Teens test their smarts in the Brain Bee
Thirty-two students from six Montreal area high schools will assemble at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital 鈥� The Neuro at 平特五不中 on February 21st to be quizzed about synapses, axons and other cerebral facts in the international contest known as the Brain Bee. The winner will go on to the Canadian National Brain Bee at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON.聽 The national winner travels to Vienna or Hawaii for the International Brain Bee.
The Brain Bee is a bilingual event where contestants answer questions about the brain and the nervous system, including such diverse topics as memory, sleep, emotion, perception, stress, aging, brain-imaging, neurology, genetics, and brain disease.聽 The competition begins with a written neuroanatomy quiz followed by a round of questions.聽 The top six contestants compete in the final round.聽 Martin Pelletier, a graduate student at Universit茅 de Montr茅al, will host the bilingual competition.
The questions are tough and there are close to 300 of them! To prepare, contestants must spend weeks studying Neuroscience: Science of the Brain, a 60-page book full of brain facts compiled by the Society for Neuroscience.聽 They are coached and mentored by graduate students at The Neuro.聽 Win or lose, the high school students come away with an undergraduate鈥檚 understanding of brain anatomy and function.聽聽聽
Contest organizers believe in the power of preparing teenagers for the future.聽 The winners of the Brain Bee today could one day be the discoverers of cures for neurological disorders like Alzheimer鈥檚, autism, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson鈥檚 disease.
The Montreal Brain Bee, which is open to all high-school students, also includes games, prizes and a presentation on neuroscience.
What: Montreal Brain Bee 2013, leading up to the International Brain Bee 2013
When: Thursday, February 21, 2013
Time: 11:45 am to 4:30 pm
Where: Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, De Grandpr茅 Communications Centre
3801 University Street, H3A 2B4