If I am to believe the score Ireceived on an intelligence test onthe BBC homepage, a score of 102out of 200, then I am about halfsmart. The BBC offers the series ofquizzes in the areas of memory,

spatial awareness, creativity andwords and numbers as part of a fea-ture called “Get Smarter in a Week.”

The first set of tests I took was actu-ally only to mark a beginning point—the program lays out a weeklong pro-gram of diet, exercise and brainboosting activities. A second roundof quizzes tells if one does in fact get

smarter in a week. My goal is to be atleast three-fourths smart by the timethis magazine hits newsstands.

Intelligence is a hard concept tomeasure. Even Mensa, the elite soci-ety of intellectuals, accepts a varietyof intelligence tests as criteria formembership; applicants must scorein the top 2 percent of the generalpopulation on an accepted test (asopposed to scoring above a presetscore). Mensa’s criteria reflect theidea that intelligence is not an objec-tive thing that people strive for;rather, intelligence is a measurementof what people are. What may beconsidered smart today is not neces-sarily what was considered smart100 years ago. Put another way, thesmartest human alive today may befar less intelligent than the averagehuman 100 years from now in terms

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the art of

smartHow to get it. Do you have it? Who’s already got it.

Becoming BrainyTips & Tests By Chris Copeland

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of sheer knowledge.The concept of multiple intelli-

gences complicates matters evenmore. Based on the theories ofHarvard social scientist HowardGardner, intelligence can be reflectedin seven key areas. For example, is aperson who can complete a SundayNew York Times crossword (linguisticintelligence) smarter than one whocan rebuild a car engine (spatialintelligence)?

Most psychologists agree that bywhatever means intelligence is mea-sured, a person’s intelligence doesnot change. I.Q. scores may fluctuateslightly over time, but in general theyreflect a capacity for intelligencerather than the application of intelli-gence. Einstein was considered anaverage student in high school, butwho would argue against hisbrilliance?

In this light, improving intelli-gence doesn’t mean making greatstrides in boosting I.Q. One’s generalI.Q. will neither increase nor decreasemore than 15 points regardless ofhow many times the test is taken (intheory, even reading a set of encyclo-pedias should not affect an I.Q. scoreby much). People can gain moreknowledge, but Einsteins are born,not made. People can, however, max-imize the intelligence they have bynourishing the brain, challenging themind and understanding the waytheir own intelligence works. In otherwords, environment matters.

Food for ThoughtMany people eat healthily to keep

their physical bodies in shape. But thebrain is a part of that physical body,so the food one eats can also affectmental capability. The brain needs abalanced dose of nutrients to func-tion well, including carbohydrates,fats and proteins. The key to betterbrainpower is knowing how eachnutrient affects the brain’sfunctionality.

Glucose, a carbohydrate, fuels thebrain. The most efficient way to keepthe brain working at full potential isto maintain a steady level of glucose

in one’s bloodstream. But not all carbs are alike. Some

are absorbed rapidly, causing a spikein glucose levels (and a subsequentrapid decline). Others absorb moreslowly, and these are the types ofcarbs needed to keep the brain fueledat a consistent level throughout theday.

The glycemic index (GI) measuresthe absorption of glucose into thebloodstream, with higher GI levelsindicating faster absorption. Low GI-rated foods are preferable for sus-tained brainpower because the brainreceives consistent doses of its pri-mary fuel. Foods with a higher GI leadto increased brain activity for shorterperiods, which may be preferable inan environment such as taking a test,where a short burst of mental activityis beneficial and where an ensuing“burn out” will not affect otheractivities.

Forgoing carbs altogether may dowonders for weight loss, but depriv-ing the body of carbs means depriv-ing the brain of its fuel. In the longrun, the best method for boostingbrainpower is consuming low GIfoods. These include skim milk, plainyogurt, whole wheat and mixed grainbreads, oatmeal, pasta noodles,sweet potatoes, lentils and chickpeas.High GI foods include white bread,baked potatoes, short-grain rice, pret-zels, chips and sugary cereals. Mostfruits and vegetables are low on theindex, but watermelon is a high GIfruit.

