The USA Brain Bee was founded by Dr. Norbert Myslinski, Department of Neural and Pain Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Building Better Brains to Fight Brain Disorders

Press Release: Rootstown, OH, April, 2021

Topic: The National Neuroscience Competition for High School Students, April  10 - 11, 2021.

USA Brain Bee Championship

The Thirteenth and Fourteenth USA Brain Bee Championships were held virtually April 10 -11, 2021 at the Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown, OH. The USA Brain Bee is a neuroscience competition for teenagers, ages 13 to 19 years of age. It is an officially sanctioned Regional Brain Bee of the International Brain Bee. The USA Championship Coordinator from Northeast Ohio Medical University is Dr. Dana Peterson, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology. The Founder of the International Brain Bee and The National Director of the USA Brain Bee is Dr. Norbert Myslinski, Department of Neural and Pain Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore. 

Sixty-seven first-place Brain Bee Chapter winners from 30 states competed to test their knowledge of the human brain including such topics as intelligence, emotions, memory, sleep, vision, hearing, sensations, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, addictions and brain research. The competition involves five subtests: a neuroanatomy practical, brain imaging, patient diagnosis, clinical applications, and a written. The event will be streamed live via Zoom with a live award ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

Chapter winners from both 2020 and 2021 competed. The five top national winners for 2020 were: Fifth: Sampath Rapuri from Texas; Fourth: Veda Dayananda from Georgia; Third: Zaid Siddiqui from Michigan; Second: Risha Chakraborty from California; First: Rahil Patel from Massachusetts representing the University of Massachusetts Medical School Chapter coordinated by Dr. Erik Herzog. Rahil goes to Billerica Memorial High School

The five top national winners for 2021 were: Fifth: Arthur Liang from New York; Fourth: Conrad Schaumbur from Pennsylvania; Third: Neha Nedumaran from Arizona; Second: Benjamin Cohen from Virginia; First: Yashwanth Gokarakonda from Arkansas representing the Society for Neuroscience Arkansas Chapter coordinated by Dr. Andrew James. Yashwanth goes to Little Rock Central High School.

Both the 2020 and 2021 USA Champions will represent the United States in the 2021 World Brain Bee Championship that will be held this Fall. Currently, there are about 250 Brain Bee Chapters in about 49 countries in 6 continents. Dr. Norbert Myslinski founded the International Brain Bee twenty-three years ago and says “Its purpose is to motivate young students to learn about the human brain and inspire them to seek careers in the basic and clinical neurosciences to help treat and find cures for brain disorders. We build better brains to fight brain disorders.” 

Major Sponsors of the Brain Bee on the International Level are the International Brain Research Organization, the Federation of the European Neuroscience Societies, the Society for Neuroscience, the American Psychological Association, The Dana Foundation, and the Alzheimer’s Association.

For more information on the USA Championship visit the www.neomed.edu/brainbee web site. Media can also contact Dana Peterson at dpeterson@neomed.edu (work: 330-325-6263). For general information on the USA Brain Bee visit www.dental.umaryland.edu/brainbee OR Norbert Myslinski at nmyslinski@umaryland.edu (work:  410-706-7258; cell: 410-274-4998). For information on the International Level of the Brain Bee visit TheBrainBee.org OR email astrid.eberhart@thebrainbee.org.