Round 2 of the 2011 North Island Brain Bee Challenge on the 28 June was a wonderful event with 152 students from 44 different schools taking part. A further 58 adults (including teachers and parents) also attended and more than 70 postgraduate student helpers leant their support to the day.

The inaugural winners for 2007, George Shand and William Zhang, gave a wonderful welcoming address with an up-to-date account of how their own Brain Bee experiences had influences their lives and in particular their career paths.

We were very pleased to be back in the Robb Lecture Theatre on-site at the Grafton Campus this year and not having to negotiate Park Road traffic. Time saved in not having to go back and forth to a separate lecture theatre venue allowed us to extend the time spent in the various laboratory visits and every student was able to visit the Anatomy Learning Centre, a place they really do enjoy.

As in last year, all students competed in both the individual and the Teams competitions with 38 Teams taking part in Round 1 of the Teams Challenge, competing for a place in the final. Generously sponsored by the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, the Centre for Brain Research and the CatWalk Trust, fabulous prizes were won by individuals and Team members with microscopes going to the schools of the first three Teams. This year, as well as the great spot prizes, there were also prizes for the teachers in recognition of their efforts and ongoing support of the Brain Bee Challenge. See website for winners.

In response to feedback received through our survey taken on the day each year, we again gave the teachers and students a break away from each other. The teachers visited the Centre for Brain Research, had a tour of the laboratories and listened to a talk by Professor Richard Faull, while the students broke into mixed groups of 8-10 students from other schools and met a real scientist and learnt about their research first hand! Students also did some brain teasers before regrouping for the individual final. Professor Faull presented the prizes and the day finished dead on 3.30pm giving time for those leaving Auckland to beat the City traffic.

Please encourage your school to register online for Round 1 of the 2012 challenge - it is a great day with a guaranteed good time to be had by all.

Professor Louise Nicholson
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
The University of Auckland

Sponsors
The CatWalk Trust
The Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
The Centre for Brain Research
The Australian Neuroscience Society
The University of Queensland
The Queensland Brain Institute
Fullers Ferries
Hoyts Cinemas
Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Publishers
NZ Scientific Ltd
Penguin Books
Sony
Auckland University Press
EMs Power Cookies & Bar
Zeiss Microscopes
Mindfood
Apicare