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Boivin: Meet possibly the smartest athlete at Arizona State

Related Topics: Nuclear fission

J.P. Nelson is talking about self-sustaining nuclear fusion, which he believes is sort of a holy grail for alternative energy, and is explaining how it is the opposite of a fission process in current nuclear reactors, and oh my goodness my head is spinning.

I thought I was interviewing a steeplechaser.

And then comes the text from Michael Crow, the cerebral president of the largest university in the United States, who calls Nelson “a first-rate intellect who is thinking about things at the highest level.”

I thought I was asking about a steeplechaser.

Actually, I am, and darn it if Nelson, a sophomore distance runner for Arizona State, isn’t making me rethink my image of the college athlete.