Junior Aidan Gor ’25 has turned his curiosity for coding into a passion for computational neuroscience. Gor credits Jason Oswald, Germantown Academy Computer Science Department Chair, for teaching him the fundamentals of Computer Science and coding. He then turned a research project into a memory game that boosts memory in individuals with working memory deficiencies, such as those with Autism and ADHD. He presented the beta-testing results of the game at the 2023 International Brain Research Organization's (IBRO) World Congress of Neuroscience in Granada, Spain–the most prestigious neuroscience conference in the world–in September before bringing his findings to his own classmates at GA during Computer Science Week.

“I have been leading and working hard on this project for the past 18 months,” said Gor. “During this time, I have been working remotely in a lab in Silicon Valley as a research scholar and presented my findings at the international conference, which was an amazing experience! The presentation went great, I met a lot of inspiring neuroscientists from around the world and got to learn their research work. I toured a bit around the city as well to experience its culture.”

Gor was the only student to present during CS Week in December. He spoke about how he utilized computer science and programming, combined with his passion for neuroscience, to create his novel memory training game. He gave a rundown of the skills he gradually learned to achieve this, and highlighted the versatility of computer science and how it can be used with other disciplines to start projects that range from personal hobbies to solving real-world problems.

“Mr. Oswald taught me the fundamentals and I took that and created some mini app projects,” said Gor. “Mr. Oswald’s class, AP Computer Science Principles, used unit-based projects to allow me to apply my knowledge, which I used to begin diving into my main project, a neuroscience-based memory game.”

“The project that I presented at the conference came out of my passion about neuroscience and cognition and the brain and how it works,” said Gor. “My principal investigator was excited to work with high schoolers to build the game, with the goal being to make n-back memory training more engaging to patients with mild cognitive impairments.”

When he attended the conference, Gor was able to observe the various methods and approaches to computational neuroscience and what this could become through machine learning, visualization, and his experiment. That specific experience cemented the importance of computer science in his mind as it lets users express their passions which can be combined with various subjects to create multi-disciplinary projects.

“Visiting Granada was an amazing experience!” said Gor. “The presentation went great. I met a lot of inspiring neuroscientists from around the world and got to learn their research work. I toured a bit around the city as well to experience its culture. Now I look forward to bringing that experience back to the GA Neurodiversity and Disability Awareness Club.”

Adding his research at Fox Chase Cancer Center a year ago where he was investigating whether OTC herbal medications could treat memory and attention deficits among teens after sleep deprivation to this latest project, Gor is primed to go far in the medical, and now the neuroscience, fields.