Get ready for the 2026 Brain Bee competition!
On Saturday, February 28th, 2026 Penn State College of Medicine will host our 17th annual Brain Bee.
High school students from Central Pennsylvania will compete in 3 exams: 1. Clinical Exam, 2. Written Exam, and 3. Neuroanatomy Exam. Students have the opportunity to meet clinical physicians, researchers, and graduate students throughout the day.
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The 2025 Brain Bee Team
Central PA
Regional Brain Bee
On Saturday, February 17th, 2024 Penn State College of Medicine hosted our 15th annual Brain Bee.
High school students from Central Pennsylvania competed in 3 exams: 1. Clinical Exam, 2. Written Exam, and 3. Neuroanatomy Exam. Students have the opportunity to meet clinical physicians, researchers, and graduate students during the exam.
Congratulations to our top 3, 2025 Brain Bee winners:
1st place: Ashwin Sarode from Cumberland Valley High School
2nd Place: Sai Sri Nidhi Mogilineedi from Cumberland Valley High School
3rd place: Rachel Cason from Bishop McDevitt High School
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Thank you to our Penn State COM Professors who offered internships to Brain Bee Participants in Summer 2025!
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More Information
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The objective of this event is to educate students about the field of neuroscience and get students interested in this rapidly developing STEM field.
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The registration period for the 2026 Brain Bee is open from Dec 1, 2025 until Jan 30, 2026.
The contest involves 3 rounds:
1. A lab practical round to identify anatomical structures and functions in real human brain specimens in a laboratory setting
2. A written exam testing general neuroscience knowledge
3. A clinical exam where students diagnose patients
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All the questions are based on information in the free SfN Brain Facts book (2018 edition). The links to the SfN Brain Facts book PDF and the interactive 3D-brain can be found below. The Brain Facts book is also available as an audio book here.
Be sure to checkout the brain facts website for other helpful resources as well!
