Brightest minds compete at Brain Bee

The annual New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge gets under way next week, 27 June, at The University of Auckland

More than 200 Year 11 students from secondary schools all over the North Island will be converging at the University’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences to compete for the illustrious title.

The winner will then take on the best brains from the South Island and together with the Australian states will compete at the National Australia - New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge, which will be held as part of a large international neuroscience conference in Melbourne the first week of February, 2013

The Challenge consists of both team and individual competitions and tests the students on the wonders of the brain. Topics include intelligence, memory, emotions, stress, ageing, sleep, and disease such as addiction, Alzheimer’s and stroke.

Apart from testing their grey matter, the students will also visit The Anatomy Learning Centre and laboratories within the faculty doing hands-on experiments and talking with neuroscientists and graduate students.

Professor Louise Nicholson, who is organising the challenge, says: “The Brain Bee Challenge is a wonderful science communication and outreach. It provides an opportunity for the students and their teachers to work together to learn more about the importance of science in our everyday lives through understanding more about the brain and how it works.

“Neuroscience is a really important area of science. With our ageing population it is vital that we have an understanding of the impact that diseases of the Central Nervous System (brain and spinal cord) have on the health and economic status of New Zealand and New Zealanders themselves.

“Neuroscience is an exciting area of modern science and can be tremendous fun.”

Professor Nicholson says that while the Brain Bee is a competition to identify the “best brains” in New Zealand it is also an opportunity to address some of the key competencies in the science curriculum with a strong focus on science communication.

Notes
The New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge, launched in 2007, encourages high school students to take an interest in the human brain and neuroscience.

The competition is held in three stages. Initially, schools take part in an online multiple choice quiz during Brain Awareness Week in March to determine their Brain Bee challengers for the second round. The Round Two (North and South Island competition) are held at The University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research and the University of Otago’s Brain Health Research Centre, with individuals competing for a place at the National Australia-New Zealand Brain Bee Final held in conjunction with the Australian Neuroscience Society meeting. The National Brain Bee Challenge winner then has the opportunity to compete in the International Brain Bee Final. This year it will be held in Cape Town South Africa in conjunction with the International Congress of Psychology.

The 2012 overall individual Brain Bee Champion was Byung-Cheol Cho from Auckland Grammar School

www.nzbbc.ac.nz

Notes

BBC Round 2 2012 North Island Schools List

ACG Parnell College
Aorere College
Auckland Grammar School
Auckland International College
Avondale College
Birkenhead College
Carey College
Carmel College
Chilton St James School
Diocesan School For Girls
Elim Christian College
Epsom Girls' Grammar School - Team 1
Epsom Girls' Grammar School - Team 2
Francis Douglas Memorial College
Green Bay High School
Kristin School
Lynfield College
Massey High School
Matamata College
Mount Albert Grammar School
Mt Roskill Grammar School
Northcote College
Onehunga High School
Onewhero Area School
Orewa College
Palmerston North Boys' High School - T1
Palmerston North Boys' High School - T2
Palmerston North Girls' High School
Papatoetoe High School
Queen Margaret's College
Rangitoto College
Rosmini College
Rotorua Girls' High School
Rutherford College
Samuel Marsden Collegiate
Scots College
St Bernard's College
St Cuthbert's College Team 1
St Cuthbert's College Team 2
St. Cuthbert's Comp 3
St Kentigern College
St. John's College (Hillcrest)
St. Paul's Collegiate
Tararua College
Tauhara College
Waiuku College
Wanganui Girls' College
Wellington High School
Wellington Girls' College
Westlake Boys' High School
Westlake Girls' High School - Team 1
Westlake Girls' High School - Team 2
Whangarei Boys High School
ACG Parnell College
Aorere College
Auckland Grammar School
Auckland International College
Avondale College
Birkenhead College
Carey College
Carmel College
Chilton St James School
Diocesan School For Girls
Elim Christian College
Epsom Girls' Grammar School - Team 1
Epsom Girls' Grammar School - Team 2
Francis Douglas Memorial College
Green Bay High School
Kristin School
Lynfield College
Massey High School
Matamata College
Mount Albert Grammar School
Mt Roskill Grammar School
Northcote College
Onehunga High School
Onewhero Area School
Orewa College
Palmerston North Boys' High School - T1
Palmerston North Boys' High School - T2
Palmerston North Girls' High School
Papatoetoe High School
Queen Margaret's College
Rangitoto College
Rosmini College
Rotorua Girls' High School
Rutherford College
Samuel Marsden Collegiate
Scots College
St Bernard's College
St Cuthbert's College Team 1
St Cuthbert's College Team 2
St. Cuthbert's Comp 3
St Kentigern College
St. John's College (Hillcrest)
St. Paul's Collegiate
Tararua College
Tauhara College
Waiuku College
Wanganui Girls' College
Wellington High School
Wellington Girls' College
Westlake Boys' High School
Westlake Girls' High School - Team 1
Westlake Girls' High School - Team 2
Whangarei Boys High School

Contact
Communications Adviser,
Judy Wilford
Ph: 09 373 7599 ext: 83257 or 021 154 6944
Email: j.wilford@auckland.ac.nz