Three-Step Process

In a three-step process, local competitions are held first throughout
North America. The local winners are then invited to the national Brain
Bee championship competition at the University of Maryland during Brain
Awareness Week, March 16-22, 2009.The National Brain Bees are the second
qualifying round of the IBB competition. The national bees will be held
in each participating country, and the winner from each country's bee
will be invited to the International Brain Bee competition.

The UMDNJ Regional Brain Bee is sponsored jointly by the New Jersey Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience and the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey-Office of Health Science Outreach. It is scheduled for the morning of Saturday, February 7, 2009, on the UMDNJ Newark campus.

The International Brain Bee champion at the University of Maryland receives $3000, an all expenses paid trip for two to attend the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, an individual trophy, a traveling trophy for their high school, and a fellowship to work in the laboratory of a neuroscientist during the summer. There also will be prizes for second and third place winners.

Awards

UMDNJ will reimburse, per University guidelines, travel related expenses for the local winner and a parent or guardian to attend the national competition in Maryland. In addition, the winner of the UMDNJ local competition will be eligible for a stipend and summer internship in the laboratory of a UMDNJ neuroscientist.

The US National Champion will receive $1,500, a paid summer internship with an esteemed neuroscientist, and a trip for two to the International Brain Bee Championship in Montreal, Canada. The second place finisher will receive $1,000, and the third place finisher will receive $500. Currently, the winner of the International Brain Bee Championship will be awarded $3,000, a summer research fellowship with an acclaimed neuroscientist, and a traveling trophy for display at his or her school. The second place finisher will receive $2,000, and the third place finisher will receive $1,000.

Resources

Brain Facts	Sample Questions

Registration

We regret that we have reached our capacity for the competition and registration is now closed.

UMDNJ Regional Brain Bee Rules

• The contestant, when called, will come to the podium to hear the question.
• Contestants will have 15 seconds to answer the question.
• Contestants may ask the moderator to repeat the question only once.
• Contestants are allowed to ask for the spelling of any words in the question.
• Contestants are allowed to ask for the definition of non-neuroscience terms.
• Contestants are NOT allowed to ask for the definition of neuroscience-specific terms, as the ones used during the competition will be from the book "Brain Facts".
• Questions will be organized according to the chapters in the book "Brain Facts."
• Contestants will be eliminated after they have answered 3 questions incorrectly.
• Having responded to a question, the contestant will be told whether the answer is correct or not and should then go to the end of the line of contestants.
• The next contestant, in sequence, will come to the podium as the prior contestant steps away.
• The recorder will indicate when a contestant is eliminated, at which point the contestant will retire to a seat in the auditorium.
• A panel of neuroscientists will serve as judges and score-keepers and their decisions will be final.

If, at the end of a round, only one person remains with less than 3 incorrect answers, that person is declared the winner. If, at the end of a round, there is no person with less than 3 incorrect answers and individuals in that round all incorrectly answered the question posed, then all the contestants will continue to the next round.

The name of the individual winner will be submitted to the national Brain Bee 2009, which will be held in March at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. Please note that students may enter only one local brain bee competition.