Parents should pay particularattention to their child’s diet, as aseven-hour school day demands asustained level of brain activity.Cereals are a common start to theday, and teens frequently down softdrinks for that caffeine pick-me-upbefore class. The high GI carbs inmost sugar cereals and soft drinkslead to high levels of glucose in thesystem that fade quickly as the morn-ing wears on.

Some fats are healthy for thebrain, a large percentage of which iscomposed of fat molecules.Consuming the right kind of fats gives

the brain the material it needs tobuild neuronal cells, the brain’s mes-sengers. The good fats are the essen-tial fatty acids, also known as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These canbe found in olive, canola and peanutoils as well as fish, kiwi and flax seed.Small amounts can be found in nuts,seeds and eggs.

Trans-fats have a negative effecton the brain, blocking the building offatty cell membranes, thus diminish-ing brain functioning. In 2006, theAmerican Medical Association passedResolution 705 calling for action toreduce the amount of trans-fats inAmericans’ diets. These fats are mostnotorious for their presence in thecooking oils used at America’s ubiqui-tous fast food restaurants.

Foods high in proteins are helpfulfor brain functioning, as neurotrans-mitters are built in the body fromamino acids, the basic building blockof protein. Keeping the other types ofbrain-friendly foods in mind, look forthe high protein content in meats,cheeses, leafy vegetables and eggs.

1 AcrossThe basic science behind the

workings of the brain involves neu-rons. Electrical signals that sendinformation to and from the brain(visual cues, touch sensations, emo-tions) travel across a complex net-work of neurons; as new informationis encountered, the network adjustsitself to respond to new stimuli.

Imagine a television set in the1950s: One cable ran from the backof the set to the electrical outlet in thewall. Cable television added a newcable into the back of the set. Thencame VCRs, Sony PlayStations, DVDplayers, surround sound stereo sys-tems, satellite television, hi-def andTiVo, each advance requiring a newcable and a reworking of the way thecables plugged in and out of variouspieces of equipment.

Anyone who has spent an entireafternoon trying to run a hi-def signalthrough a VCR without disrupting thesurround sound knows that the net-work of cables is complex and that it

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changes based on television view-ing choices. The brain works insomewhat the same way.

When new information isencountered, new pathways formthrough the brain’s network and asort of rewiring occurs, enablingthe brain to process the new infor-mation. Once information is incor-porated into the brain’s workings,repetition fixes these neural path-ways so that an activity, or athought, or a reaction becomes eas-ier and more accessible.

The older we get, the more setour network becomes (We are crea-tures of habit after all.), and whilethe brain’s network can adjust toincorporate new information, thisprocess is much easier in ayounger, undeveloped brain.

Then there is the problem of therelationship between the brain andthe mind. Philosophers have longquestioned whether they are sepa-rate entities or different variationsof the same thing. Is thought mere-ly an electric signal passing throughour neuronal network? Is problem-solving a mind issue or a brainissue?

Either way, brainpower can beboosted by challenging the mind tothink through problems in newways and by forcing the brain toform new pathways through its vastnetwork (which may mean thesame thing).

When we complete an actionmany times, it becomes secondnature—brushing teeth, washinghair or moving the computermouse around the screen. Routineactivities consume less brainpowerthan challenging or perplexingtasks because the neuronal path-ways are already set.

I recently played the originalSuper Mario Brothers video gamewith a friend who still has his origi-nal Nintendo. I have not seen thegame for at least 15 years, yet Ipicked up the controller and com-pleted the first board without ahitch—my hands were movingwithout a conscious thought. The

countless times I played that gameas a child fixed the information inmy neural pathways, which appar-ently are still in place today.

The interactive website ofPhiladelphia’s Franklin InstituteScience Museum suggests that oneway to boost brainpower is to chal-lenge some of these set pathways,rewire the brain’s network, so tospeak, by changing some routineactivities. Using the non-dominanthand, for example, to brush yourteeth, operate the computer mouse,dial the phone or use the televisionremote control can accomplish thisrewiring.

Likewise, the brain can be stimu-lated by performing a typical dailyfunction without using the sensestypically used to complete it. Whileeating a meal, try to communicatewithout speaking; shower or getdressed with your eyes closed. Thenyour brain will have to incorporateinformation in ways it is not used todoing.

