Brain Research, Education Groups Launch International Brain Bee Organization
WASHINGTON, DC — Five major organizations dedicated to brain research and education have come together to support the formal establishment of the International Brain Bee organization (IBB), as a non-profit educational organization.
The primary goal of the IBB is to motivate students to learn about the brain and to inspire them to pursue careers in neuroscience so they can help treat and find cures for brain disorders. It was founded in the United States in 1998 as a competition for high school students and has grown from a grassroots effort to a successful global educational and outreach initiative. Almost entirely run by volunteers, there are currently approximately 175 local Brain Bee competitions in more than 50 countries, engaging over 25,000 students across six continents every year. The culmination of this program is the international competition held every year in conjunction with major scientific conferences, providing an enriching experience for the participants and those who witness the event.
Up until now, the IBB has operated and grown solely based on extraordinary volunteer commitments of time and resources. The establishment of the IBB as a charitable organization will ensure the continued success of the Brain Bee initiative and help realize its full potential. This major milestone was made possible through multi-year funding commitments from five leading global neuroscience partner organizations: the American Psychological Association (APA), the Dana Foundation, the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) and the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), in partnership with the IBB Founder, Norbert Myslinski, from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
The central IBB organization will formally link the efforts at the local, national and international levels, and build the Brain Bee brand as a globally connected initiative. “I am humbled by the commitment demonstrated through this partnership, and am delighted to be able to serve as the organization’s inaugural Board Chair,” Myslinski said. “We look forward to working closely with the committed network of volunteer coordinators around the world to ensure the effective implementation of the new organizational structure and continued success of the IBB globally.”
The 2018 20th Anniversary IBB World Championship will be held in conjunction with the FENS Forum of Neuroscience on July 7-10, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. Other former hosts of the World Championship include the American Psychological Association (APA), IBRO, World Congress of Neurology, World Congress of Psychology, Canadian Neuroscience Society, and the International Society for Neurochemistry. The Dana Foundation and SfN have also been long-time partners in the Brain Bee initiative, as organizers of the New York City and Washington, D.C. Chapter Brain Bees, respectively.
For more information, please contact Kym Kilbourne at kkilbourne@sfn.org.
About the American Psychological Association (APA)
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA’s membership includes nearly 115,700 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives.
About the Dana Foundation
The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropic organization that supports brain research through grants, publications, and educational programs.
About the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS)
The Federation of European Neuroscience Societies is the voice of neuroscience in Europe, representing 43 European national and single-discipline neuroscience societies, comprising 22,000 members.
About the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)
The International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) is the global federation of neuroscience organizations that aims to promote and support neuroscience training, teaching, collaborative research, and advocacy around the world, representing more than 80 international, national, and regional scientific organizations.
