Hinesburg, vt. (WCAX) – A student from Champlain Valley Union High School puts his school science project to the next level, in the hope of helping medical research on the detection of one of the deadliest forms of cancer.
“The reason why I chose the pancreas on any other kind of tumor or cancer is that pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly types of cancer,” said Clay Nicholson, who is recognized for what his teachers call a big scientific project
The 16 -year -old CVU junior has spent the last months programming his computer to create a model to help the medical diagnoses of pancreatic tumors. “I initially developed this model using data accessible to the public by myself. Using this model, I was able to create a pipeline that allows radiologists to use this technology to improve their diagnostic rate. He describes where he thinks that the tumor is in the scanner, “said Nicholson
Once the scan is introduced into the model, Nicholson says that the computer detects small differences in the image to find where the tumor could be.
The inspiration for the project was his grandmother. “She was told that she had two weeks to live, and she is still alive today. It was a few years ago. She was in a big research report because of the madness of her situation,” he said.
Nicholson says he started the project last summer in The hack club, a shelburne non -profit organization for adolescents interested in coding. The model took place in the classroom as part of a self-learning class called Nexus, which helps students explore projects that they would not normally do in a school environment.
“He should really be proud of the work he has accomplished. It feels good to know that we have provided the space and the place that students push the highest level they want, “said Troy Paradee, CVU teacher.
Nicholson will go to Columbus, Ohio, next month for the International Science and Engineering Fair.
Copyright 2025 WCAX. All rights reserved.