A QUICK STUDY; 12-YEAR-OLD SCIENCE PRODIGY MAKING JUMP TO UNIVERSITY.

Byline: Tracy Valeri Daily News Staff Writer

As she stands in her pink bedroom, piled high with stuffed animals, the only hint that Natashia Lewis is different from other children are the pictures of planets, nebulae and galaxies on her closet door and the science books heaped on the floor.

The 12-year-old girl aspires to be a research scientist and a doctor - and she is certain to get there sooner than most children.

Natashia has been accepted as a full-time biochemistry student at California State University, Los Angeles - a veritable prodigy.

As she stands in front of a backdrop of Barbie dolls, Natashia explained that all fields of science are her passion ``from astronomy to paleontology.''

``Biochemistry is what I'll study, because I want to go into medical research,'' Natashia said in an interview Wednesday. ``I want to find cures for diseases, which is really needed now.''

Carlos Gutierrez, the biochemistry professor who will be working with Natashia at Cal State Los Angeles, said that even at her young age, she possesses more raw ability than most people much older.

``Natashia is exceptionally bright, but we won't be too demanding of her at first,'' Gutierrez said. ``But over the next four years, we expect that she'll develop into a dynamite researcher.''

Prodigy a mystery

Her mom, Vivian Lewis, said she doesn't know the source of her child's gift.

Lewis said her family tree is not loaded with geniuses, although Natashia has a few relatives who are doctors, including a cousin who graduated medical school early.

``Natashia is a regular kid, but she just has this ability to absorb everything given to her,'' her mother said. ``She's a fast learner, but I don't know what to attribute it to. She's always loved to read.''

Natashia said that her parents - Vivian, a Los Angeles elementary school substitute teacher and Ervin, a union staff worker - never pushed her to excel in school.

``When I wanted to learn things,'' Natashia said, ``I taught myself because I wanted to, not because they pushed me.''

Lewis said her daughter first displayed her intellectual gift as a 2-1/2-year-old when she started recognizing written words.

An early love of physics

By eighth grade, Natashia was enrolled in college-level physics classes at North Hollywood's Walter Reed Highly Gifted Junior High School.

Even among her gifted peers, Natashia stood out, particularly when it came to physics.

The CSUN graduate student who was tutoring her privately suggested that Lewis look into placing Natashia in college classes, in addition to her junior high courses.

But, after passing the high school proficiency exam and scoring 1,200 out of a possible 1,600 on the Scholastic Assessment Test, Lewis decided to enroll her daughter as a full-time freshman at Cal State Los Angeles.

Natashia isn't merely academically gifted; she plays the piano and violin, and has a collection of stamps and rocks. As if that isn't enough, she plays tennis and swims.

College won't be a problem, she insisted.

``I feel really good because it will be a challenge,'' the girl said. ``As far as I'm concerned there's not much to miss out on in high school because I'll still have my friends outside of school.''

Still, as with all child prodigies, the question remains: Will Natashia's social skills be harmed by losing four full years of high school football games, dances and friends?

In fact, Natashia's parents chose Cal State Los Angeles because the university has a special program that allows high school students to take classes there, while attending high school courses. So Natashia will have contact with at least a few youngsters her age while in college, they reasoned.

Besides, Natashia's mother said she believes high school isn't necessarily a positive aspect of life for young people, especially an exceptional one like her daughter.

``With kids carrying weapons to school and with gangs and social cliques these days, it would be worse for her,'' Vivian explained. ``High school won't challenge her and she may channel her energies in negative directions.

``As a teacher, I know that you lose kids when they are not being motivated or challenged,'' Lewis said.

The dilemma of prodigy

The Lewises' dilemma is one faced by many parents of gifted children.

``Some children are extremely mature and have such a deep interest in a subject that they may need `radical acceleration' or a need to study far beyond the skills and abilities of other people their age,'' said Sheila Smith, coordinator for the Los Angeles Unified School District's talented and gifted program.

``A parent's challenge is to provide opportunities for their children to go through those years while still satisfying a craving for knowledge,'' Smith said.

In some cases, parents decide to withdraw their child from an accelerated program.

``Some decide that they want to come back, in which case it is an open road, but at this point in Natashia's life, it seems that studying science will satisfy her craving, abilities and interests,'' Smith said.

Natashia not only will be a full-time student, but she will have a job there as a research assistant at the university's Minority Biomedical Research Support Program. While some children her age are trading baseball cards, she will be earning $6,200 a year.

According to Gutierrez, Natashia is not the youngest research assistant to have been accepted into the program.

``We had a 9-year-old many years ago. Though they are bright, they are also young and it is awkward for them since the people around them are 20-plus,'' the professor explained. ``But they would certainly be out of step in a high school environment, too. It's a trade-off.''

Natashia has no doubts. ``It is what I wanted from the start.''

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PHOTO (color) Natashia Lewis, 12, is enrolling as a biochemistry major at Cal State Los Angeles to pursue a consuming interest in the sciences.

Gus Ruelas/Daily News