Alaskan high school students recently participated in the regional Brain Bee competition in an effort to showcase their knowledge of neuroscience. The event, which is part of a series of competitions taking place nationwide, will ultimately lead to a national competition where the winner will move on to the international Brain Bee World Championship. At the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), students had the opportunity to visit the cadaver lab, interact with live lab rats, and observe real human brains to further their understanding of neuroscience.
Dr. Chris Jung, an Associate Professor at UAA, expressed his hope that the event would spark students’ interest in neuroscience and expand their knowledge in the field. He highlighted the new neuroscience minor offered at the university, which allows students to apply their interest in neuroscience to various disciplines such as aviation, psychology, biology, and even business.
Activities like observing a rat receiving a treat or using electrodes to demonstrate muscle movement were used to engage students and teach them about neuroscience principles. Despite the wealth of information available and the depth of questions that can be asked in the competition, Jung emphasized that there is still much to learn about how the brain functions.
The winner of the Alaskan Brain Bee competition will advance to the national level at Rutgers University later in the year. The competition serves as a platform for students to showcase their neuroscience knowledge and potentially pursue further studies in the field.
Source
Photo credit www.alaskasnewssource.com
