LAHS students dominate New Mexico Brain Bee competition. Courtesy photoLAHS News:
Congratulations to the 14 Los Alamos High School AP Psychology students who participated in the 5th Annual New Mexico Brain Bee at UNM Saturday, Feb. 2.
The group dominated the competition against students from around the state.
Students completed a practical section and a written section that included: identification of neuroanatomy and brain slides, diagnosis of neurological disorders from case presentations, and general neuroscience knowledge questions.
Three LAHS seniors secured the top spots to compete in the final oral question section. After a close round, Antonio Dowdy earned 1st, Elodie Thelliez came in 2nd, Catherine Rousculp was 3rd.
Students also visited with UNM neuroscientists and graduate students, toured research labs at the Mind Research Network www.mrn.org and listened to a fascinating lecture about Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy by Heather Jarrell, MD, Medical Investigator and UNM Professor of Pathology.
Over 80 Brain Bees across the country tests high school students on their knowledge of the human brain in relation to specific topics such as: movement, intelligence, emotions, memory, sleep, vision, hearing, sensations, development, diseases (i.e. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stroke, schizophrenia, epilepsy, depression, addictions), and more.
Antonio Dowdy, a Los Alamos High School senior, will compete in the USA Brain Bee at Penn State College of Medicine in Hersey, PA April 12-14, 2019. If he wins the national competition, he will advance to the international competition in South Korea in late summer.
AP Psych students have been strong participants since the first NM Brain Bee. Last year, Priyanka Velappan won, Matilde Jacobson was 2nd and Radhika Iyer was 3rd. In 2017, Wilbur Wang won, Faith Koh was 2nd, and Megan Hemphill was 3rd. In 2016, Faith Koh was 2nd and Katie Schirato was 3rd. In 2015, Sally Grindstaff was 2nd and Katie Schirato was 3rd.
The NM Brain Bee, sponsored by the New Mexico Chapter of the Society of Neuroscience and the Brain and Behavior Health Institute at UNM, is part of an outreach program designed to get more high school students interested in neuroscience.
For more information about the competition: https://thebrainbee.org/competition/
Scene from the New Mexico Brain Bee competition. Courtesy photo
Scene from the New Mexico Brain Bee competition. Courtesy photo
Scene from the New Mexico Brain Bee competition. Courtesy photo