When you enter the grocerystore, on which side do you usuallybegin shopping? For another simplemental exercise, start on the otherside and work your way across thestore backwards. Drive to work for aweek without taking the same routetwice. Find unique ways to makeeveryday activities a challenge, andyou might find that other routineactivities become easier.

Puzzles and games are also greatways to challenge the mind. Popularmyth claims that crosswords canstave off Alzheimer’s, and while theresearch on a direct connectionbetween Will Shortz and preventionof brain disease is tenuous at best,researchers do agree that puzzlescontribute positively to mentaldevelopment, though they can’t sayexactly why.

When engaging in entertaininggames and puzzles, select the kindsthat present a problem to be solvedor a strategy to be figured out.Crosswords, sudokus, chess andScrabble are great activities forengaging the mind. Each attempt

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Learn HowYou Learn Howard Gardner’s SevenOriginal Intelligence Types(Definitions from miresearch.org)

LLiinngguuiissttiicc“To use language to express andunderstand complex meanings”Possible careers: speechpathologist, writer, journalist, lawyer,comedianMMaatthheemmaattiiccaall--LLooggiiccaall“To understand relationships amongactions, objects or ideas”Possible careers: engineer,scientist, economist, accountant,detectiveVViissuuaall--SSppaattiiaall“To think in three-dimensions andrecreate aspects of one's visualexperience via imagination”Possible careers: architect,photographer, interior designer,surveyor, sculptorMMuussiiccaall“To think in sounds, rhythms,melodies and rhymes”Possible careers: conductor,musician, recording engineer, musictherapist, music teacherBooddiillyy--KKiinneesstthheettiicc“To use the body in skilled andcomplicated ways for expressiveand goal directed activities”Possible careers: athlete, actor,surgeon, mechanic, carpenterIInntteerrppeerrssoonnaall“To have empathy and recognizedistinctions among people and toappreciate their perspectives withsensitivity to their motives, moodsand intentions”Possible careers: psychologist,nurse, public relations specialist,teacher, managerIInnttrraappeerrssoonnaall“To be aware of one's strengths andweaknesses and to plan effectivelyto achieve personal goals”Possible careers: counselor,teacher, entrepreneur, religiousleader, politician

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confronts the brain with new infor-mation to be sorted through andanalyzed.

For a longer-term approach toboosting brainpower, learn to speaka new language, play a new instru-ment or pick up a new activity suchas knitting or yoga. The commitmentinvolved is greater, and you may feelat times like a 4-year-old trying to tiehis shoes. But the frustration is a signthat your brain’s network is adaptingand growing, keeping you sharper asyou age.

How are you smart?Could Shakespeare have designed

Brunelleschi's Dome? Could Einsteinhave composed Beethoven’s Fifthsymphony? Intelligence, even theintelligence of geniuses, tends to befocused in a particular area, andwhile nutrition and mental exercisescan make your mind sharper, a finalway to boost your brainpower is todiscover your own natural intellectu-al strengths. Howard Gardnerbelieves that intelligencemanifests in dif-ferent ways,and an unfor-t u n a t es i d eeffecto f

our public education system is that itpromotes a narrow definition ofintelligence. Children strong in lin-guistic and mathematical-logicalintelligence will likely score better ontests in schools, but few schools pro-vide adequate outlets for the otherforms of intelligence.

Is it possible that some childrengraduate high school feeling “dumb”because they earned Cs on a reportcard but possess a high level of intel-ligence in other areas? Perhaps somepeople’s mental capacities are notfully utilized because they have notdiscovered the particular area ofintelligence in which they wouldthrive, a phenomenon that wouldexplain why some students withextremely high I.Q.s seem to under-achieve in school.

Researchers still debate the mer-its of Gardner’s theories, for noobjective tests have been developedto measure the different intelligencetypes. Additionally, some argue that

what Gardner refers to as intelligence(musical and bodily-kinesthetic inparticular) is better defined as talent.

However, few would argue thatsome people are more inclined toplay music while others have an eas-ier time crunching numbers. In1983, Gardner identified seven areasof intelligence, with intelligencedefined as a way in which a personmay process and evaluate new infor-mation. Understanding yourstrengths is the first step to capitaliz-ing on your capacity for intelligence.

