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On Wednesday, February 8th, É«¶à¶àÊÓƵ welcomed some of the state’s top high school students for the 24th Annual Arizona Regional Brain Bee, an educational competition similar to a spelling bee that focuses on neuroscience. The 2023 Arizona Regional Brain Bee at É«¶à¶àÊÓƵ was presented in partnership with the BHHS Legacy Foundation.

This year’s Arizona Regional Brain Bee featured 45 students from fifteen Valley high schools testing their knowledge of the human brain and how it governs human behavior, and the science that helps medical professionals understand brain function. The event final lasted for 19 rounds.

The top three Brain Bee finishers, in order, were Baochan Fan (Hamilton High School, Chandler); last year’s runner-up Catherine McInnes (BASIS Chandler); and Pranati Chintada (BASIS Chandler). Ms. Fan is now eligible to compete at the 2023 U.S. National Brain Bee at the University of California, Irvine, this spring, with Midwestern offsetting the travel, hotel, and food costs up to $2,000. BASIS Chandler was recognized as the overall highest-scoring team for the event.

Douglas Jones, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Pharmacology, at the É«¶à¶àÊÓƵ College of Graduate Studies, served as the Faculty Academic Director for the event. Gen Fitzgerald and Timothy Schaefer, both fourth-year medical students at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine who were previous Brain Bee winners, served as volunteers at the competition. É«¶à¶àÊÓƵ student volunteers served as judges, question readers, timers, and scorekeepers at all stages of the event.

Questions ran the gamut from identifying physical features of the brain itself to naming brain disorders and diseases to surgical and medical practices that modify neural behaviors.

The Arizona Regional Brain Bee is funded as a result of generous financial support from BHHS Legacy Foundation, which is an Arizona charitable organization whose philanthropic mission is to enhance the quality of life and health of those it serves.