The Evolution of Genius: Every Night, I Get Smarter!

The first message that popped up at the top was from the organizers of the IMC:

’Dear Sir Maximilian,

It is with great pleasure that we inform you of your exceptional achievement. Alongside another participant, you have attained the highest score among all the participating students from around the world. In recognition of your outstanding performance, we are pleased to present you with the prestigious Golden Certificate and an iPad Air as a token of our appreciation. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Congratulations on this remarkable accomplishment.’

Well... an iPad Air wasn’t exactly the greatest reward I have ever heard of, but having the highest score out of all the participants would definitely bring me a great deal of recognition.

This message was followed by many others:

Professor Milik: "Congratulations, Max! Thanks to you and Nadya we ranked 2nd as a country overall. We hope to see more great achievement out of you."

Board of MIT: "Congratulations on your outstanding achievement. Your remarkable accomplishment has not only brought honor to yourself but has also enriched the academic excellence of MIT. We are pleased to have you as a student at MIT, and we look forward to witnessing your continued success and contributions to our esteemed institution."

Nadya: "Ai, your something else Max, but scored in the top 3% too! Nice :)"

Isaac: "Gratz, Max. I still didn’t get my message from IMC, but Nadya told me... or I just can’t find it idk"

"Ayo, Max, what happened?" Casandra said, sliding her panties back up through her legs.

"Ehhh... nothing, I just bagged the highest score on the IMC"

"What?!" Both Oliv and Casi shouted out.

Oliv, butt-naked and all, with her body on full display, steered the Yacht to the dock while we dodged the storm.

But when we spotted some boats on the horizon, she grabbed her underwear and threw some clothes on too.

We docked the yacht back in its place and as we were making our way back to the parking spot the rain poured down.

The plan was to go grab a meal after the cruise, but nah... we drove back to the campus.

We ended up grabbing some fast food on the way and when we arrived on the campus we just said our goodbyes. Like any casual friend.

I got back to my room and dropped onto the bed, completely exhausted.

"How’d it go?" Rick still posted up in front of his PC, dude was a night owl for real.

"Yeah, it was cool."

"Mmm, I bet... you’re going to sleep?"

"For sure, but you can keep on typing. I’m good."

I fell asleep in no time.

Dreamland kept flipping the script, them little comets dimming out while the 7th blue one rolled in that night.

I dove back into them vibrant yellow nets, but that tunnel stayed stuck on repeat, no changes appeared.

I woke up on Monday with a clear plan in mind: I was determined to have a conversation with the dean about transitioning to a research-based approach to my studies.

At 8 AM sharp, I made my way to the dean’s office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," he called out, and I entered.

"Good morning. What brings you here today?" the dean asked.

"Good morning, sir. I’ve been thinking about transitioning to a research-based approach for my studies, and I wanted to discuss the feasibility of such a plan," I explained.

The dean nodded, "Interesting idea. Before we delve into it, may I have your name, please?"

"Maximillian Sullivan, sir."

"Ah, Max! I’ve heard good things about your academic record. Now, tell me more about this research-based plan you’re considering."

I laid out my thoughts, detailing the advantages and how they aligned with my academic goals. The dean listened attentively, occasionally asking questions for clarification.

When I mentioned the Goldbach Conjecture, he looked at me with surprise and disbelief on his face.

After presenting my case, he leaned back in his chair, "Max, it’s a compelling proposal. However, for this to proceed, I’d need a formal plan outlining your research objectives and methodology. It would also be beneficial if you could secure support from some professors who are willing to guide you."

My man definitely had some doubts, he was sure that I wouldn’t be able to pull support from a professor. After all, I was talking about proving stuff that’s been standing for over 250 years. Like, deadass, impossible to prove.

Nodding, I replied, "Absolutely, sir. I’ll work on a detailed plan and reach out to professors for their support. Thank you for considering the idea."

"Take your time, Max. If you need any assistance or have further questions, feel free to consult me. Good luck with your proposal," the dean seemingly encouraged me.

