[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/brainbee.jpg” caption=”McMaster University is the site of the 2009 CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee.”]Twelve high school students from across the country will gather at McMaster Friday and Saturday to butt brains as part of the annual CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee.

Contestants (winners of regional Brain Bee competitions) are quizzed over two days on neuroscience topics such as memory, sleep, intelligence, perception, stress, aging, brain-imaging, genetics, and brain disease, as well as their skills at diagnosis and neuroanatomy.

Hosted by McMaster University's Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour (PNB), the event is supported by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR). This year's contestants hail from Calgary, Edmonton, Guelph, Halifax, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Montreal, St. John's, Toronto, Vancouver, and Waterloo.

“Neuroscience research is one of the great frontiers of scientific research,” says Judith Shedden, associate professor in PNB, and chair of the CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee Committee. “An important goal of the Brain Bee is to reach out to our extended communities to share what we, as scientists, are doing in our laboratories.”

First-, second- and third-prize winners will receive scholarship awards of $1,500, $1,000, and $500, respectively. The first-prize winner will also receive a summer internship in a neuroscience laboratory, and will represent Canada at the International Brain Bee on Aug. 8 in Toronto.

McMaster's team of volunteers, led by Shedden, Joe Kim, Chris McAllister, and Matt Pachai, includes staff, students, and faculty from PNB and from the McMaster Institute for Neuroscience Discovery and Study, with support from the McMaster Faculty of Science. The competition also relies on the generous donation of hours and resources from Brad High of the Clinical Learning Centre at McMaster and Laurie Doering and Alexander Ball of the McMaster Educational Program in Anatomy.

More information can be found at brainbee.ca.