High School Students Compete in DC Regional Brain Bee
For immediate release.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COMPETE IN DC REGIONAL BRAIN BEE
Washington, DC — On February 14, students from 14 area high schools competed in the DC Regional Brain Bee, a question-and-answer competition about the brain and nervous system, sponsored by the Society for Neuroscience (SfN). Students competed for cash prizes and a spot at the US National Brain Bee held March 4-5 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
The Brain Bee is part of a local, national, and international competition challenging students’ knowledge of the most complex biological system in the universe. Students sweat out a series of increasingly difficult questions about the brain, ranging from anatomy and diseases, to new technology and neurotransmitter function. Questions are developed from Brain Facts, SfN’s primer on the brain, which competitors use as a study guide. This competition is part of a larger brain awareness emphasis that culminates March 12-16 for Brain Awareness Week (BAW).
Along with SfN, the annual DC Regional Brain Bee is sponsored by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the National Retired Teachers Association: AARP’s Educator Community. This year’s competition was held at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
This year’s competition included students from:
• Connelly School of the Holy Child — Potomac, Md.
• Landon School — Bethesda, Md.
• Montgomery Blair High School — Silver Spring, Md.
• National Cathedral School — DC
• Paint Branch High School — Burtonsville, Md.
• Richard Montgomery High School — Rockville, Md.
• Rockville High School — Rockville, Md.
• Takoma Academy — Takoma Park, Md.
• Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — Alexandria, Va.
• Saint Anselm's Abbey School — DC
• Sandy Spring Friends School — Sandy Spring, Md.
• Seneca Valley High School — Germantown, Md.
• Walter Johnson High School — Bethesda, Md.
• Washington International School — DC
Judging the competition was Benjamin R. Walker, PhD, pre-clinical science facilitator for the Georgetown Experimental Medical Science program at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Walker has been participating in Brain Awareness Week activities for nearly 16 years.
Brain Awareness Week is an international campaign to increase public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain and nervous system research. SfN proudly partners with the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, which launched the campaign in 1996. For more information about Brain Awareness Week visit www.sfn.org/baw or www.dana.org/brainweek.
About the Society for Neuroscience
The Society for Neuroscience, with more than 42,000 members, is the world’s largest society of scientists and clinicians working to advance understanding of the brain and nervous system.
