The 12th annual Central Massachusetts Regional Brain Bee for area high school students will take place on Saturday, Feb. 10, at UMass Medical School.
Hosted by the UMMS and UMass Memorial Health Care Department of Psychiatry, the competition requires participants to take a 25-question written test; identify ten areas of the brain in three-dimensional models; and diagnose neuropsychiatric disorders in five ‘patients’ portrayed by actors. The 10 top-scoring students then participate in an oral round robin to determine the winner.
Vincent van der Vinne, PhD, will deliver the keynote address “Time to Test” about his research on how the time of day at which tests are taken influences the grades of ‘morning’ and ‘night’ people differently. Dr. van der Vinne is a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of David Weaver, PhD, professor of neurobiology, and a member of the UMMS NeuroNexus Neuroscience Institute.
The Central Massachusetts Brain Bee is open to high school students from Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester, Franklin, and Berkshire counties, as well as students who attend schools in the western half of Middlesex County. There is no cost to participate and no limit to the number of students who may attend from any given school.
Fifty-seven students representing 16 high schools are registered for this year’s Brain Bee. The event begins at 1 p.m., with parents, friends and colleagues welcome to attend the keynote presentation and oral competition beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Sheldon Benjamin, MD, interim chair and professor of psychiatry, will preside over the ceremonies, culminating at 4 p.m. with the presentation of the Andrew M. Sheridan Young Neuroscientist Award to the winner. The winner and a chaperone will also receive a 4-day trip to the U.S. National Brain Bee in Baltimore, M.D., in March.
The Brain Bee is a nationwide program created by the Society for Neuroscience to bolster high school student interest in medical and laboratory neuroscience careers. Learn more at the Central Massachusetts Regional Brain Bee website.
