Norbert Myslinski is into brains, and he hopes young people will be, too.
The professor with the University of Maryland at Baltimore?s Department of Biomedical Sciences created the Brain Bee in 1990 as a way to get children involved in neuroscience.
The Brain Bee is a neuroscience competition for high school students covering brain functions such as intelligence, emotions and the senses, and brain dysfunctions such as stroke, epilepsy and drug abuse.
“It was so successful, I called up 15 of my closest friends in 15 cities across the U.S. and invited them to participate and come to Maryland for the championship,” Myslinski said.
By 1999, high school students in Canada were participating in the International Brain Bee, followed by India, Australia and, beginning this year, New Zealand.
More than 750 students competed in local competitions for the chance to go to Melbourne, Australia, according to information provided by the university.
There, they participated in a Q&A session as well as a neuro-anatomy test identifying parts of real cadavers? brains. Another exercise had them diagnose neural disorders acted out by trained “patients.”
Myslinski, 60, said he conceived of the bee as a way to blend his interests.
“I?ve always been interested in neuroscience and I?ve always been interested in children,” he said. “I wanted to have something that was challenging … fun and doable.”
This year?s Australian competition was part of the International Brain Research Organization?s annual conference, held in Melbourne.
Set amid the latest research, science and findings of more than 2,000 neuroscientists from around the world, the Brain Bee made the most headlines, Myslinski said.
The winner of the international competition in Maryland next year will receive $3,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip for two to attend the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, according to the Society for Neuroscience Web page devoted to the bee.
