Fifth Annual Competition McMaster University May 26, 2012
On May 26th the top high school students from across Canada will be at McMaster University to compete for the right to be called the best brain in Canada. These are the students who won their regional competitions, so we already know they are the top of their class. They have been studying for weeks to prepare for challenging events that will test theirknowledge of neuroscience and their skills at patient diagnosis and neuroanatomy. On May 26th one of these students will rise above the others to take the championship.
There are great prizes and recognition: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will take home trophies and cash prizes. The very top student will also take home a travelling trophy to display at their school for one year, and will be given the opportunity to work as a summer intern in a neuroscience laboratory.
The challenge is not over for the best brain in Canada -- this 1stplace champion will represent Canada at the International Brain Bee (IBB), July 22-27 2012 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Please refer to Preparing for the National for information on how to start studying, what will take place on the day of the event (currently a tentative schedule), and more!
What is a Brain Bee?
The Brain Bee is a competition for high school students, grades 9 through 12. Students study topics on memory, sleep, intelligence, emotion, perception, stress, aging, brain-imaging, neurology, neurotransmitters, genetics, and brain disease (just to list a few). It is designed to stimulate interest and excitement about the brain and neuroscience research and it is an exciting opportunity for high school students. The International Brain Bee was established in the 90's by Dr. Norbert Myslinski at the University of Maryland. The brain bee brings the students to the local university in their region to meet 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. It is a mechanism to attract bright young minds to the study of neuroscience.
Imagine what it would be like to compete in the 2012 national competition. Who were our winners in 2011 ?
First Place and 2011 CCNBB Champion: Soohyun Park from Toronto
It was a wonderful group of students and families and teachers this year, we enjoyed everyone so much. And what a close competition! All the students did extremely well -- we were amazed with everyone.
It was a long day with many tough challenges. The morning started out with a hearty hot breakfast buffet, and then a multiple choice exam. From there, a walk to the neuroanatomy labs of the Education Program in Anatomy where they were challenged with the same (very difficult) bell-ringer exam (real human brains) that is given to the medical students at McMaster (thank you Dr. Laurie Doering for offering this excellent experience).
That was followed by the Patient Diagnosis exam in the Centre for Simulated Learning where the medical students train. It is set up with realistic medical offices and real equipment and offers the Standardized Patient Program with professional standardized patients (SPs) trained to reproduce a patient with a brain disorder or disease. The students interviewed and diagnosed several different SPs. Finally, after 3.5 hours of morning tests, it is lunch time.
After lunch we launched into the afternoon challenges. First, 20 questions in multiple choice format in the lecture hall where the students performed in front of parents and teachers (holding up A, B, C, and D cards to indicate their answers for all to see).
At this point, all the scores from all the tests so far were added up, and the top 3 competitors advanced to the final rounds of oral questions. The first set of questions was set up similar to Final Jeopardy; a question was read aloud and the students had only a few seconds to write down their answer and hold it up to the audience. It was so close! The third place winner was only 1 point away from the other two. The second set of questions required spoken answers, again only a few seconds within which to respond. Another very close competition! 1st and 2nd place were only 1 point apart!
Congratulations everyone in 2011. And the challenge is out for the new competitors in 2012!
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