Key Takeaways
- Mary Chickering ’26 and Kaki Weiksner ’26 from Greenwich Country Day School received NCWIT Aspirations in Computing honors for Connecticut high‑school girls.
- Mary’s award‑winning project used a convolutional neural network to classify DaTSCAN images of Parkinson’s patients, inspired by her grandfather’s illness.
- Kaki’s honorable‑mention work applied Python to explore patterns in the unsolved Collatz Conjecture across large data sets.
- Educators at GCDS emphasize that the recognition boosts confidence, connects students to a national peer network, and validates real‑world, research‑based learning.
- NCWIT’s mission is to increase women’s meaningful participation in computing through resources, K‑12 and higher‑education programs, and support for inclusive curricula.
Introduction and Award Ceremony
On April 22, Greenwich Country Day School (GCDS) celebrated a notable achievement when two of its sophomores, Mary Chickering ’26 and Kaki Weiksner ’26, were honored by the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) at a ceremony held at Eversource headquarters in Berlin, CT. The event highlighted the accomplishments of Connecticut high‑school girls who demonstrate exceptional promise in computing and technology. Mary was named a winner of the 2026 NCWIT Aspirations in Computing High School Award for the Connecticut affiliate, while Kaki received an Honorable Mention. Their recognition not only spotlighted individual talent but also underscored GCDS’s commitment to fostering STEM excellence among its students.
Mary’s Award‑Winning Research on Parkinson’s Disease Imaging
Mary’s winning project centered on developing a convolutional neural network (CNN) to analyze DaTSCAN images, a neuroimaging technique used to detect dopamine transporter loss in patients with Parkinson’s disease. She designed a dual‑input model that combined raw image data with supplemental clinical variables, aiming to improve classification accuracy. To ensure the model’s decisions were biologically meaningful, Mary employed visualization tools such as saliency maps, demonstrating that the network focused on brain regions known to be affected by Parkinson’s. The inspiration for this work came from her grandfather’s personal experience with the disease, giving the project both scientific rigor and a deeply personal motivation.
Kaki’s Exploration of the Collatz Conjecture
Kaki’s honorable‑mention thesis tackled the Collatz Conjecture, an enduring unsolved problem in mathematics first proposed around a century ago. The conjecture posits that starting from any positive integer and repeatedly applying the rule “if even, divide by two; if odd, multiply by three and add one” will eventually reach the number one. Despite its simple statement, no proof exists for all integers. Kaki used Python to generate and analyze hundreds of thousands of trajectories, searching for patterns across multiples and examining statistical properties such as cycle lengths and peak values. Her computational approach illuminated subtle regularities within the seemingly chaotic sequences, contributing a fresh empirical perspective to a problem that has intrigued mathematicians for decades.
What the NCWIT Recognition Means for Students
Gordie Campbell, Computer Science & CAT Chair at GCDS, remarked that NCWIT recognition “puts a student in a community of high‑achieving peers and opens doors down the road.” He emphasized that such honors do more than add a line to a résumé; they bolster students’ confidence, affirm their belonging in technical fields, and provide access to mentorship, internships, and scholarship opportunities. By connecting awardees with a nationwide network of women in computing, NCWIT helps translate early promise into sustained academic and professional growth, a benefit Campbell believes is invaluable for young women navigating traditionally male‑dominated disciplines.
Head of School’s Praise and Institutional Values
Head of School Adam Rohdie expressed pride in Mary and Kaki, calling their achievement “a huge testament to their hard work, sharp research and analytical skills, and their ability to present their findings in a compelling way.” He linked their success to GCDS’s broader educational philosophy: giving students the chance to apply classroom learning to real‑world challenges in meaningful, impactful manners. Rohdie noted that the projects exemplify the school’s goal of nurturing curiosity, perseverance, and interdisciplinary thinking—qualities that prepare learners not only for exams but for lifelong problem‑solving in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
NCWIT’s Role in Advancing Women in Computing
The National Center for Women & Information Technology is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the meaningful participation of girls and women in computing and technology fields. NCWIT pursues this mission through a multifaceted strategy: it publishes research on effective recruitment and retention practices, offers toolkits and guidelines for educators, runs K‑12 outreach programs such as the Aspirations in Computing awards, and supports higher‑education initiatives that foster inclusive environments. By providing resources, data, and a supportive community, NCWIT aims to dismantle barriers that have historically limited women’s representation in tech sectors.
Broader Context: Encouraging Female Participation in STEM
The recognition of Mary and Kaki arrives amid ongoing national efforts to close gender gaps in STEM. Despite progress, women remain underrepresented in many computing‑related careers, particularly in leadership and specialized technical roles. Programs like NCWIT’s Aspirations in Computing address this disparity by early identification of talent, celebration of achievement, and creation of role models. When young women see peers honored for sophisticated research—whether applying AI to medical imaging or probing deep mathematical conjectures—they receive tangible proof that their interests are valued and that they can excel in these domains.
Future Pathways for Mary and Kaki After the Award
Both awardees now stand at a juncture where their NCWIT accolades can shape forthcoming academic and extracurricular pursuits. Mary may continue refining her CNN model, perhaps collaborating with medical researchers to validate its clinical utility, or she could explore other AI applications in healthcare. Kaki might extend her Collatz analysis to other number‑theoretic problems, pursue advanced mathematics courses, or engage in competitive programming contests. The recognition also makes them eligible for NCWIT‑sponsored scholarships, summer internships, and mentorship pairings with professionals in industry and academia—opportunities that can significantly accelerate their trajectories.
Conclusion: Celebrating Achievement and Inspiring Peers
The honors bestowed upon Mary Chickering ’26 and Kaki Weiksner ’26 serve as a powerful illustration of what dedicated, curiosity‑driven study can achieve. Their projects—one bridging artificial intelligence with neurologic disease diagnostics, the other employing computational experimentation to probe a classic mathematical mystery—exemplify the interdisciplinary, real‑world focus that GCDS champions. By celebrating their accomplishments, the school not only rewards individual excellence but also inspires the broader student body to pursue rigorous, innovative work in computing and beyond. As Mary and Kaki build on this foundation, their journeys will likely encourage future GCDS learners to envision themselves as contributors to the evolving landscape of technology and science.