The Brown University Brain Bee is a neuroscience outreach program that culminates in a competition each year. This year, we are lucky to have 29 students from six local high schools who will be competing at the competition on February 7, 2015 for a chance to represent Rhode Island at the National Brain Bee. Over the past five months, these motivated and bright students have dedicated themselves to attending weekly classes at their schools and at Brown in preparation for the competition. They have had the opportunity to analyze brain scans, visit research facilities in Providence, examine human brain cadavers, and make optical illusions – all the while gaining greater confidence in their ability to learn and interpret science. The motto of the National Brain Bee is “Building Better Brains to Fight Brain Disorders.”'

But regardless of whether or not these students become neuroscientists or neurosurgeons, we are confident they have the curiosity, the passion, and the perseverance to succeed in whatever endeavors they ultimately pursue.