The Brain Bee is a competition for high school students, grades 9 through 12. Students are tested on the knowledge about the brain and neuroscience research. It is designed to stimulate interest and excitement about brain research. Students study topics on memory, sleep, intelligence, emotion, perception, stress, aging, brain imaging, neurology, neurotransmitters, genetics, brain disease, and more.
The Brain Bee is an exciting opportunity for high school students to learn about the brain and the importance of brain research. Students have the opportunity to visit the university and meet the students and professors who are doing brain research. It is an avenue of communication, through media and students, to raise awareness of brain research in the community. Through the Brain Bee we hope to attract bright young minds to the study of neuroscience. Many brain bee competitors choose careers in medicine or neuroscience because of their Brain Bee experiences.
History of the Brain Bee
The Brain Bee is part of Brain Awareness Week (BAW: http://www.sfn.org/baw/) which was launched in 1996 by the Society for Neuroscience (SfN: http://sfn.org/) and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives (http://brainweek.data.org/), with a mission to increase awareness of neuroscience in the general community. It is celebrated in countries around the world, traditionally in March.
The Brain Bee competition, founded in 1999 by Dr. Norbert Myslinski at the University of Maryland, is focused on participation of high school students. The Brain Bee is a 3-tiered competition (local, national, and international), celebrated in more than 50 countries around the world. Each year within each country there can be many Local (Regional) Brain Bee competitions. Local Brain Bee champions compete at the National Brain Bee, and National Brain Bee champions go on to compete at the annual International Brain Bee competition.
Our volunteers
The Canadian National Brain Bee has been supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research since our inaugural national competition in 2008. This financial support is further extended by substantial time and resources from volunteers at McMaster. Our McMaster team of volunteers consists of staff, students, and faculty from the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour (PNB), the McMaster Integrative Neuroscience Discovery and Study (MiNDS), and Faculty of Health Sciences. with financial support from the Faculty of Science at McMaster. We are further supported by Local Brain Bee organizers, students, and teachers across Canada – up to 20 local competitions!
McMaster University, one of four Canadian universities listed among the Top 100 universities in the world, is renowned for its innovation in both learning and discovery. It has a student population of 23,000, and more than 156,000 alumni in 140 countries. http://www.mcmaster.ca/
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada’s health research investment agency. CIHR’s mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened health care system for Canadians. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 14,100 health researchers and trainees across Canada. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca