Auckland brain bees

Brain Bee Challenge individual winner Stephen Mackereth from King’s College, Dr Di McCarthy ONZM (CEO of Royal Society of NZ), individual runner-up Bernard Aliem from Rangitoto College and third placegetter Vinka Nurdjaja from Elim Christian College.

Fifteen-year-old Stephen Mackereth, a year 11 student from King’s College, was named this year’s Brain Bee Champion at regional finals staged last month at The University of Auckland.

Some 131 students from more than 30 high schools in the Auckland region competed in the finals of the Brain Bee Challenge either as part of the 27 teams of four competing in the Team’s Challenge or as one of the 80 individual competitors.

Elimination heats through the day led to some intense final rounds with the individual and team winners finally both being determined by a single mark.

During the day of finals, students were also given tours around the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences’ neuroscience laboratories and other research facilities.

Bernard Aliem from Rangitoto College finished second in the individual competition of the Brain Bee Challenge with Vinka Nurdjaja from Elim Christian College in Howick finishing third.

Stephen Mackereth helped his King’s College team to win the Brain Bee Team’s Challenge, having just one more correct answer than runners-up Rangitito College while Massey High took out a tie-breaker for third from Elim Christian College.

More than 1150 high school students from 43 Auckland schools took part in Round One of the 2008 Australia-NZ Brain Bee Challenge, held in schools during Brain Awareness Week in March.

A total of 9592 students from across Australia and NZ competed in this competition, with the best individuals from Round Two from each Australian state as well as NZ going forward to the finals to be held at the Queensland Brain Institute in Brisbane in August.

The overall winners will represent Australasia in the International Brain Bee in Maryland, USA, in early 2009.

“With the aging population, the number of people suffering from brain disorders and spinal cord injuries in NZ is increasing,” says Associate Prof. Louise Nicholson, co-ordinator of the NZ Brain Bee Challenge.

“Neuroscience is making significant discoveries as to how the brain functions, and what changes occur in neurological diseases. To continue this work, we need young scientists moving into research, and to help discover treatments and interventions for these diseases.

“The Brain Bee Challenge introduces students to the topic of neuroscience and, we hope, provides them with the enthusiasm to embrace science and perhaps to even continue into scientific research.”

In 2007, Auckland students were placed second and third in the final of this Australasia-wide competition.

Established in NZ in 2006, the Brain Bee Challenge is co-ordinated by the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at The University of Auckland.

In 2008, the competition was introduced to schools in Otago and Southland in conjunction with Otago University. The Australia-NZ competition is supported by the Queensland Brain Institute and the Australian Neuroscience Society.

The 2008 NZ Brain Bee Challenge has two major sponsors: the Neurological Foundation of NZ and the CatWalk Trust. Prizes were also donated by Zeiss International, Lipincott Williams and Wilkins Publishers, Dick Smith Electronics, NZ Scientific Ltd, Fullers, Sony, Penguin Books, Hoyts and Dunkin’ Donuts.