Neurons and synapses were firing on all cylinders Saturday during the 14th annual Northeastern Pennsylvania Brain Bee for high school students at the University of Scranton.
The competition, which was sponsored by the university's Neuroscience Program, aims to encourage high school students to study the brain and how it relates to intelligence, memory, emotions, sensations, movements, stress, aging, sleep and brain disorders.
"It's making them more aware of neuroscience," said Neuroscience Program Director Robert Waldeck, Ph.D. "When they hear about it, they're very excited."
It was Morgann Williams' first appearance in the Brain Bee.
"I want to be a neurologist," the ninth-grader at Riverside Jr./Sr. High School said Saturday. "I always wanted to be a doctor and help people out, and I always thought the brain was an interesting thing."
Daniel Shaykevich, 16, an 11th grader at Pocono Mountain East High School, was competing in his second Brain Bee.
"It's all about neuroscience and how the brain works, the different diseases, the processes," he said. "It's really, really interesting."
The university has 80 majors in neuroscience, and the annual Brain Bee helps university students, too, by expanding their knowledge of neuroscience and how to teach the subject, Dr. Waldeck said.
The competition was open to high school students in ninth through 12th grades. Participants included 17 students from Western Wayne, Valley View, Riverside, Pittston Area, North Pocono, Mountain View, Hazelton Area, Abington Heights, Pocono Mountains East High and Wyoming Area schools.
A series of questions was asked until one student remained. All questions were drawn from "Brain Facts," a book on the brain and nervous system published by the Society for Neuroscience. Each question was read aloud and shown on a screen, and students then had 20 seconds to write down an answer on an index card. The cards were collected and reviewed by a panel of judges. Once a student had three incorrect answers, the student was eliminated.
The winner was Gregory Cajka of Wyoming Area.
Second place went to Maitri Pancholy of Abington Heights, while Daniel Shaykevich of Pocono Mountain East High School came in third place.
The winner now will be invited to compete in the National Brain Bee to held next month in Baltimore, Dr. Waldeck said.
Last year's NEPA winner, Aidan Crank of Stroudsburg, went on to win the 2012 national competition.
Contact the writer: jlockwood@timesshamrock.com
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