Brandon ’27 Takes Top Computer Science Prize at STEM Expo

A native of Shanghai, Brandon earned the top prize in the Computer Science category for his project, “BirdNet-AI: An Intelligent Multimodal Radar System for Large-Scale Spatiotemporal Bird Migration Analysis.” He also took home the United States Air Force Award for the same project.

The NHSEE offers middle and high-school students in the state an opportunity to present their research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

For his project, Brandon constructed a hypothetical platform to track, and more importantly predict, mass bird migrations to earlier identify consequential changes to environmental systems.

“I’m really into data science and I’ve also always been very interested in animals,” said Brandon, who is a Giles Family STEM Scholar at KUA. “It was interesting to combine these two things together, and in doing my research, it felt like such a practical application of convolutional networks and graphical modeling."

Brandon explained how even the slightest changes in large-scale bird migration can help serve as an early indicator to changes in local climates. He said these changes can also come with their own subtle — though sometimes noticeable — impacts, such as shifts in pollination patterns as well as fluctuations in insect populations.

Brandon said he was surprised to learn his project had placed first and was quick to credit others for their role in inspiring his work, including STEM Director and Computer Science Teacher Ryan McKeon  for challenging him to try his hands at new technologies; and Louis Munro Chair of Environmental Science Blaine Kopp for reaffirming his passion for environmental sustainability.

“I first met Brandon as a ninth grader when he joined my AP computer science class,” McKeon said. “He excelled in the classroom that year, and it is exciting to see that he has continued to apply his programming skills to follow his curiosity in other subjects.”

Student projects are ranked by a panel of expert judges on a variety of criteria, including creativity and the strength or their presentation.

In addition to his work as a STEM Scholar, Brandon can often be found outside through his role as an eco-representative, and involvement in the recreational ski program and Boys’ JV Tennis Team. And while Brandon said KUA didn’t exactly instill in him his love of the outdoors, he admitted it’s only grown bigger during his time on The Hilltop.

“It’s really a beautiful school with really good environmental transparencies,” Brandon said. “I appreciate how the school puts a deep effort into that with the KUA Farm and everything. It’s really kind of touching — not a lot of schools have this kind of scene going on.”