Australian Brain Bee Challenge

Tyana Tsai, Year 10

The Brain Bee Challenge was a competition for Year 10s to learn about neuroscience, the brain and its functions. There were four rounds to the competition. The first round was an online quiz held during Brain Awareness Week. A few of us got through and went into the regional finals. On the first week of Term 3, Mia Casey, Saskia Junge, Lensa Omar, Christina Soupionas, Sona Hariharan, and I went to the second round of the Brain Bee Competition with Ms Cardamone.

The second round were held at the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Brain Centre, filled with a full day of activities. Not only were there quizzes to determine who would get through to the next round, but there were lab tours, lectures, exhibits, and opportunities to speak to researchers too.

I had a lot of fun and learnt a lot about neuroscience and the work that the scientists do. My highlights included looking at the mice in the labs, morning tea, and going to The Dax Centre, which is a gallery with art made by people who have experienced mental illness.

Even though we didn’t get through to the next round, I think we all did an amazing job and gave it our best shot. It was a great experience and we learnt a lot. I think we can all agree that the free food and the fun activities were definitely worth getting into. I would definitely recommend future Year 10s to participate in the Brain Bee Challenge, because you can meet new people and you will learn a few interesting things about the brain along the way. Even if you are unsure about what you want to do, or you are not taking psychology, just give it a shot, because it could take you somewhere in the future and you have nothing to lose!