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Dubai: What makes a smart teen?

Could it be in their academic skills, their inventions or their ability to cure illnesses?

According to the US National Association for College Admission Counselling (NACAC), a smart teen is one who is “not only theoretically intelligent, but they’ve applied their smarts in myriad practical, helpful, amazing ways… They are problem solvers.”

The NACAC recently announced the world’s top 50 smartest teens, which included those who were homeschooled, public schooled, and private schooled. Many of the nominees have also won top prizes at the world’s most prestigious science fairs.

In the list was 13-year-old Emirati Adeeb Al Balushi, who was named as the smartest young person in the world.

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In a tweet, Al Balushi said: “Praise be to God. The NACAC has issued a global list of the 50 smartest young people in the world, and crowned me on the top of the list. I thank God for this honour and dedicate this international achievement to my beloved country, and to our dear shaikhs.”

“What really sets these 50 teenagers apart is their dedication, diligence, and drive. Without these elements in place, these teenagers would not be the dream-achieving, brilliant young people on this list,” said the NACAC. 

Who is Adeeb Al Balushi?

At the age of six, Adeeb Al Balushi was inspired to create a device for his polio-ridden father, enabling him to go swimming in spite of his prosthetic leg.

He then moved on to creating a small robot to assist his mother with household chores. It wasn’t long before the country took notice of the young inventor.

 

With the government’s supervision and funding, Al Balushi has developed five more inventions, including a seatbelt that monitors a passenger’s heart rate and sends an immediate alert to authorities if their heart reaches a dangerous rate.

Al Balushi is a member of the Arab Robotics Association, and is considered the youngest Arab inventor in the field of robotics, with more than 60 certificates of achievements to his name.