erturk was accepted to Michigan University in the U.S. with a full scholarship for the next semester.

"I want to study nuclear physics," he said, noting that the subject would increase in prominence in the 21st century.

Father Mehmet Erturk said his son had always been interested in science: "When we asked him about his future plans, he would say that he wanted to be a scientist."

"We encouraged him to prepare for the Olympiads as we knew he had talent for this field," he added.

*Writing and contribution by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur