On Jan. 26, 74 high schoolers and their family members expanded their knowledge of neuroscience through hands-on demonstrations, games, prizes, food and fun at the annual Los Angeles Brain Bee, which took place at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Fourteen-year-old Claire Wang from Ad Astra School in Hawthorne took the top prize at the bee competition, where students demonstrated their knowledge about neuroscience. The Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute and USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute will be supporting Claire as she prepares for the National Brain Bee competition at Penn State in April. The national winner will go on to participate in the international competition later this year.

Amy Nelson, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar – research associate at the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, has been a longtime supporter of the Brain Bee and co-organized the 2019 competition with the UCLA team. The 2020 Los Angeles Brain Bee will likely be held at USC’s Health Sciences Campus.

2019 LA Brain Bee Contestants