More than 700 of the brightest Year 10 students in Australia and New Zealand are bracing themselves for a testing time tomorrow (Wednesday, 25 October) when they face-off in a national brain science exam.
Coordinated by the Queensland Brain Institute, part of the University of Queensland, the preliminary national round of the Australian Brain Bee Challenge has attracted entries from Qld, NSW, ACT, Vic, WA and New Zealand.
Brain Bee Coordinator, Associate Professor Linda Richards said 90 per cent of the school districts in Queensland – including several regional schools – had entered the competition, resulting in more than 240 student entries from the Sunshine State.
“While Queensland science teachers have been quick to see the educational value of such a competition, it’s also obvious students are now aware of how exciting it is to compete in the Australian Brain Bee Challenge,” Dr Richards said.
“Our goal is to get kids excited about science, and neuroscience in particular – a field they can enter from backgrounds in all areas of science including biology, maths and physics.
“This year, we’re delighted to have also received entries from schools in Collinsville, Biloela, Rockhampton and Yeppoon.
“From the first round, we’ll be selecting about 100 of the state’s brightest students and inviting schools that perform well to enter teams in the state finals held during Brain Awareness Week next March at the University of Queensland.”
The Australian Brain Bee Challenge is a test of knowledge about important facts concerning intelligence, memory, emotions, sensations, movement, stress, ageing, sleep, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.
Winners of the Queensland final will receive microscopes from Zeiss AustralAsia for their school and iPods to take home.
The other states and territories are making similar arrangements, leading up to a national final in Melbourne next July during the International Brain Research Organisation meeting.
First prize winner of the national Australian Brain Bee final will also receive a laptop computer and a cheque for $1000.
Neuroscientists study the fundamental mechanisms that regulate brain function, a discipline that is vital to the development of treatments for dementia, stroke, Motor Neurone Disease, brain/spinal cord injury and depression.
Media enquiries: Ron Hohenhaus (07) 3346 7543 or 0434 601 066
Photo opportunity: A mixed group of 16 students studying their Brain Facts book can be organised with St Paul’s College (Bald Hills) in Brisbane. Check with QBI communications or call science teacher Stewart Waldron at St Paul’s College on 3261 1388.
