Adult manifestations of adolescent talent in science

Beginning in mid‐1990, 98 Westinghouse Science Talent Search winners from the 1983 cohort were contacted for a third wave of interviews. Forty‐nine of the 60 male participants and 25 of the 38 female participants, now approximately 26 years old, could still be categorized as scientists or mathematicians because of their study or employment in scientific research or applied fields. The questions posed in the interviews explored the role of mentors in the development of their professional and educational careers, reasons for retention or attrition in science, and the effects of being labeled as a Westinghouse Science Talent Search winner.