Test your cortex reflex: Brain Bee will challenge Canada’s top teens
Brain power: Winners of the National Brain Bee will receive trophies and scholarship awards of $1,500, $1,000 and $500. The first-place winner will win an internship in a neuroscience laboratory, and will represent Canada at the International Brain Bee in August, in Washington, DC.
How many times per year does one hear “teenage neuroscientist” and “national champion” used in the same sentence? Just once, and it’s happening this Saturday on campus.
On May 31, high school students from across Canada will converge at McMaster to compete in the prestigious National Brain Bee competition.
The students, all winners of regional Brain Bee competitions, will be tested on their aptitude for neuroscience, patient diagnosis and neuroanatomy. Topics will cover memory, sleep, intelligence, emotion, perception, stress, aging, brain-imaging, neurology, neurotransmitters, genetics and brain disease.
Regional competitions took place earlier this year in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, London, Waterloo, Guelph, Hamilton, St. John’s, Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa and Montreal.
“An important goal of the Brain Bee is to reach out to our extended communities to share what we are doing in our laboratories, and to encourage these bright young minds to consider a career in brain research,” said Judith Shedden, chair of the CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee Committee and an associate professor in McMaster’s Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour.
The CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee is supported nationally by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
“CIHR is honoured to support this opportunity for Canadian youth to strengthen their passion for brain science through their participation in the 7th annual National Brain Bee,” said Dr. Anthony Phillips, scientific director for the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction. “This championship is a great opportunity for our “brainiest” Canadian students to engage in a friendly competition and test their knowledge about the brain, the most fascinating and complex structure of the human body. I’m always impressed by how bright these students are and what impressive knowledge they display during the annual Brain Bee.”
Winners will receive trophies and scholarship awards of $1,500, $1,000 and $500. The first-place winner will win an internship in a neuroscience laboratory, and will represent Canada at the International Brain Bee in August, in Washington, DC.
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.
