Teens test their smarts at The Neuro
The Neuro hosts Montreal edition of annual worldwide competition
Thirty-two students from nine Montreal area high schools will assemble at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital 鈥� The Neuro at 平特五不中 on February 17 to be quizzed about synapses, axons and other cerebral facts in the international contest known as the Brain Bee.听 The winner will go on to the Canadian National Brain Bee in Hamilton, Ontario.听 The national winner travels to Florence, Italy for the International Brain Bee, whose contestants span the globe.
In the Brain Bee contestants answer questions about the brain and the nervous system, including such diverse topics as memory, sleep, intelligence, emotion, perception, stress, aging, brain-imaging, neurology, neurotransmitters, genetics, and brain disease.听 The competition begins with a written neuroanatomy quiz followed by a round of questions.听 The top six contestants compete in the final round.听 Judith Antoine-Bertrand and Tony Lima, graduate students at The Neuro will host the bilingual competition - 10 contestants in French and 22 in English.
Questions are tough and there are close to 500 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.听 Contestants are coached and mentored by graduate students at The Neuro.听 Win or lose, the high school students come away with a college undergraduate鈥檚 understanding of brain anatomy and function.
Contest organizers believe in the power of preparing teenagers for the future.听 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 vision by neuroscientists James Tsui and Farhan Khawaja.
What: 2011 Montreal Brain Bee, leading up to the International Brain Bee 2011
When: February 17, 2011
Time: Various activities between 11:45 am to 1:30 pm or at 3:00 pm for the final round.
Where: Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, 3801 University Street, H3A 2B4
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