Harvard Professors Recall Natalie Portman '03

Colleges & Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>Professors</a> Reflect on Natalie Portman | News | The Harvard Crimson</p>

<p>Excerpt:</p>

<p>Former Harvard Psychology Professor and Dean of the Social Sciences Stephen M. Kosslyn worked with Portman when she was a research assistant in his lab. Eight years later, Kosslyn—who recently moved to Stanford—can see a connection between Portman’s academic persistence and her industry success.</p>

<p>“It was very clear when she was a student that she is a very determined person and capable of focused effort over a sustained period,” he said in a statement via e-mail. “She is now demonstrating the results of that determination and focus.”</p>

<p>Law School Professor Alan M. Dershowitz also considered Portman an exceptional student.</p>

<p>“She was in my seminar called Neuropsychology and the Law, and I didn’t know who she was because her name was Natalie Hershlag,” he said, referring to Portman’s birth name. “It was a few weeks into the semester that I learned she was an actress—but she was a terrific student.”</p>

<p>Portman’s paper on new methods of lie detection earned her an A+ from Dershowitz—the highest grade in the class. After that, Dershowitz hired Portman as a research assistant for a book he was writing.</p>

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<p>There was also this interesting article about her on NYTimes the day after the Oscar:</p>

<p>Natalie Portman, Oscar Winner, Was Also a Precocious Scientist
<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/science/01angier.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/science/01angier.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>"The Intel Science Talent Search is considered the nation’s most elite and demanding high school research competition, attracting the cr</p>

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<p>I stayed up watching those boring Oscars just for her! Such an inspiration. Gorgeous, intelligent and conscientious. Perfection at its best.</p>

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<p>Interesting, I didn’t know this</p>