Mireseach.org, a site endorsed byGardner, offers summaries of theintelligences. After learning a littleabout what each one means, try theintelligence test at mitest.com. Theresults are not scientific, but the pur-pose is to give yourself an under-standing of how you best sortthrough the information the worldgives you. Once you can play to aspecific strength, you may find youare smarter than you think you are.

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William Carter, Ph.D.;Professor of FrenchLanguage and Literature,UAB

Though far from the depressiveprofessor portrayed by Steve Carrellin Little Miss Sunshine, (He isapproaching 40 happy years of mar-riage to wife and fellow Fulbrightscholar, Lynne.) William Carter is apreeminent Marcel Proust scholar.The New York Times said his book,Marcel Proust: A Life, is “impeccablyresearched” and brings Proust “vivid-ly and credibly to life.” He has alsobeen integral in building the world’sthird largest Proust collection atUAB’s Sterne library. The Georgianative and Mountain Brook residenthopes that through the professorshipendowed in his name, the Proustlegacy (“His novel is arguably themost brilliant sustained narrative inliterature,” he says.) will remain alive.

Nick Sanford; ActuarialAnalyst, Mensa Member

The number known as pi containsa decimal pattern that never endsand never repeats. Many are familiarwith this number and can recite thedigits of pi, 3.149…, well, at least tofour digits. Nick Sanford has recitedpi to 200 digits. He earned his bache-lor’s and master’s degrees in mathe-matics in only four years. Two Mensatest proctors, with 40 years of com-bined experience administeringexams, never saw anyone finish inthe allotted time until Sanford. Is itany surprise he succeeds as an actu-ary? The Bluff Park resident has com-

pleted five of the eight examsrequired to become a member of thesociety of actuaries. Sanford says hefits into Mensa well because it is pri-marily a social group for meetingpeople who share his interests, whichinclude poker, politics and computersecurity. The most important numberfor Sanford? Three—the number ofyears he has been married to his wifeBeth.

Valerie Gribben; JuniorEnglish Major & ChemistryMinor, UAB

While growing up, ValerieGribben’s father had a teachingassignment in western New York, soher family moved for a month intoMark Twain’s summer home. Shemust have received good vibes. In2003, Junebug Press published herdebut novel, Fairytale, a fantasy storythat is the first part of a trilogy. Thesecond part will be published thisyear. In 2008, Gribben will enterUAB’s medical school, though shewon’t give up the writing: “Being aphysician will be my full-time career,but I know that I will always love towrite.” Gribben was recently honoredwith a selection to USA Today’s 2007All-USA College Academic First Team,one of 20 students selected nation-wide. Her interest in literature andmedicine collide in Healing Words, anorganization Gribben establishedthrough which volunteers supple-ment clinical treatment with emo-tional treatment by reading topatients in hospitals, nursing homesand hospices.

William DeVan; Artist-in-Residence and Professor ofMusic, Birmingham-Southern College

An 8-year-old settles next to thepiano bench, enamored with WilliamDeVan’s fingers gliding across thekeys. One must wonder if DeVan’sthoughts drift back to his own child-hood in Pine Hill, where he took sixweeks of piano lessons as a youngchild before moving to Georgia. Thoselessons were a spark for DeVan’scareer, in which he became the firstAmerican to claim first prize in theVianna Da Motta international pianocompetition. While a student atJulliard, DeVan won a competitionheld at Birmingham-Southern, sowhen a faculty position opened in1980, he returned to Alabama, even-tually becoming artist-in-residence in2000. In the same year DeVan began“Classics for Children,” interactiverecitals where children are welcomedto stand around the piano whileDeVan plays and talks. In these con-certs, DeVan lowers the barrierbetween performer and audience;with the audience composed ofimpressionable children, new sparksare ignited.

Charles Bugg III, Ph.D.;Chairman, BioCrystPharmaceuticals

As current chairman and formerCEO of BioCryst, one would expectCharles Bugg to be mostly concernedwith the bottom line: profit, stockprices and such. But don’t miss the“doctor” following his name. Buggearned a Ph.D. in physical chemistryfrom Rice University, and his pre-BioCryst tenure includes 26 years as abiochemistry professor at UAB andDirector of the Center forMacromolecular Crystallography.Bugg’s research team at UAB pio-neered the field of structure-baseddrug design. As BioCryst chairman,Bugg recently secured a $102 milliondollar grant from the U.S.Department of Health and HumanServices to aid in developing an

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Birmingham’sSmartestPeople Is your neighbor orco-worker a brainiac?

