GREENVILLE, PA – Have you ever wondered why pain exists? How eyes and ears work? Why we need sleep? If you are a high school student, you can find out the answers to these questions—while competing for the chance to interact with students from all over the world, win prize money and visit some of the world’s top brain research facilities—during Thiel College’s first annual Brain Bee. The Brain Bee is scheduled for February 17 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Howard Miller Student Center.

The Brain Bee is similar to a spelling bee format, but students will answer questions about the brain instead of spelling words. There will be multiple rounds including multiple choice, true/false and fill-in-the-blank questions. Elimination occurs after three incorrect answers and all questions are based on a booklet, “Brain Facts,” available for download at www.sfn.org /baw/bee.cfm. Prizes will be awarded to the top three contestants and the winner of Thiel’s Brain Bee will go on to compete at the National Brain Bee at the University of Maryland in Baltimore during Brain Awareness Week in March.

The Brain Bee is open to all students in grades 9 through 12 from northwest Pennsylvania or the bordering Ohio communities. The deadline for registration for the Bee is February 15. Call Brain Bee coordinator Dr. Bryan Wilent at 724-589-2099 or e-mail him at wwilent@thiel.edu to register. For more information, visit www.thiel.edu/academics/neuroscience/brainbee.

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