Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Thomas Easterday, and I’m a senior at Egg Harbor Township High School. Next year, I am planning to attend Cornell University where I will major in neurobiology and behavior, with the goal of pursuing a career in neuroscience. My interest in the brain began during a neuroscience course I took in my sophomore year, and it has remained something that I have enjoyed learning about since. For my Genius Hour Project, I will be using the following question to guide my research: Why do we have selective memory, and how can this help improve our study habits? Like many other students, I’ve spent countless hours studying, only to forget what I learned soon after. I want to understand why that happens—and more importantly, how to avoid it. My goal for this project is to explore the science behind memory—why we remember some things and not others—and use that information to identify the most effective study methods for students.