Al Primack, Pitt doctoral student and TA, memorized 100 digits of pi for a cultural artifact speech back in college. Eight years later, he recites those same digits to his students at the start of every semester. But other than pi, he said, his memory is actually pretty dismal.

Growing up, every child has their favorite holiday. Maybe it’s Halloween — dressing up in frightening costumes, parading around the neighborhood to collect bite-sized goodies from generous neighbors. For...