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influenza drug, Peramivir. More thana successful scholar, researcher andbusinessman, Bugg is a successfulfamily man too; he lives with his wifeof 45 years in Crestline, within walk-ing distance of his three children andsix grandchildren.

Timothy George, Th.D.;Dean of Beeson DivinitySchool at SamfordUniversity

The Rev. Timothy George does notwear a watch, a telling symbol for aman who has devoted his life tothings unbound by time. Yet George’s

accomplishments have been so prolif-ic that it seems he must be consciousof every minute. George earned hisDoctor of Theology degree fromHarvard in 1979 and in 1988 estab-lished Beeson. Since then he hasauthored and edited numerous booksand articles (including his currentproject, a 28-volume series of biblicalcommentaries), lectured across thenation and sat on many boards andcommittees. George says he uses hisposition as Executive Editor ofChristianity Today magazine to pro-mote unity among evangelicals. Assuch, his signature was the only one

from an Alabama leader on theEvangelical Climate Change Initiative,a document that crossed denomina-tional lines and was praised by bothJohn McCain and Joseph Lieberman.George considers his greatest accom-plishment his children, both biologi-cal and the more than 700 Beesonstudents in ministry around theworld.

Elaine Kwarcinski,Electrical Engineer,Alabama Power

Elaine Kwarcinski loves chal-lenges. Her school of engineering

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Mary FlowersBraswell; Ph.D.,Medieval Studies

Scholar, UABFor Mary Flowers Braswell, a

career as an English professor wasforeshadowed at age four when shewrote her first work of fiction, adetective story called “The HeadlessHermit.” She says, “I drew my vil-lain from information on the ‘want-ed’ posters in the Greenville,Alabama post office, an earlyattempt at ‘research’.” Now Braswellis working on a book about the firstfemale Chaucer scholar, a Victorianwoman whose writings reveal,“facts that are important to ourunderstanding of the poet today andthat had essentially been lost.”Research on the project will takeBraswell to British Columbia thissummer, and she has previouslyreceived two grants from theNational Endowment for theHumanities that allowed her to trav-el and study medieval painting andarchitecture first hand. YetBraswell’s research does not pre-clude her love of teaching. She saysher greatest accomplishment is see-ing her own students publish or gointo Ph.D. programs.

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Yogesh Vohra, Ph.D.; Physicist, UABYogesh Vohra developed synthetic diamond technology at UAB, but the results of his work are not displayed on

brides’ fingers. Vohra says, “These patents deal with the nanostructured diamond coatings for biomedical implantsand cutting tools,” and the patents that have been awarded to UAB for his work have been licensed to Birmingham-based companies. Vohra believes these patents will bring employment opportunities in the future. At UAB Vohradirects the UAB Center for Nanoscale Materials and Biointegration and the graduate program in the Department ofPhysics. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Delhi in his hometown in India andhis Ph.D. from the University of Bombay. Vohra, who has raised two sons with his wife of 27 years, Anju, says heis fascinated by the critical role physicists play in society (including developing national security technology). Vohrahas become one of those physicists now by extending his work beyond the lab to the economic betterment ofBirmingham.

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Ivy LeagueConnectionsLocal Harvard and Yale alumni clubs

Ivy League students, among the brightest in the world,undergo rigorous instruction from the most brilliant professorsin the world. Yet as the saying goes, the hardest part aboutgraduating from the Ivy League is getting in. The two oldestof these venerable institutions, Harvard and Yale, carry anaura of prestige reaching near mythic proportions. InBirmingham, both are represented by their respective alumniclubs that provide a place for former students to stay con-nected to their schools.

Frank McPhillips, an attorney with Maynard, Cooper &Gale, serves as Southeastern Regional Director of the Boardof Harvard Alumni. A former president of the Harvard Club ofBirmingham, McPhillips now oversees clubs in Alabama,Georgia and Tennessee. He says the drawback to the pres-tige of attending Harvard is the preconceptionmany have about the “typical” Harvard student.However, attending such a school gives stu-dents a chance to rub shoulders with peoplewho will have profound impacts on society.Among McPhillips’ classmates were currentSupreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts andScott McNealy, the founder of SunMicrosystems.

