Wunderkind in Singapore searches for suitable university

Ainan Celeste Cawley and his equation

 The search has proven difficult because no university so far  seems willing to accept the young "wunderkind," an apparent budding genius in the field of chemistry.

"Ainan promises to be one of the great thinkers of our time," said his 38-year-old father, Valentine Cawley.

Ainan, who is of mixed Irish-Singaporean heritage, successfully  sat chemistry O levels earlier this year, an exam devised for 16-year-olds.

"We gave him a chemistry O level book one evening. I found it on his night table the next day, he had read through all of its 460 pages and even scribbled notes in its margins," said Cawley.

While his regular school's curriculum currently comprises  learning the alphabet, Ainan studies at home for chemistry A levels, the university entry exam, for which he wants to sit this year.

Ainan's miraculous story began two weeks after his birth on  November 23, 1999 when the infant uttered his very first word, according to his father. He uttered the word "water," as he became thirsty.

At the age of 2 months, he had learned how to read the watch to  determine at which time his mother Syahidah Osman (28), an artist, would return home.

At 4 months old, he started to crawl about, and at 6 months he  could walk.

He enjoyed drawing three-dimensional paintings at age 3, composed  songs on the piano as he turned 6, and Ainan is currently discovering the chemical structures of molecules.

As his dad distributes copies of Ainan's curriculum vitae to  interested bystanders, his genius offspring explores the features of  Singapore's National Library.

He pulls at strings to lower or raise window shutters and  examines the insulation of a window frame, after which he boringly  drinks green tea from a tetra pack, which he then carefully and with  obvious interest takes apart.

"He is rather shy, though," said his father.

To the question whether he likes going to school, the boy  silently shakes his head.

"Regular school is no challenge for him. He's bored there"  answered dad on Ainan's behalf.

Tim White is the head of the division of Material Sciences at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

He has welcomed Ainan in his laboratory on several occasions. "Ainan would have a very bright future as a chemist," said White. "He is a child with exceptional capabilities." 

But safety issues in the laboratory posed a problem, according to  White. The high lab tables were a literal hurdle, for example, and  there also were equipment and chemicals which could be dangerous to a young boy who had never had any experience with them.

"The issue is how much time can we devote to him. That is a full-time job," said White.

Ainan's father Valentine said he would fill that gap. "I will be with him all the time. That takes care of the safety issue," he said. But for that to be possible Cawley is looking for a sponsor to finance the family of five.

Valentine claimed he was a child prodigy himself when, as a 17-year-old, he engaged in scientific research at Britain's National Physics Laboratory.

But he eventually gave up when the elite university Cambridge  displayed a hostile attitude towards him.

"I want to spare my son from an experience like that," he said, adding that today he mainly is occupied with writing books.

"Ainan's interest in chemistry is contagious and, who knows, some  day I just might return to physics again," he said.

In the meantime, Valentine Cawley apparently has his hands full  rearing an entire clutch of child prodigies.

His said his two other children, 4-year-old Fintan Nadym and 21-months-old Tiarnan Hasyl, also have shown promising talents - in art, music, acting and logical thinking.//Christiane Oelrich - DPA