High School International Brain Bee

The International Brain Bee is a neuroscience competition for high school students. Its purpose is to motivate young men and women to learn about the human brain and inspire them to consider careers in clinical and basic neuroscience. Students are tested on their knowledge of the brain including intelligence, emotions, consciousness, vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, pain, movement, sleep and memory; brain dysfunction including Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, addiction, Parkinson’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, and epilepsy; and brain research including neuroimaging, neurogenetics, neuropharmacology, and neuroanatomy.

Over the last ten years, about a half million students have competed in local Brain Bee competitions around the world. The winners of those competitions are then invited to compete in their respective National Brain Bee Championships for the right to represent their country in the International Brain Bee Championship which is held in a different city every year. 

In 2009, the IBB Championship was held in Toronto, and included National Champions from Australia, New Zealand, India, Uganda, Romania, Canada and the United States. Other countries with National Champions include Kenya, Turkey and Grenada. Julia Chartove, seated in front with her trophy, represented the United States and is the new 2009 IBB Champion. The Champions are  typically honored by various organizations, conventions and government representatives around the world.

2009 International Brain Bee Champions

The local competitions are sponsored by hundreds of groups such as universities, colleges, museums, foundations, pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies and others. The national and international competitions are sponsored by such organizations as the Society for Neuroscience, the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, and the International Brain Research Organization; the respective neuroscience societies of many countries of Europe, Africa, South America and Asia; and foundations such as the Thadikonda Foundation, the Endeavor Foundation and the Nimmagadda Foundation.

The International Brain Bee was founded by Dr. Norbert Myslinski, a member of the Neural Science and Pain department of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Dental School. To compete in a local Brain Bee, to coordinate a new Brain Bee in your town, to be a sponsor of the IBB, or for other information, please visit www.internationalbrainbee.com.