Australian Brain bee ChallengeWestern Australian Finals

June 16th, University ClubThe University of Western Australia

WA Coordinator: Dr Jenny RodgerQuizzes and activities: Vince Clark, Lindy Fitzgerald, Natalie MorelliniQuizmasters: Amanda Meade, Sophie Payne, Anil Sharma, Vivian Tang, Lachlan Walsh, Tenelle Wilks. Behind the scenes: Michael Archer, Sherralee Lukehurst

Australian Brain Bee: WA FinalsTuesday June 16th 2009

Programme

8.30-8.55 Registration – collection of name tags, info packs9.00-9.30 Welcome & Official Launch & Opening of the 2008

Australian Brain Bee Challenge. Professor Lyn Beazley, Chief Scientist WA;

9.30-10.00 Round one of individual competition

10.00-10.30 Neuroscience research seminarProfessor Alan Harvey, School of Anatomy and Human Biology, UWA

10.30-11.00 Morning tea11.00-12.30 Tour of Neuroscience and Anatomy labs

12.30-1.00 Heat and semi finals of team competitions

1.00-1.45 Lunch1.45-2.15 Neuroscience research seminar

Dr Peter Dallas, Telethon Institute for Child Health

2.15-3.15 Individual semifinals and finals3.15–3.45 Finals of Team competition

3.45-4.00 What comes next? Presentation by 2008 WA Brain Bee winner Yasmin Soliman

4.00-4.30 Final awards and presentationsProfessor Graeme Martin, Head of School, Animal Biology UWA

4.15 – 4.45 Afternoon tea

Professor Lyn Beazley gives the opening address

57 students from across WA participated in the finals of the WA Brain Bee. Participating schools were:

Bunbury Senior High SchoolGoldfields Baptist CollegeMorawa District High School Mundaring Christian CollegeMurdoch CollegeNewton Moore Senior High School Roleystone District High School St Mary's Anglican Girls' SchoolSanta Maria CollegeShenton College

Arrival and welcome

Students visited the Neuroscience Laboratories of Experimental and Regenerative Neurosciences in the School of Animal Biology and the Eileen Bond Spinal Research Centre in the School of Anatomy and Human Biology. They also viewed human brain specimens from the Anatomy Museum.

Students played Neuroscience games and listened to Neuroscience presentations

From left : Professor Alan Harvey, School of Anatomy and Human Biology; Dr Peter Dallas, Institute for Child Health; YasminSoliman, winner of the 2008 Brain Bee WA finals.

From left: Vince Clark giving answers to the Brain activity pattern quiz; three finalists in the Memory Game.

Winning Teams:1. Bunbury Senior High School2. Shenton College3. Goldfields Baptist College

Individual Winners1. Uma Jha, Shenton College 2. Karen Bromley, Bunbury Senior High School3. Ashwin D'Cruz, Goldfields Baptist College

From Left: Karen Bromley, Uma Jha and Ashwin D’Cruz compete in the final round. Award of prizes: Dr Jenny Rodger, Yasmin Soliman (2008 winner), Ashwin D’Cruz (3rd), Karen Bromley (2nd), UmaJha (1st), Prof Graeme Martin, Head of School, Animal Biology, UWA.

Bunbury Senior High School: MerrilynWalker, Karen Bromley Tara Sherwood, Takara Putland, Lenita Engelke.

Goldfields Baptist College: Sussanna Brink, Marlise Brink, Ben Stokes, Ashwin D’Cruz, Narmatha Asogan.

Shenton College: Dana Perks, Louise Chen, Harry King, Alison Munro, Uma Jha.

The three winning teams

List of PrizesIndividual winners: 1st place: $150 voucher and Essential Neuroscience textbook 2nd place: $100 voucher3rd place: $50 voucher

Teams:1st place: Zeiss Microscope 2nd place: Essential Neuroscience textbook 3rd place: Introduction to Neuroanatomy textbook

AcknowledgementsNational Brain Bee Coordinator: A.Prof Linda Richards and team at the Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland.Brain Bee WA Final, event supported by UWA.Microscope donated by Zeiss, Australia. Vouchers donated by UWA.Essential Neuroscience textbook donated by Lippincott Williams.Neuroanatomy textbook donated by Faculty of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, UWA Bags and contents donated by Interpath, Fisher Biotech, Scitech and the Dana Alliance.

Uma Jha wins the National Brain Bee competition and will travel to California in August 2010 to compete in the international finals