Where Do MacArthur Grant Winners Among Us Go From Here?

[Map via Citylab]

Aren't we lucky? We have a MacArthur Grant (aka a Genius grant) winner among us. Danielle Bassett, 32, is a UPenn physicist who applies mathematical approaches to analysis and modeling of brain connectivity. (We have jazz genius Steve Coleman, an Allentown winner, too--cue Living Here in Allentown, set to a jazz tempo).

This brings us to an interesting trend of MacArthur grantees and where they call home now versus where they were born. And anything that can be mapped, probably will be.

So without further ado, here is a rundown of Citylab's map of grantee mobility.

Last week, we saw that Millennials are generally moving into the area. They would theoretically join the MacArthur grantees that are born in our fair state. According to our first map, we have given birth to 52 grantees. Cool.
And then, for the not-so-cool part. It seems that PA suffered a net loss of 30 grantees, who had moved elsewhere by the time they'd received the award.

Boo, hiss! Ahem.

So, let's do the math. If we lost 30 to other states, then we have 22 here at the time time of their award.

So what? It's a free country, and people can live wherever they want. Yes, we're more than the sum of our so-called 'geniuses.' But the trend speaks to other aspects of what draws people to stay in any given place. But, there is a difference from non-genius types: according to the U.S. Census Bureau data, only about 30 percent of the general population and 42 percent of the college-educated U.S. population live outside the state where they were born. Research money is often the reason for the magnetic move to a new state.

So is the answer for our local research institutions to pony up more moolah, or is it something else we need to analyze? Either way, PA produced 52 geniuses. Not bad, not bad at all. And if you live in Philly, you just may be an undiscovered genius. Keep at it.
·Where Geniuses Live [Citylab]
·Where Are the Millennials Going [Curbed Philly]
·2014 MacArthur Foundation Fellows [MacArthur Foundation]