Brain Bee

The International Brain Bee is the largest worldwide neuroscience competition for teenagers.

Divided into local, regional, national, and international levels of competition, the Brain Bee tests students' academic knowledge of neuroscience, as well as their neuroscientific skills via neuroanatomical, neurohistological, MRI, and patient diagnosis applications. Similar in format to a traditional spelling bee, it is open to anyone aged 13-19, regardless of their academic standing.

Each year, approximately 40 students from area schools compete against their peers in the Albany Regional Brain Bee for the chance to attend the USA National Brain Bee Championship.

Held annually in late February or early March and hosted by the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics since 2016, the Albany Regional Brain Bee offers students the opportunity to learn about the brain and its vital functions, and to meet and network with other students interested in neuroscience, as well as neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neuroscientists.

By encouraging students to engage with their peers and pursue these interests, we hope to facilitate lasting professional relationships. Many have also shadowed researchers in Albany Medical College's labs and clinicians in Albany Medical Center as a result of their participation in the Brain Bee competition.

All questions for the Albany Brain Bee will be based on information from the following resources, which are available to download for free:

Brain Facts: A Primer on the Brain and Nervous System

Neuroscience: The Science of the Brain

National Library of Medicine – MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia – Neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders (Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [ALS], narcolepsy, Korsakoff syndrome, phobias, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD], post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], alcohol addiction, Tourette syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, and cerebral palsy).

Members of the Albany Regional Brain Bee Committee include:

Ellinor Grinde (co-chair), Albany Medical College
Marisa Valletta (co-chair), University of Arizona
Brandy Eggan, Albany Medical College and Union College
Celine Camon, Albany Medical College
Emily Groom, Albany Medical College
Julia Nalwalk, Albany Medical College
Riane Richard, Albany Medical College
Sophia Jackson, Albany Medical College
Sohan Shah, Union College
Esam Abisse, SUNY

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].