London Brain Bee
The next London Brain Bee will take place on March 22, 2025
To register, please fill out this registration form.
All registrants are also required to complete the consent and media release form before attending the event
What is the London Brain Bee?
High school students in London and surrounding areas are invited to compete in a one-day neuroscience competition at Western University in London, Ontario! The London Brain Bee consists of a trivia competition, demonstrations of neuroscience experiments, mock patient diagnosis sessions and a neuroanatomy scavenger hunt featuring real human brain specimens! The champion of the London Brain Bee will go on to compete in the Canadian National Brain Bee.
The main goal of the London Brain Bee is to encourage high school students to learn about neuroscience.
*Students may not compete in more than one local brain bee competition and should choose the competition that is geographically closest to their high school. If your high school is outside of London, please make sure that London is the closest Brain Bee to you before registering.
Time, date, location, and contact
- Date: March 22, 2025
- Time: 9am to 4pm
- Location: Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB), Western University (Click Here for a Campus Map)
- For additional information or inquiries regarding the London Brain Bee, please email us at neuro.outreach@gmail.com
What happens at the London Brain Bee?
Trivia competition
Students are provided with all study material required to prepare for the competition (see Preparing for the Brain Bee section below). During the competition question rounds, students will demonstrate what they have learned about the brain and neuroscience, including fascinating topics involving intelligence, memory, emotions, sensations, movement, stress, aging, sleep, addiction and more! The competition will be fierce but fun! Participating is a valuable experience that you can add to your resume – not to mention the great prizes! The winner of the London Brain Bee will advance to the Canadian National Brain Bee!
Details of the competition such as the number of questions, number of rounds, and the time per question will be released at least one month prior to the event.
Beyond the competition:
We’ll be doing lots of exciting neuroscience activities just for fun! These will include:
- A neuroanatomy scavenger hunt featuring real human brain specimens! Participants will be teamed up and provided with a neuroanatomy “cheat sheet” to use. The top team will win extra prizes!
- A mock patient diagnosis sessions with medical students. Students will take on the role of a medical doctor to interview and diagnose patient actors. This is also a great opportunity to get advice and have your questions answered by current medical students!
- Hands-on demonstrations of neuroscience experiments. Students will have the chance to learn about the fascinating world of cutting-edge neuroscience research!
Registration for the 2025 London Brain Bee
Registration will require completion of this online form. After registration, you will be contacted via email to provide more information and to confirm your attendance.
Preparing for the Brain Bee – Study Materials
Students can start preparing immediately by studying from the Brain Facts book found below. Questions can come from anywhere in the book: bolded terms, non-bolded terms, diagrams, boxes, etc.
Those interested in further reading can also check out the following online resources, which will be used by the National and International bees and could also be used by the London Bee:
What to Bring
Participants must register in advance on our website. There will be no on-site registration on the day of the Brain Bee. All participants must complete the consent and media release form prior to the event.
Students do not need to bring anything to the event, all supplies including a light breakfast, drinks, and a pizza lunch will be provided.
Prizes
Every participant will receive a T-shirt and prize bag from Western University. The top 3 winners will receive a prize valued at:
1st Place – $200
2nd Place – $100
3rd Place – $50
The 1st place winner of the Brain Bee will represent London at the Annual CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee to compete for the right to be called the BEST BRAIN in Canada. Neuroscience graduate students and Medical Students from Western University will help the winner prepare for the national event. Additional exciting prizes are awarded at the national competition each year.
The winner of the CIHR Canadian Brain Bee will win a trip for two to represent Canada at the International Brain Bee competition to compete for the right to be called the BEST BRAIN in the World!
Be sure to like/follow us on social media to get access to updates, sample questions, pictures, fun facts, FAQs and tips!
See photos from the previous London Brain Bees here!
Congratulations to the Previous Winners
of the London Brain Bee!
- 2024 – Luciana Tudor
- 2023 – Shreesha Sadagopan
- 2022 – Kenneth (Junior) Nyamusa
- 2019 – Alessandro De Menech
- 2018 – Huai-Ying (Ingrid) Huang
- 2017 – Fay Chong
- 2016 – Berk Rasheed
- 2015 – Yao (Esa) Li
- 2014 – Brittany Smale
- 2013 – Melanie Colvin
- 2012 – William Klanac
- 2011 – Jamie Antonucci
- 2010 – Pei Jun Zhao
- 2009 – Stella Park
London Brain Bee Organizers
2023 – Society of Neuroscience Graduate Students (SONGS) Outreach committee – Aja Hogan-Cann, Karnig Kazazian, Harleen Rai, Marcus Doyle, Ala Seif, Michaela Kent, Soojung Yu, Rutva Master, Bruno Mesquita 2022 – Society of Neuroscience Graduate Students (SONGS) Outreach committee – Faraj Haddad, Aja Hogan-Cann, Karnig Kazazian, Harleen Rai, Marcus Doyle, Ala Seif, Charlotte Liang
2019 – Nicola Popp, Brendon Samuels and Faraj Haddad (Co-chairs of local chapter and event organizers)
2018 – Nicola Popp, Benedict Chang and Brendon Samuels (Co-chairs of local chapter and event organizers)
2017 – Nicola Popp and Benedict Chang (Co-chairs of local chapter and event organizers)
2016 – Heather McGregor (Chair of local chapter and event organizer)
2015 – Heather McGregor and Alexandra Coros (Co-chairs of local chapter and event organizers)
2014 – Heather McGregor and Alexandra Coros (Co-chairs of local chapter and event organizers)
2013 – Michael Barnett-Cowan (Chair of local chapter and event organizer)
Sponsors of the 2025 London Brain Bee
