Brian D. Go

GO BRIAN D. GO May 30, 1988 - May 17, 2009 Died in the final weeks of his junior year at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. Beloved son of Delfin and Margaret Go; beloved brother of Michael and Madeline Go; cherished grandson of John and Mildred Sullivan; and loving nephew of Kathleen Kenney, and of Thomas, James, and Patrick Sullivan, all of New England, and of Daniel Sullivan of Minnesota; beloved grandson of Teresa Sia Go; and devoted nephew of Henry Go, Herminia Tan, and Genevieve Uy, all of the Philippines. Also survived by many other relatives and friends. Brian Douglas Go was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and was raised in Virginia, Kensington and Chevy Chase, Maryland from infancy. Brian was a 2006 graduate of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, where he excelled. Teachers there remembered that in addition to his love for computers, math, and science, he enjoyed writing poetry that when read aloud moved teachers and peers alike. They also commented on his gentle good humor and his sense of humility about his gifts. Brian received numerous academic awards in high school, including awards for outstanding achievement in the sciences. With his colleague and friend Joshua Klontz, also Class of 2006, he participated in the 2003, 2004, and 2005 Montgomery County Science Fairs. Brian and Josh won first place in "Team Projects/Physical Sciences" in 2003 and 2005. In 2004, they were the Grand Prize winners of the fair, and as a result participated in the prestigious Intel International Science and Engineering Fair with their project "Programming a Model Rocket Flight Simulator." Also while in high school, Brian was captain of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School''s National Science Bowl team and was a participant in Debate Club. He played on the Ultimate Frisbee team and was a National Merit finalist. He was also an avid fencer and achieved the highest rank of Eagle Scout in Chevy Chase Boy Scout Troop 255. Brian worked while in high school as a quality assurance tester, turnkey production manager, and web developer at Exent Technologies of Bethesda, and in his position as a web developer for Maryland Virtual High School, he developed interactive models of science experiments for use as high school instructional aids. Brian enrolled at the California Institute of Technology in the fall of 2006 and was pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Applied and Computational Mathematics. He was very successful in his coursework and in research, publishing a paper with Professor Mani Chandy and others in 2008. In addition, Brian served as a teaching assistant this year in two computer science courses. Brian was very active on the Caltech campus and had many friends, especially in his beloved Page House dormitory, where he was serving as president and upper-class counselor. He served as chair of the ACM 2009 Student-Faculty Conference Committee that worked to improve his major. He also performed IT services for Page House and was a member of the Inter-House Council. He enjoyed playing drums and was conversant in Spanish. Before his death, he had been awarded a grant from Caltech to do research this summer at the Polytechnic University in Valencia, Spain. Brian was a loving and much-loved family member, a close friend to many, a research colleague, a solid mentor, and a trusted leader. A wake will be held on Saturday, June 13, at 10 a.m. at Holy Redeemer Church, 9705 Summit Ave., Kensington, Maryland, to be followed immediately by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. Interment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 13801 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Community Scholarship Fund, c/o College Tracks, 5126 Manning Dr., Bethesda, MD 20814 or to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on the world-wide web or Facebook. Click on "Tribute Gifts." If checks are sent, please write "In memory of Brian Go" on the memo line.