Johannesburg – The Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management has announced that it will be bestowing the Da Vinci Laureate: Social Architecture on 9-year-old professor Soborno Isaac Bari in Modderfontein in Gauteng.
In a statement, the institute said during its PhD. graduation and president’s dinner, it will honour both Bari and South African playwrite John Kani.
The institute said the Da Vinci Laureate: Social Architecture is conferred by the council of The Da Vinci Institute to an individual or groups of individuals who, through insightful leadership and a passion for the development of diverse communities, has made a singular contribution to the redefinition of society, nationally and internationally, and thereby: creating an equitable society facilitating self-directedness and embracing unity in diversity.
Some of the past laureates of the institute include former public protector Thuli Madonsela, Dr Ali Bacher, Jack van der Merwe and Dr Imtiaz Sooliman.
Bari will arrive in the country on Sunday and will be hosted by the institution.
The Da Vinci Institute is registered by the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education provider.
Bari, is a professor who specialises in maths and science, he was born in 2012. He is an Asian-American author and the world's youngest professor. He is also nominated for a Nobel prize.
According to the institute, he was only 7-years-old when he received his first salary from Mumbai University’s Ruia College, as a guest professor.
"In April 2016, Dr. Lisa Coico, president of City College of New York, gave Bari the nickname Einstein of our time for his achievement on a series of tests in maths and science. In 2016, at 4, Bari received a letter of recognition from then-US president Barack Obama for his accomplishments in maths and science; and in 2018, at 6, he received a letter from Harvard University president Drew Faust," the institute said.
In 2019, Bari received an invitation from Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, vice-chancellor of SP Pune University, Nitin Karmalkar, and principal of Ruia Autonomous College, Dr Anurhsee Lokur, to make a trip to India.
"On January 3, 2020, Bari received the Global Child Prodigy Awards from Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi. On January 4, 2020, Bari was recognised by the principal of Ruia College, Lokur. On January 6, Bari gave a talk on his book, The Love, at SP Pune University before the university faculty, students, and alumni," it said.
Bari also has a YouTube channel, the Bari Science lab, where he solves maths problems. He has more than 300 000 subscribers.
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