Robert Battle, president of the AlabamaYale Club and 1992 political science graduate,shares the sentiments: “With names likeRockefeller and Cuomo in my class and manyothers who had prepared themselves to go toan Ivy League school before I had even heardof Yale, I was initially intimidated; however, Ilearned that no matter what our background orlast name, we all put on our pants one leg at atime. If I worked hard, I would succeed atYale.”

Perhaps this is the engine behind the myth:Ivy League schools attract top talent, but surelythe mere fact of attending such a school is amotivating factor for success.

Battle, an attorney at Battle, Fleenor, Green,Winn & Clemmer, says that the Yale Club pro-vides opportunity for alumni to meet and stayon contact through events like send-off partiesfor new students from Alabama (“A typical Yaleclass includes approximately five students fromAlabama,”), lectures from Yale professors andparties to watch the annual “Yale-Harvard”football game.

The Harvard Club of Birmingham alsohosts several social events each year, includ-ing a Christmas reception for all former, current

and accepted students and a gathering at DreamlandBarbecue to watch the “Harvard-Yale” football game. Alumnialso facilitate the application process by interviewingprospective students—22,955 students applied this year;2,098 were accepted.

McPhillips says the best thing about attending Harvardhas been the opportunity to be an active alumnus. Hisinvolvement with the alumni club entails several trips a year toCambridge, including commencement (this year’s speakersare Bill Gates, a notorious Harvard dropout, and Bill Clinton).On these trips McPhillips hears professors speak who are themost accomplished in their fields: “They keep me interestedin the world.”

Battle cites “exposure to smart, talented students fromaround the world representing a broad range of ideas [that]challenged my own thoughts and beliefs” as a benefit toattending Yale, with only one drawback—“Competing with thesilent film student club on Saturday afternoons to watchAlabama football on the only television in my dormitory.”

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Frank McPhillips, Harvard grad,and Robert Battle, Yale grad

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dean declared that only half the elec-trical engineering majors would actu-ally graduate. So she chose electricalengineering. In 2004, after 13 yearswith Alabama Power, Kwarcinski wasselected as assistant to the CEO forher vision in implementing large-scale utility systems, an accomplish-ment that coincided with earning alaw degree and raising two childrenwith her husband Mike. Kwarcinskihas played an integral role in attract-ing businesses (including Hyundai) toAlabama by planning and executingprojects that ensure reliable deliveryof large quantities of energy acrossthe state. But after overcoming chal-lenges in her career, Kwarcinski’sbiggest success has perhaps beenraising her son and daughter: “Withtwo young children to care for I hadto effectively manage my time. I havealways been career focused, but hav-ing children put a whole new per-spective and challenge on life. I spendall my free time with my children.”

Yarlagadda S. Babu, Ph.D.;Vice President of DrugDiscovery, BioCryst

In 2005, even minimally-informedpeople found it difficult to miss amedia story about avian flu. BioCryststockholders watched their invest-ment triple based on development ofa drug, Peramivir, which offeredpromise for combating all strains offlu, most notably H5N1, the strandassociated with avian flu. YarlagaddaBabu discovered Peramivir, now inadvanced clinical trials. Educated inEngland and India, Babu left theBiochemistry faculty at UAB tobecome BioCryst’s first full-timeemployee in 1988. As head of drugdesign at the company, Babu has dis-covered compounds effective in bat-tling cardiovascular and autoimmunediseases. His current research targetsHepatitis C and the human parain-fluenza virus (HPIV). Babu says,“HPIV infections are some of themost common causes of lower respi-ratory tract infections in young chil-dren. The most distinctive feature ofthese is croup.” Because no treat-

ments exist for these diseases, Babusees the need for effective drugs ascritical.

