Brain Bee

The Brain Bee competition is a neuroscience trivia challenge open to Edmonton and area high school students (grades 10 to 12) and is proudly organized by the Neuroscience Graduate Student Association (NGSA). The Brain Bee promotes awareness and interest in neuroscience within Edmonton high schools and the general community and provides an opportunity for local high school students to compete at local and possibly national and international levels. All questions for the competition are drawn from the Open Neuroscience Initiative, Brain Facts 2018 and Functional Neuroanatomy.

The winner of the local competition (Edmonton and area) is awarded a one month summer research studentship sponsored by the NMHI and has the opportunity to compete at the next level in the CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee competition.

Congratulations to Brielle Huang from Lillian Osborne High School for winning the Edmonton Local Brain Bee on April 6, 2024! Brielle also placed in the top 3 at the Canadian National Brain Bee.

If you have questions about the Edmonton Brain Bee, please email edmontonbrainbee@gmail.com.

Previous Winners 

The following Brain Bee winners were hosted by these labs:

  • 2024 - Brielle Huang - Dr. Sue-Ann Mok's lab looks at protein misfolding, particularly in the context of proteins known to misfold in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
  • 2023 - James Windram - Dr. Anastassia Voronova's lab studies how neural stem cells differentiate (transform) into oligodendrocytes.
  • 2022 - Navdeep Badhan - Dr. Joanne Lemieux's lab studies proteins involved in disease. Watch a news story about Navdeep's experience.
  • 2021 - Saim Humayum - Dr. Satyabrata Kar's lab studies the underlying cause of neurodegeneration in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients.

  • 2020 - Competition cancelled due to COVID-19.

  • 2019 - Jenny Sun - Dr. Harley Kurata's lab studies the mechanisms of chronic pain after central nervous system injury or disease.

  • 2018 - Qin Tong Wu - Dr. Simonetta Sipione's lab studies Huntington's Disease, one of the most common inherited neurodegenerative disorders. Read about Qin's experience.

  • 2017 - Rahul Singla - Dr. Dave Bennett's lab examines the the spinal cord after injury, with the objective of trying to understand and enhance recovery of motor function after spinal cord injury.

  • 2015 - Yejun Hongl - Dr. Christine Webber's lab examines the role of dorsal root ganglion neutrons in regeneration following injury as well as how they are involved with neuropathic pain.

  • 2014 - Christopher Hong - Dr. Elena Posse de Chaves' lab studies the role of lipids and isoprenoids in the neuro-degeneration in Alzheimer's disease.

  • 2013 - Gunvir Sudhu - Dr. Klaus Ballanyi's lab uses calcium imaging to analyze neuron-glia interactions that may lead to several neurological diseases like cerebral palsy or neuropathic pain.

  • 2012 - Sandy Xu - Dr. Bradley Kerr's lab examines cellular mechanisms that generate neuropathic pain in patients after spinal cord injury or in diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

  • 2011 - Jenny Lou - Dr. Dave Collins' lab is developing better ways to use neruomuscular electrical stimulations for rehabilitation after a stroke or spinal cord injury.

  • 2010 - Kerry Sun - Dr. Sanjay Kalra's lab uses high field magnetic resonance spectroscopy to understand the pathology and progress of ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.