Nobel Prize winner says scientists should be prepared to take an unusual path

NOBEL LAUREATE in Physics Professor Steven Chu is no bookworm or geek. His humour is a real pick-me-up on a drowsy morning.

The 54-year-old professor can capture the attention of a lecture hall full of students at nine o'clock in the morning.

'My research report was rejected by Science [magazine] because they had too many from me. So I posted it to Nature, ' said Professor Chu. The lecture hall fills with laughter. A pressure-free environment is the best way to nurture superstars of the future, says Professor Chu, who suffered while studying in a competitive atmosphere when he was young.

'I was an OK student [at high school],' he says modestly, although he was in the upper 10 per cent of the class. His academic performance was overshadowed by that of his older brother, who scored the highest average in the history of their school!

Professor Chu and his younger brother were constantly under pressure from there parents and school. He finally got a break at college without his older brother around. Within six months, he had become the top student.

'The funny thing is, my older brother, who is now a professor at Stanford medical school with a PhD in physics and microbiology, isn't doing as well as the other two [brothers],' he says.

'Chinese families shouldn't compare brothers and sisters against each other too much. You can't really tell how people will turn out.'