Henry Panion III, Ph.D.;Conductor, Arranger,Producer, Music Professor,UAB

At a live recording session inAtlanta, only two musicians areonstage as audience members areseated. Four others are nowhere nearthe theater, one in Birmingham, theother three spread between Miami,Los Angles and New York. Backstage,Henry Panion resides over a controlroom of equipment, unconcernedabout his musicians’ absence. Theyare tuned and ready to play, theirsounds piped into the theater overthe Internet as part of the first evervirtual live recording session, anevent produced by Panion with pro-found implications on the direction ofrecording. Many lament the influenceof digital technology on music, but forPanion technology propels music tonew depths. Panion, a true innovator,teaches music theory and technologyat UAB, has conducted orchestrasworldwide and has recorded popmusic icons like Stevie Wonder andAretha Franklin. His latest recording,Gospel Goes Classical, was the first tohit No. 1 simultaneously on theGospel and Classical Billboard charts.

Natalie Davis, Ph.D.;Professor of PoliticalScience, Birmingham-Southern CollegeNatalie Davis is a true product of theAmerican Dream: “My father was anItalian immigrant, and my motherwas Jewish—life was never dull!”Davis tells of growing up poor, yet her38-year marriage to her collegesweetheart, her 35-year tenure atBirmingham-Southern, and the twoconsulting firms she owns symbolizethe American ideal of limitless oppor-tunity for its citizens. She ran for theU.S. Senate in 1996 and recalls, “Itwas exhilarating, exciting, and thefriendships that I formed as a resultof that year will be a part of me for-

ever.” Due to her expertise in publicopinion, Davis has become a frequentsource for national media. In 2002she was named Alabama Professor ofthe Year by the CarnegieEndowment. Davis believes thatAmerica’s future success lies in fund-ing community needs, like youthleadership initiatives, first: “If wedevoted more time and attention tothese, many problems that we aremorally bound to address might justgo away.”

Gary West; Director ofSystems Development,Southern ResearchInstitute

What do Elvis Presley and thespace shuttle program have in com-mon? Both benefited from the techni-cal expertise of Gary West. West paidhis way through Auburn (earningbachelor’s and master’s degrees inelectrical engineering) working on thelighting and sound crew for concertslike Elvis and Elton John. After thespace shuttle Columbia disaster,NASA enlisted West’s team to developa monitoring system for shuttledebris. The result was a high-defini-tion camera mounted to an aircraftthat follows the shuttle to an altitudeof 60,000 feet. In between Elvis andNASA, West raised a son who worksfor Google and has remained with hiswife Kathy for 31 years. West lovesthat his job is always changing: “Wework mostly with government agen-cies like NASA or the Department ofDefense to help them envision solu-tions to problems they have; werarely do the same thing twice, so Iget exposed to a lot of differentsituations.”

George Smyly; SoftwareEngineer and LocalSecretary of CentralAlabama Mensa

In kindergarten George Smyly wasasked to draw something “red.”While the other kids were drawingfire engines and schoolhouses hedrew a dog, explaining that his dadhad a friend called “Red Dog.” This

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Chris Knight;Senior Copywriter, O2 Ideas

Chris Knight knows who was the only person in American history to be governor of two states (Sam Houston). Anincorrect answer to that question cost him the chance to be a two-time Jeopardy champion. To his credit, the othertwo contestants on the June 2006 episode also guessed incorrectly. The day before though, his knowledge of HermanMelville secured a nice payout for the Birmingham native. At O2 Ideas, Knight writes copy for print and radio ads forVerizon Wireless’ Midwest region (its largest). A graduate of Indian Springs High School, Knight has lived inBirmingham his whole life, except while attending college at Brown University. A film enthusiast who double majoredin American history and film, Knight says his favorite movie is The Godfather but adds, “I’d only admit that underextreme duress after equivocating for a long time.”

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ColleenJonsson,Ph.D.;Virologist,Southern ResearchInstitute

A statue in an Icelandictown speaks to the legacyinto which Colleen Jonssonwas born. It was dedicatedto her grandfather, whobuilt a pump from spareparts to extract under-ground thermal water fordistributing heat to peo-ple’s homes. As a child,Jonsson accompanied herfather to the Public Healthlabs he directed,impressed by Petri dishesand microscopes.Inevitably, Jonsson wouldenter a field that wouldimpact the public. In NewMexico she developed anetwork to enhance scien-tific research at smallerinstitutions; Jonssonrecently saw the fruits ofthat work when she met astudent from a rural NewMexico campus pursuinggraduate work at PurdueUniversity. Jonsson’sresearch led to Paraguay,where she currently stud-ies Hantaviruses, anemerging disease humanscontract through rodentcontact. Focal outbreaks ofHantaviral illness have adevastating impact onsmall rural communities inthe Americas, so like herfather and grandfatherbefore her, Jonsson's workbetters the life of others.

