AI software brings Stanford University scholarship to young Turk
Beyazıt Şenbük – ISTANBUL
A Turkish high school student who invented an artificial intelligence system that helps brain surgeons how to operate on patients has gained a full scholarship from Stanford University in the U.S.
Emirhan Kurtuluş, a 12th-grade student in Istanbul’s Cağaloğlu Anadolu Highschool, found an AI system that “does MRI scans and tells brain surgeons the best operation method fit for a patient.”
With his invention, he became the global winner of the biomedical category of the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair held in the U.S.
This success opened the doors to the world-renowned Stanford University, where he became a full scholarship student.
“Some 20 percent of all the deaths worldwide are caused by diseases inside the skull,” Kurtuluş said. “With the help of AI, doctors can now examine all parts of the brain and see the zones tumors contact.”
Pink is the color the student chose to use in his AI system.
“After analysis, the system then draws a pink line over the brain showing the doctors which route to follow during the operation.”
Kurtuluş, a son of a civil servant father and a housewife mother, said his grandfather was the source of his inspiration.
“My granddad was a carpenter, but he had a great interest in science. He backed me in all my studies and works.”
When asked about his future dreams, he stressed returning back to serve his country.
“After graduating from Stanford, I want to return and serve my country. I have no intention to stay there,” he expressed.
“Not only the experiences I will have there, but I want to bring monetary funds from the U.S. to my country, too,” he added.
