New York City Regional Brain Bee Competition
How to Participate:
 E-mail, fax, or mail the enclosed registration form by January 21, 2011.
 Have interested students download the study materials for the competition: Brain Facts,
from the Society for Neuroscience, http://web.sfn.org/brainfacts, and Neuroscience:
Science of the Brain, from the British Neuroscience Association and the European Dana
Alliance for the Brain, http://www.bna.org.uk/static/brain-science.php. These two
publications are the source for all questions for the NYC Brain Bee. Some sample
questions are listed on the site of the International Brain Bee at
http://www.internationalbrainbee.com/for_highschool.html.
 Conduct a school-wide selection process most convenient for you. Hold a Bee, give a quiz,
or make it a reward for outstanding work. You may send two students to the competition.
 Submit the names of your student representatives by February 11, 2011.
 Bring friends, family, and teachers to watch the Bee and cheer your students on!
The Competition Rules:
Part 1 is broken into 8 rounds of 5 questions each. Questions will be read one at a time by the
judge and all participants will have 30 seconds to answer the same question. Each answer is
written on a separate large index card. Spelling does not count. After 30 seconds, the judge will
read the correct answer. Participants will hold up their index cards for the judge and spotters,
and incorrect answers will be taken from them. Participants will move to the next round only if
they answer the predetermined number of questions correctly, for example, 2 out of 5 in round
#1. Participants eliminated from the competition will move to the audience.
The goal at the end of 8 rounds is to have 4 finalists. If at the end of 8 rounds more than 4
participants remain in the competition, the top 4 are determined by the total number of correct
answers from rounds 1-8. In the event of a tie for the fourth finisher, all fourth finishers will enter
the Final Round. If there are 4 participants remaining in the competition before completing 8
rounds, Final Round questions will begin immediately.
In the Final Round, participants are eliminated when they accumulate three wrong answers.
Questions are asked until the “Best Brain” is determined. The last one standing is the winner. In
the event of a tie for second place, further questions will be asked to determine the second and
third place winners.
Questions and answers were developed using the Society for Neuroscience’s book Brain Facts:
A Primer on the Brain and Nervous System and the publication Neuroscience: Science of the
Brain, from the British Neuroscience Association and the European Dana Alliance for the Brain.
Any discrepancy in an answer is decided by the judges who have full authority to accept or
reject answers.
The Prizes:
 CASH PRIZES: $500 First Place, $300 Second Place, $200 Third Place
 First place winner is eligible to compete in the National Brain Bee at the University of
Maryland, during Brain Awareness Week 2011, all expenses paid, for the chance to win a
trip to represent the United States at the International Brain Bee Championship.
BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK 2011
New York City Regional Brain Bee Competition
High School Registration Form
YES, ________________________________ High School will send student representatives to
the New York City Regional Brain Bee. The competition is open to students in grades 9–12 from
the five boroughs of New York City and Westchester County. Participating schools may send up
to two representatives to the competition. You must register for the competition by January
21, 2011. The names of your student representatives must be submitted by February 11.
Questions for the Bee will be based on information from Brain Facts, a publication of the Society
for Neuroscience, available at http://web.sfn.org/brainfacts, and Neuroscience: Science of the
Brain, from the British Neuroscience Association and the European Dana Alliance for the Brain,
http://www.bna.org.uk/static/brain-science.php.
Please provide contact information for the Science Administrator for your school:
Prefix
Name
Title
Department
School
Address
Address
City
State
Zip Code
Telephone
Fax
E-mail
Web site
Please submit this form by January 21, 2011 to the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, Attention:
Kathleen Roina, 745 Fifth Avenue, Suite 900, New York, New York 10151, tel: (212) 401-1689,
fax: (212) 593-7623 or bawinfo@dana.org.
If you already know the names of your student representatives, please provide this information
in the space below:
Student
Representative(s)
If you have any questions, please contact the Alliance at (212) 401-1689 bawinfo@dana.org.