The MSU Neuroscience Program is hosting a Brain Bee competition Feb. 11 for high school students in mid-Michigan.
The annual Brain Bee at MSU is a live question-and-answer competition that challenges high school students on their knowledge of neuroscience facts, including emotions, sensations, aging and addiction. This event, held at the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building, is free and open to all area high school students.
Students prepare for the competition by studying "Brain Facts" published by the Society for Neuroscience and "Science of the Brain" published by the British Neuroscience Association and the European Dana Alliance for the Brain. MSU also organizes hands-on experiences for students including opportunities to work with real brains, record from living neurons and an all-day Brain Bee Boot Camp in which students are taken on a whirlwind tour of the brain, discussing the fundamentals of neuroscience and its application in everyday life.
The student who wins the MSU competition receives an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the National Brain Bee in Baltimore. They also earn a paid summer fellowship where they will work in the research laboratory of an MSU neuroscientist.
The Brain Bee is part of a national and international competition aligned with the Brain Awareness Week program coordinated by the Society for Neuroscience.
A Neuroscience Fair will be held in conjunction with the Brain Bee from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Teachers, students and parents can experience neuroscience activities, including hearing and seeing real neurons fire, learning how our senses can be tricked and touching a real human brain.
Information and registration materials for the Brain Bee at MSU can be found at www.brainbeemsu.com. For more information, contact Cynthia Jordan jordancy@msu.edu.
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