German Neuroscience Olympiad
The German Neuroscience Olympiad ( DNO ) is a competition for students in grades 9 to 13 and aims to promote interest in neurosciences . It takes place in two rounds and also serves to select a participant for the International Brain Bee . The first round takes place in different cities, the following one on a nationwide level. Participants have to answer questions from different areas of neuroscience in English and mostly live.
history
The German Neuroscience Olympiad is part of the international “Brain Bee” program, which includes around 150 individual competitions in 40 countries every year. It was founded by Norbert Myslinski in the USA in the 1990s. With the support of teachers and scientists, it quickly expanded into around 30 other countries worldwide. In 2015 45 countries stated their interest in the implementation of local competitions.
Based on the American model, Julianne McCall founded the “German Brain Bee” in 2011 and brought the competition to Germany. Mainly organized by Ph.D. students, it was held annually in Heidelberg with the participation of up to 100 high schools.
In 2015, “German Brain Bee” was finally renamed “German Neuroscience Olympiad”, organized by “Deutsche Neuroswissenschaften-Olympiade e. V. ". The association is supported by teachers, students, professors and scientists as well as by the Biology Olympiad and Jugend Forscht . His motto - "Driving Connectivity" - refers to the organizational and functional levels of neural activity in the human brain. It should also underline the goal of the association to conduct research together in order to better understand the brain and to be able to better treat the multitude of neurological diseases.
In 2016, the association's committee, with the help of Ph.D. students and other scientists, began to expand the competition across Germany and has set itself the goal of organizing other projects such as summer schools.
competition
The maximum number of participants in the competition, which so far has only been held in Heidelberg, is limited to around 40 to 45 students per city. From 2017 [obsolete] further local rounds will take place in Bonn, Frankfurt and Berlin. The best 10 to 15 students will then be invited to the final round, the venue of which changes annually.
The competition is divided into five disciplines:
- two panel sections during which a committee consisting of three professors asks questions
- a short written exam
- a neuroanatomy exam with plastic brain models in addition to real microscopic specimens of the human brain
- a patient diagnosis with patient videos and samples of medical patient history
The competition is held in English, but the jury can help in German if necessary.
Registration and preparation
In order to take part in one of the local competitions, students must register themselves online and be suggested by the teachers in their school. In preparation for the competition, the organizing committee provides literature and a corresponding learning catalog. This means that all students, regardless of their level of knowledge, have the same chance of success.
Awards
The national winner receives a trophy and the opportunity to represent Germany at the “International Brain Bee”. The second to fifth placed are also honored with smaller prizes, including A. with participation in European neuroscientific conferences. The "International Brain Bee" always takes place during an international scientific conference, which gives participants the opportunity to exchange ideas with scientists from other countries.
From 2017 [obsolete] , the winners of each local competition will be offered a summer internship in a neuroscientific laboratory.
List of international Brain Bee venues and associated conferences
- 2009 Toronto, Canada - The American Psychological Association
- 2010 San Diego, United States - The American Psychological Association
- 2011 Florence, Italy - The International Brain Research Organization
- 2012 Cape Town, South Africa - The World Congress of Psychology
- 2013 Vienna, Austria - World Congress of Neurology
- 2014 Washington, DC, United States - American Psychological Association Convention
- 2015 Cairns, Australia - International Soc. for Neurochemistry, Asian Pacific Soc. for Neurochemistry and Australasian Neuroscience Soc. Biennial meeting
- 2016 Copenhagen, Denmark - Federation of European Neuroscience Societies Meeting
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ »About German Neuroscience Olympiad. In: www.neurowwissenschaften-olympiade.de. Retrieved October 15, 2016 .
- ↑ Jürgen Albers: Students in the competition: Knowledge about the brain - communication and marketing - Heidelberg University. In: www.uni-heidelberg.de. Retrieved October 15, 2016 .
- ↑ »Prepare German Neuroscience Olympiad. In: www.neurowwissenschaften-olympiade.de. Retrieved October 15, 2016 .
- ↑ »Poster German Neuroscience Olympiad. In: www.neurowwissenschaften-olympiade.de. Retrieved October 18, 2016 .
- ↑ ibb2016. In: ibb2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016 .
- ↑ »About German Neuroscience Olympiad. In: www.neurowwissenschaften-olympiade.de. Retrieved October 18, 2016 .