Before they ever moved into their USC residence halls, first-year biological sciences student Laela Inthanongsak and first-year interdisciplinary studies student Asher Zhong had already founded their Building a Brain club. Spurred by passions for neuroscience and behavioral psychology, the two collaborated over the summer to create their interdisciplinary club.
Building a Brain is a multi-aim club planning to simulate the human brain through computational neuroscience. With a model of the brain, researchers can artificially input stimuli and observe how the brain reacts. Inthanongsak said the club’s name intentionally leaves space for interpretation. Beyond building a computational model of the brain, the club is teaching students how to personally cultivate a healthy brain.
The club operates on three pillars: research, service and advocacy. In the fall, Building a Brain will begin two research projects. As the head of the psychology committee, Inthanongsak will lead a behavioral psychology research project with her six-person team. Zhong, alongside six others, will direct the club’s computational neuroscience project — essentially, building the brain.
Zhong’s project is multi-step and will span several semesters. First, members will work on simulating individual neurons using computational tools such as MATLAB or Python. Then the team will replicate the neural network of a less complex creature, such as a worm, which possesses only 302 neurons as opposed to a human’s 86 billion. Zhong plans to eventually simulate a cortical column — a cylindrical group of neurons in the cerebral cortex — and the human brain.
Zhong’s interest in computational neuroscience began in high school, when he completed a 165-page paper on digital immortality and computational neuroscience, and continued into college.
“If I’m a neurosurgeon, I can only cure one person at most,” Zhong said. “But if I’m a computational scientist, I may cure Alzheimer’s, I may cure Parkinson’s.”
Building a Brain's advocacy and service pillars expands the club’s focus beyond research and computational neuroscience. The club will spread awareness about mental health at USC and educate students on healthy habits.
Third-year political science and criminal justice student Monica Jimenez joined Building a Brain at the start of the fall 2025 semester. Jimenez heads the service committee, which will begin hosting events on campus next semester. Building a Brain plans to table on Greene Street, raise funds for internal operations or charities and volunteer at community organizations such as the Gamecock CommUnity Shop or a local food bank.
Jimenez interned for Homeless No More, a local organization providing housing for homeless families, in summer 2025. She plans to have Building a Brain members visit the children’s after-school programs to provide an engaging, fun education on the human brain. Jimenez said her work as an educational associate with Homeless No More was one of the best things in her life.
"We're with them all day," Jimenez said. "We're reading with them, we're teaching them about the ocean, about the moon, we have speakers come in."
Inthanongsak said the club plans to host a formal gala for community members in the spring 2027 semester and will donate the ticket proceeds to an organization benefiting mental health or conditions such as dementia.
“Everything that I try to do is in the pursuit of making life a little bit easier for other people,” Inthanongsak said. “No matter what that looks like — doing service, volunteering, helping other people physically with my hands or just doing things like being nice to people.”
In total, Building a Brain has six committees, each staffed by three to seven members: events, service, psychology, computational neuroscience, social media and finance. Initially, leadership consisted of a four-person executive board, but Zhong and Inthanongsak quickly realized they wanted to expand leadership opportunities.
“Now, I have 20 people that I trust entirely that I think can make everything we need to happen be done,” Inthanongsak said.
First-year neuroscience student Quinton Peace said he joined the psychology committee because he’s intrigued by how people think. Peace, who is on the pre-medical track, said he is looking forward to gaining research experience.
“One goal of this is to get our members exposed to research experiences so they won’t get nervous when they’re actually applying to a research job or positions,” Zhong said.
Though the research projects are student-led, Building a Brain has connections with several professors who specialize in fields such as psychology, mathematics and computer science, who will act as references for students. Students can reach out to the faculty for assistance or field-specific knowledge.
“Asher is doing the hard thing and finding professors who are so willing to help us, are so willing to be really student-oriented,” Inthanongsak said.
The creation of Building a Brain had its share of difficulties, as the club completed its first two semesters without any university funding. At the fall 2025 organization fair, Building a Brain had one handmade trifold poster and a few textbooks. Inthanongsak said going into the upcoming fall semester, being prepared with teams of people and the club’s own branded tablecloth will be a full-circle moment.
“Getting logistics put together was a huge struggle for us,” Inthanongsak said. “I think seeing how that is going to work when we hit the ground running in the fall is our biggest point of growth.”