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out-of-the-box thinking must havebeen a foreshadowing of his creativeand diverse intellect. In addition tocomputer programming (the day job)and acting as Mensa secretary (inMensa lingo, the equivalent of chap-ter president), Smyly enjoys an arrayof activities outside of his job. Eachyear he participates in City Stagesand the Sidewalk Film Festival (“Itake production stills and behind-the-scenes photos for local filmmakers,”Smyly explains.), he plays kickball,enjoys music, cultivates Bonsai andjust recently discovered that hemakes “really good cheesecakes.”

Dr. David Curiel, M.D. &Ph.D.; Director, GeneTherapy Center, UAB

David Curiel, whose own fatherwas a general practice physician,grew up in a small Georgia town nearthe Alabama border. Since then hiswork in the field of human gene ther-apy has taken him around the world:“Science and serendipity haveallowed me to reside for extendedperiods of time [in] Brussels, Moscow,Paris, Amsterdam, Tokyo, New York,Seattle, Australia. I have loved it all!”Now at UAB, Curiel develops gene-based therapies for cancer and over-sees training of other scientists, allwhile becoming the most prolificpublisher in the world in his field.

Curiel’s division is currently conduct-ing a landmark trial in which UABpartnered with Auburn Universityand Southern Research Institute todevelop an aggressive technique fortreating ovarian cancer. Curiel cameto UAB in 1993 and has guided theGene Therapy Center to premier sta-tus as a model for scientific workacross the world.

Hao Meng; Senior, HooverHigh School

Every year, a perfect collegeentrance exam score is a distinctionearned by several area students.However, only one Alabama studentscored perfect on the PSAT, theNational Merit Scholarship qualifyingexam. Hao Meng will graduate in May2007 en route to Harvard, and he willcarry with him his perfect PSAT scoreas well as a national championship infencing. Meng’s future seems limit-less. Unsure about a field of study, hehas narrowed his choices to a mereseven, including history, economics,communications and math. Meng’sfavorite class at Hoover has been aphilosophy course, yet his dream jobwould be SportsCenter anchor onESPN (Meng is obsessed with sportsstatistics: “I spend an hour daily look-ing at cbs.sportsline.com.”). AndMeng plays the viola, making him atrue Renaissance man. Whichever

road he takes, it is sure to be one ofsuccess.

John A. Secrist III, Ph.D.;President & CEO, SouthernResearch Institute

John Secrist sits at his kitchentable, a large, Rand McNally map anda set of deliberately misleadinginstructions spread out in front ofhim. Secrist traces a route from theStatue of Liberty to the Golden GateBridge; eventually he will completehis first map rally, a hobby that hasrecently sparked his interest, byanswering questions to determine ifhe followed the route correctly. In reallife Secrist has followed a route fromthe Great Lake states, where heearned a Ph.D. in organic chemistryat the University of Illinois, to theNortheast for a post-doctoral fellow-ship at Harvard, to his current desti-nation at Southern Research Institute(SRI) in Birmingham. At SRI, Secristco-invented a cancer drug thatreceived FDA approval for treatmentof pediatric leukemia; the drug hasproven effective with adults too.Secrist’s journey is not at the endhowever; he sees more road ahead:“We hope to be able to generate tech-nologies that will be of value in can-cer, viral, bacterial and neuroscience-related diseases.” .

Answers 1. 30 2. Susie was 27; her sister was 17. 3. Listen (Each wordin the sequence contains a silent consonant.) 4. Polyester. Didyou find another? 5. It can’t be done. If one portrait takes 10hours, no number of painters can do one in five hours. 6. To be afly on the wall 7. Cherries (Tabitha only likes food with two sylla-bles.) 8. Sequoia 9. 220 (100 + 10 X 2) 10. Incorrectly

Scoring: Count the number of correct

answers. 9-10 Mensa Material! Try to join.

7-8 Good chance you qualify for Mensa.

5-6 Not bad, you might make Mensa.

Below 5 You must have had a bad day. Try again.

B I R M I N G H A M 177

HOW TO SCOREYOUR

MINI-QUIZ

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