27 January 2011

The brainiest students from Australia and New Zealand will battle it out next week to be the National Winners of the Brain Bee Challenge.

The competition for high school students teaches participants about brain science, and will take place as part of the Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS) Conference in Auckland.

The students will complete a brain-teasing anatomy exam and patient diagnosis at the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) at The University of Auckland on January 31.

The Brain Bee Challenge Final, a live question and answer session at SkyCity Convention Centre, will be held at 12pm on February 1.

The winners from both Australia and New Zealand will compete in the international finals in Florence, Italy, later this year.

A number of spokespeople are available for comment including:

Australia
ANS President Professor Sarah Dunlop
Brain Bee Challenge Coordinator Professor Linda Richards
Winner of the competition

New Zealand
Warriors Rugby Player Lance Hohaia
Brain Bee Challenge Coordinator Professor Louise Nicholson
CBR Director Professor Richard Faull
Winner of the competition

The ANS conference will be held at SkyCity Convention Centre from January 31 to February 3, 2011.
The Brain Bee Challenge Final will run from 12pm-2pm on February 1.
For more information about the Brain Bee Challenge please visit: http://www.abbc.edu.au/finals/national-finals.html

To arrange interviews please contact
Laura Fogg, Communications Manager
Centre for Brain Research
T: +649 923 1913
M: +649 (0)21 042 7445
E: l.fogg@auckland.ac.nz

Denise Cullen
Queensland Brain Institute
T: +617 3346 6434
M: +617 (0) 420 365 391
E: d.cullen2@uq.edu.au

The Australian winner can be contacted on 0064 21 042 7445