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S OME Nobel laureates were straight-A students from the get-go. But others recounted how they cut class, got expelled and had doubts about their future. Perhaps the most illustrious Nobel Prize winner, Albert Einstein, was once a mediocre student at Zurich Polytechnic School, now ETH Zurich. The young Einstein skipped classes, wanted to study physics exclusively and finished second-last in his class in 1900. After graduating, he was the only student not offered a research assistant position, according to the Swiss university’s website. Einstein went on to win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. Frances Arnold, who won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, also cut classes after a turbulent start to her education in the US during the 1960s and 1970s. “I was disruptive. I was just bored and well beyond what the rest of the kids in the class were doing. And the teachers often gave me little projects decorating the classroom and things like that,” she recalled in an interview. At the age of 10, she was allowed to take high school courses such as

Not all ‘A’s: Unconventional paths that led to Nobel Prizes

he said. Born on a farm in Canada in the 1950s, he was enrolled in a small one-room schoolhouse, where one teacher taught around 30 students at different grade levels. “The way the teacher did it was she would spend some time with each row, which was one of the grades. I actually paid attention to a couple of grades beyond mine for most of the material. So you could kind of accelerate very quickly, very easily,” he said. The system was less ideal for students who needed more individualised support, he acknowledged. According to the Nobel Foundation, other laureates had to overcome major academic challenges before going on to win the prestigious Nobel. The first woman to win the economics prize, Elinor Ostrom, was turned down when she applied for a PhD in economics. 2009 medicine prize laureate Carol Greider struggled with dyslexia as a child. And 2015 chemistry prize winner Tomas Lindahl failed chemistry in high school. Humble beginnings Arnold and Card started working at a young age, which the two consider an important life experience. In her teens, Arnold held odd jobs as a waitress, receptionist and taxi driver. “You appreciate more what the university education can give to you, in terms of getting a job you actually might want to have for the rest of your life. It also teaches you how to organise your time.” Similarly, Card juggled school and farm life very early on. “I don’t think there was that much homework back then in my schools.

o Some winners cut classes, got expelled

geometry – a challenge she appreciated at first. But by the time she reached her teens, she was not enjoying school anymore to the point that she stopped going and was expelled. “I guess I wasn’t interested in what they had to teach us. Or if I was interested in it, I just learned it on my own from a textbook. So I managed to pass all my classes despite many absences, I would say.” Now aged 69, she acknowledged hers is not a model to follow, but believes schools should show

more flexibility. “They don’t have the wherewithal to do anything special for the kids who really would benefit,” she lamented. Overcoming challenges David Card, the 2021 Nobel economics laureate, also had unconventional educational beginnings. “There’s almost nobody I’ve met... in an economics PhD programme that has a background like mine where they went to a rural school,”

This photo taken in 1950 shows German-born Swiss-US physicist Einstein, author of the theory of relativity, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.

So there was lots of time. I helped my father. I learned to drive a tractor when I was about 11. Every morning I got up at 5am and helped him milk the cows and then I would have a shower and go to school,” he recalled. Both prizewinners also studied other subjects before discovering their respective passions. Arnold pursued studies in mechanical engineering and aeronautics before turning to chemistry. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I went into mechanical engineering because it had the fewest requirements for engineering,” she admitted. And Card initially studied physics before switching to economics. Despite their unconventional paths, both ultimately found their way to brilliance. – AFP

US chemist Frances Hamilton Arnold, awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, speaks during the Nobel Prize banquet in Stockholm City Hall, Sweden.

Prince William opens up about family, says his kids not allowed phones BRITAIN’S Prince William likes to zip about the grounds of Windsor Castle on an electric scooter, his children have not been given phones and he is ready for “change”, he revealed in a rare interview about his future role as king. ancient archway into a castle courtyard, prompting the 78-year-old Canadian actor and comedian to ask if this is his usual mode of transport. “It is around here,”he replied with a laugh. “It gets around quite nicely... it’s fun.” His wife and father King Charles III were diagnosed with cancer last year. “Life is said to test us as well and being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are.”

Catherine is making a gradual return to public life after announcing she is in remission. Charles is still undergoing treatment. “When it’s to do with family and things like that, then that’s where I start getting a bit overwhelmed – as I think most people would,” William said. “Because it’s more personal, it’s more about feeling, it’s more about upsetting the rhythm,” he said, adding he was “so proud” of how his wife and father had handled their illnesses. “My children have managed brilliantly as well.” The prince said part of his and Catherine’s strategy for protecting their children included a phone ban. The family “sit and chat, it’s really important. None of our children have any phones, which we’re very strict about”. – AFP

“Change is on my agenda – change for good. Not overly radical change, but changes that I think need to happen,” the prince, 43, declared in his encounter with Hollywood star Eugene Levy. “Tradition has a huge part in all of this (royal life) but there’s also points where you look at tradition and go: ‘Is that still fit for purpose today?’” he added. A helicopter pilot and horseman, William surprised Levy by arriving on two wheels when they met at Windsor Castle, west of London. The prince lives on the sprawling royal estate with his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, and their three children George, 12, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, seven. He is seen whizzing through an

The interview with Levy, for his Apple TV+ series The Reluctant Traveller , is one of the most personal William has ever given. Levy, star of the hit series Schitt’s Creek , is seen enjoying a walk with William and his pet cocker spaniel Orla through the grounds. The pair also enjoy a pint in the local pub The Two Brewers. Hardest year Asked whether he finds Windsor’s past overwhelming, William responded: “History can be a real weight and an anchor around you” but it is “important to live for the here and now”. Family matters are another question, he said, adding that 2024 was the “hardest year” of his life.

Britain’s Prince William attends the launch of the Global Humanitarian Memorial in London. – ALL PICS FROM AFP