The High School Brain Bee is an educational initiative that has been designed to encourage students to learn and enjoy neuroscience. The National (now International) Brain Bee was developed through the resources of the Dana Foundation and the Society for Neuroscience (SFN), which provides Brain Facts, a 64 page booklet that introduces the student to the brain and nervous system.
Questions for the brain bee are taken from information in Brain Facts, and free copies of Brain Facts can be downloaded from the Society for Neuroscience website. In addition, hard copies can be requested from the above website.
The Chicago Brain Bee is sponsored by the Chicago Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience. In 2008, it will be held on Friday, March 7 at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Activities will include a special lecture for the Brain Bee participants, and demonstrations designed to increase students’ understanding of brain function. It is our hope that this event, as part of the national Brain Awareness Week activities, will provide a fun forum for introducing students to new scientific topics, and will allow them to interact with working scientists.
The top students will be invited to participate in the Annual Meeting of the Chicago Chapter in March. The winner of the Brain Bee will have the opportunity to go to the International Brain Bee at the University of Maryland in March of the following year. For more information about the International Brain Bee itself, go to Society for Neuroscience Brain Bee web site.
The Society for Neuroscience Web site provides several resources for students and teachers regarding brain research – for example, see “What is Neuroscience?” and “Brain Briefings”.
Each school that participates will be invited to nominate up to two students to compete in the Brain Bee. We may have room for more competitors so feel free to have one student available as a runner up.
Schools wil be encouraged to bring non-competing students to participate in the day’s activities as space permits—depending on how many schools wish to bring non-competing schools, there may be room. Please contact Sarah Pollema (info below) if you wish to bring non-competing students.
Brain Facts, the main study guides for the bee, is available online at the SFN web site.
Prizes will be given out as follows:
1st: $300
2nd: $200
3rd: $100Student tutors are available, and if desired may be able to help you organize your own ‘local’ bee to select your contestants – contact Sarah Pollema (below) for more information.
For more information contact:
Sarah Pollema <spollema@uic.edu>
Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology (MC 512)
University of Illinois at Chicago
808 S Wood St
Chicago, IL 60612