So, after our talk, I bounced out of the dean’s office. I was on top of it, I checked Professor Milik’s schedule ahead of time.

I got this whole thing mapped out, and know exactly what I’m gonna research.

I headed straight to Professor Milik’s office, his first lecture was set to begin in 30 minutes, which was enough time to persuade him to support me.

I stepped into his office, and he threw a welcome my way.

"Hey there, Max! Good to see you. Did you drop by to chat about your IMC results?", he said with a smile.

"Good morning, Professor, thanks. Actually, I’m more interested in discussing my research."

"Research? I see... What’s on your mind, then?"

"Well, Professor Milik, I’ve been delving into the Goldbach Conjecture"

Professor Milik was surprised and let out a laugh, "The Goldbach Conjecture, you say? That’s quite ambitious. Do you realize that I specialize in Number Theory?"

"Absolutely, Professor. I’m aware of your expertise, and that’s precisely why I wanted to discuss it with you."

Professor Milik looked intrigued, but he also seemed a bit pessimistic about this idea, "Top mathematicians have dedicated a lot of time to this, but no one cracked it. What makes you think you could make a breakthrough?"

"I’ve been studying the existing attempts, and I believe there’s a fresh perspective I could bring to the table.", I said firmly.

Professor Milik leaned in, intrigued by my confidence, "Let’s hear your thoughts on this then..."

"Professor, I delved into the Goldbach Conjecture and stumbled upon Frohlich and Ivic’s attempt in ’74. They built their proof on something called The Goldbachian Kernel Lemma. Their proof fell through due to this unproven lemma. But, if that lemma holds, it could open doors."

Professor Milik nodded, showing keen interest.

I explained the Lemma to Professor Milik, before asking him the important question.

"Given the depth of my interest in this research, would you consider being my advisor? I would like to transition to research-based learning"

"Well, I’m open to that idea, but before that, how about we run through a couple of questions from Number Theory? Consider it a sort of litmus test."

"Absolutely"

"Alright then. Let’s start with something on a Ph.D. level. In the realm of quadratic residues, what’s the significance of the Legendre symbol?"

I came up to the small whiteboard filled with his own research notes, "The Legendre symbol is used to determine whether a quadratic congruence of the form..."

’ax^2≡b(modp)’

"is solvable, where p is an odd prime. It’s essentially a mathematical tool for exploring the solvability of quadratic congruences."

Professor Milik nodded, "Impressive. You’ve got a solid grasp. Let’s go through a couple more questions to assess your overall understanding."

After a series of questions, including some in the territory of the Riemann Hypothesis, Professor Milik seemed satisfied.

"Alright! I need to say that you have a decent understanding of Number Theory. As long as you’re willing to switch to the Math department, I’m on board to support you."

I thought for a while. I didn’t know many people from Software Architecture, other than Casi and Rick, but I could still chill out with them.

Was there anything that I could learn on that course?

No.

And Oliv was a math major!

"Let’s make it happen. I’m ready to make the switch"

...

The Dean’s office phone rang, and he picked up.

"Hello, this is Dean Turner"

"Dean, it’s Milik. I wanted to talk to you about a student, Max Sullivan, in the Computer Science department"

"Milik, what’s up? Everything alright?"

"Better than alright. Max approached me today with an impressive proposal to switch to research-based learning in the Math department. I’ve tested his understanding of Number Theory, and it’s solid. I believe he could be a valuable addition to my research team."

"Wait, what? That was quick. Max came to me like 20 minutes ago asking about this, and you’re already on board?"

"Dean, you know me. When I see potential, I don’t waste time. He is sharp, and his interest in the Goldbach Conjecture is not just talk. Looking at his IMC results. I thought about giving him a chance"

’How did this kid manage to pull this off so quickly?’, The dean thought.

"Well, I’m flabbergasted, Milik. Let’s make sure Max transitions smoothly"

"Agreed, Dean. I’ll make sure they get the support they need. This is a win for all of us"

The Dean hung up the phone, staring at it for a moment. He couldn’t help but be amazed at how quickly I garnered support.