I was vaguely aware of a new Miss USA being crowned, but my opinion begun and ended with “Oh, cool, she’s a redhead.” Having now heard that the winner, Alyssa Campanella, is a science nerd, a Natalie fan and was only one of two contestants (out of 51!!!) who told judges they believed in evolution…well, I’m kind of amazed they let her win but really happy they did.

Below is the excerpt, from People’s World, about Natalie.

Newser mentioned Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman, and noted that she was extremely knowledgeable about science. Portman made it to the semifinals of the Intel Science Talent Search, a research competition that has produced Nobel Prize winners. Portman went on to study neuroscience at Harvard.