Ogi Ogas

Ogi Ogasis an American writer andcomputational neuroscientist. As of May 2016, he is a visiting scholar at theHarvard Graduate School of Education, where he serves as Project Head for the Individual Mastery Project.Ogas is also known for his participation ingame shows, especiallyGrand Slam(2007)andWho Wants to Be a Millionaire(2006).
Ogi Ogas was born and grew up inAnnapolis, Maryland.He attendedSeverna Park High School, where he was a member of the school'sIt's Academicteam.Ogas began a graduate degree in film studies at the University of Iowa in 1994, but left under a cloud after an undergraduate was badly injured while working on a film 
project for him.  Ogas was awarded aPh.D.incomputational neurosciencebyBoston Universityin 2009.He was aUnited States Department of Homeland SecurityFellow during his graduate studies.
Ogas is a visiting scholar at the Harvard University School of Education.
Ogas is the Project Head for the Individual Mastery Project in the Harvard Graduate School of Education,whichThe Washington Posthas described as "aimed at understanding the development of individual excellence."
Ogas's nonfiction bookA Billion Wicked Thoughts(2011, with Sai Gaddam) analyzed the sexual terms used in web searches by approximately 100 million internet users. Some critics praised the book for its accessibility and entertainment value. Others noted that because the collected web searches were anonymous, the authors were limited in the conclusions they could draw from their analyses.
In 2022,W. W. NortonpublishedThis is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You, by Ogas andSusan Rogers.
Ogas is listed as a contributor toJeffrey Lieberman'sShrinks.As advertising prose from the Hatchett Books Group describes it, the book:
Shrinksreceived a starred review inKirkus,was aNew York Times Book ReviewEditors' Choice,and was longlisted for the PEN/E.O.Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.
Ogas won $500,000 on an episode ofWho Wants to Be a Millionairethat aired on November 8, 2006, using his cognitive science research to guide his game strategy.Ogas has intimated in interviews that he had a strong hunch about his final question (about theBoston Tea Party, shown), after tentatively eliminating three of the choices; he ultimately decided to walk away because of the large amount of money at risk ($475,000 of his $500,000). His hunch was correct.Since playing, he has appeared 22 times as the syndicated show's "Ask The Expert" Lifeline.
Ogas was also a contestant onGrand Slam, which aired in August and September 2007.He said that after feeling the intense emotional pressure onMillionaire, he developed a new suite of cognitive techniques forGrand Slam, including calming techniques as well as mathematical, verbal, and mnemonic heuristics derived from his brain research.He defeated formerMillionairecontestant Nancy Christy in his first-round game and all-time game show winnings record holder andJeopardy!championBrad Rutterin the second round. Ogas then defeated formerTwenty-Onechampion David Legler in the semifinals before losing toKen Jenningsin the final. More recently, he appeared on ABC's game show500 Questionsas one of the challengers.