Grafton Globe Newspaper
Winter 2020 Edition
The Central Massachusetts Regional Brain Bee is a competition in which students from 16 high schools all around central Massachusetts go to UMass Medical School for a neuroscience competition. The Brain Bee consists of a grueling opening to the competition. “The first part of the competition consists of a multiple choice test, identification of structures on brain models and diagnosing patient actors with a neurological disease,” said Brain Bee victor Colin Wood. “The scores from the each of these is totaled and determines who makes it to the final round of the competition.” The 25 question written multiple choice test is worth 75 points, the identification of the human brain is worth 20 points and the diagnosis of the patient actors is worth 5 points. With all of these points added up, only the top ten scoring students were allowed into the final round, but there was a tie so eleven proceeded. After the testing, all the contestants received snacks, then proceeded to an auditorium for a presentation on how sleep affects your academic life. The final part of the competition -- also known as the round robin -- is “an oral questioning in which everyone must write the correct answer to a question asked out loud on a whiteboard,” says seventh-place finisher Alexa Formato. “If you get three wrong, then you’re eliminated.” The studying process for Brain Bee can only be described as intense and rigorous. Each participant must study from the books, Brain Facts and Neuroscience: The Science of the Brain, as part of the preparation for the competition. Mrs. Bailey, the instructor for the Grafton Brain Bee team and the teacher for the Anatomy and Physiology as well as the AP Biology courses, also provides the Grafton participants with a brain model to memorize structures that will be on the test, coloring plates, and various worksheets to study with. Every student chooses to study for the competition at varying amounts of intensity since the preparation for the event takes place on the student’s own time. Colin Wood describes his studying process starting around two months before the competition and is one of the most devoted members of the Grafton Brain Bee team to ever participate. Alexa Formato -- a dedicated dancer -- spent whatever time she could spare to study for the Brain Bee, which meant late nights after preparing for dance competitions every day and weekend, while still completing homework for other classes. Kieran Tay is a seasoned veteran when it comes to Brain Bee, being a three time participant, and utilized the flashcards and practice tests that were provided to the team. He dedicates a lot of his success to his helpful teammates and Mrs. Bailey’s expertise. “The week leading up to the Brain Bee was a bit rough, with homework, in addition to studying for the bee,” said competitor Anya Sood. The rigor, however, didn’t deter Sood. For her, the anatomy of the brain was so “amazingly cool” that she didn’t mind. During the Brain Bee, every student agreed that at some point of the competition, they felt an adrenaline rush of excitement, nervousness, and happiness. A total feeling of “what ifs” consumed each member of the team as they wondered if all of their hard work would be for nothing, as well as a feeling of enjoyment due to their devout love for science. As Tay explains, “Waiting to find out if you actually made it to the round robin shuts you out from the outside world, as you question yourself ‘did I study hard enough?’ or ‘should I have started studied earlier?’” Alexa says that the competition was ultimately an extremely enjoyable experience, that she plans to continue throughout her time at Grafton High School. “It's a celebration of learning,” Formato explained. She pointed out there is no limit to how many students can participate. “If you love the nervous system and are willing to put the time into studying, you can and will have a great time,” concluded Formato. Tay adds that as a participant, he manages “to learn something new about how we operate that puts my world into perspective. We are all living because of a series of reactions and systems, so by understanding those, I can come a bit closer to understanding us as a whole.” Colin sees the true goal of Brain Bee as not to win, “but rather to inspire young scientists to study something they are passionate about and get more people interested in neuroscience.” He bases this off of Brain Bee’s slogan, “Building Better Brains to Fight Brain Disorders.” For any student looking to participate in Brain Bee, Mrs. Bailey says that “Brain Bee is an incredible opportunity for Massachusetts high school students interested in neuroscience,” and, “students gain further knowledge and insight into neuroscience content; they also make meaningful connections with leaders in the field and learn about possible career paths.” Colin Wood knows that he wants to become a future doctor, and Brain Bee has “helped expose [him] to the broad field of medicine. It showed [him] that it takes passion and hard work to achieve what you want in the field of medicine.” Anya Sood also looks to become a doctor, and by meeting with the medical students, residents, and doctors at the Brain Bee, she received “a lot of insight into a career in medicine”. Kieran Tay recommends Brain Bee “because students may find a newfound interest in neuroscience or even in just biology, that they have never known before.” Even with the rigorous studying, the material is extremely interesting, and as Alexa describes, she “loved what [she] learned”. Mrs. Bailey expresses her pride in her students by stating that Grafton High School performed remarkably, with three out of four students earning a spot in the final round. Every member of the Grafton Brain Bee team was rooting for each other, with a sense of team spirit, that helped drive everyone to do the best they could, and ultimately Colin Wood won the entire event. As a result of his winnings, he was awarded the Andrew M. Sheridan “Young Neuroscientist” Award and a trip to the National Brain Bee from March 15th to the 18th at the University of Maryland Medical School. Congratulations to the entire Brain Bee team, as well as their magnificent instructor, Mrs. Bailey, for all of their hard work and dedication. If you are interested in participating in Brain Bee in the future, you can contact Mrs. Bailey at [email protected] with any questions. (From left to right) Alexa Formato, Anya Sood, Mrs. Bailey, Colin Wood, and Kieran Tay
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