134 aspiring neuroscientists from across Queensland will tomorrow (Tuesday, June 19) compete in the State Finals of the prestigious Australian Brain Bee Challenge (ABBC) at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) at The University of Queensland (UQ).
In the quest to be Queensland’s Brain Bee Challenge champion, competitors will take part in a brain-teasing team challenge and neuroscience quiz to test their knowledge of the brain and how it works.
“This competition gives students a feel for what a career in neuroscience might be like, " ABBC organiser and Queensland Brain Institute neuroscientist Professor Linda Richards said.
"Students selected to represent their schools and regions from around the state will explore the facilities and be challenged in a fun and exciting competition.
“Neurological and mental illness account for a large proportion of the disease burden in our community so we need to attract the best and brightest minds to take up a career in science.”
The State Finalists, selected from year 10 students across the State, demonstrated their enthusiasm and interest in science in a multiple-choice neuroscience online quiz held earlier this year in their school.
134 students were chosen from 1225 teenagers from 72 Queensland schools across Queensland.
ABBC state finalists will also be given an exclusive tour of the world-class facilities at QBI and meet with leading scientists at the Institute.
The student who wins the State Final will go on to compete in the Australian Brain Bee Challenge National Final, being held in Melbourne next February at the Australian Neuroscience Society Annual Scientific Conference.
5400 students from 322 schools across Australia and New Zealand took part in the first round of this year’s competition and State and Territory Finals are being held this month across Australia.
ABBC is supported by major sponsors, QBI and UQ, along with Carl Zeiss Australasia, ADInstruments, The Australian Neuroscience Society and Generation One.
For more information about ABBC, please contact:
Mikaeli Costello, QBI Media & Communications Manager, Phone: +61 4 01 580 685, Email: mikaeli.costello@uq.edu.au
Notes to the Editor:
AUSTRALIAN BRAIN BEE CHALLENGE
The Australian Brain Bee Challenge (ABBC) is the country’s only neuroscience competition for high school students. The competition is designed to test school students’ knowledge about a range of topics, including intelligence, memory, emotions, sleep, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.
