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Press Releases | |
February 26, 2002
Contact:
Long Island High School "Brain Bee" Deja Vu for Winners
Darren Johnson (PR@southampton.liu.edu)
(631) 287 8313
Fax: (631) 283 4081
- Thirteen high school students from Long Island competed in the second annual Long Island Brain Bee held at Southampton College on Saturday, February 23, 2002. The contestants represented nine high schools and eight hometowns: Riverhead, Sag Harbor, East Hampton, Deer Park, Lindenhurst, Holbrook, Lynbrook and Port Jefferson Station.
This year's winner, Vikas Gupta, and the second place winner, Saroj Kunnakkat, finished first and second last year also. Gupta, 17, of Port Jefferson Station, attends Comsewogue High School. Kunnakkat, 15, attends Lynbrook High School in Lynbrook, NY. They are joined this year by third place finisher Ronit Repala, 15, also from Port Jefferson Station and Comsewogue High School. Gupta won his second straight $12,000 scholarship to Southampton College. Contestants who placed in the top three at the Long Island Brain Bee also won scholarships to a weeklong Introduction to the Psychobiology Workshop, to be held this July at Southampton College.
Gupta will now go to the National Brain Bee in Washington, D.C., March 15-17, where he placed fifth last year. The winner there will receive a $3,000 scholarship, second place will receive $2,000, and third place wins $1,000. After the National Brain Bee, finalists will go to the National Institute of Health for seminars on neuroscience and a recognition ceremony. "Last year, the finalists heard seminars about neuroscience given by the directors of the National Institute. They then were presented to about 500 neuroscientists, who gave them a standing ovation. It was so thrilling, and I was very proud of these fine students," said Dr. John Neill, who organizes the Southampton College event.
Some of the participants prepared for the quiz-show style competition by attending a free month-long Brain Bee preparation course that was taught on Saturdays in February by Southampton College Professors Neill and Paul Forestell. The course will be available again next year. For more information on Brain Awareness Week and courses on Brain and Behavior Analysis, call Professor John Neill at (631) 287-8202.
The National Brain Bee is part of National Brain Awareness week, sponsored by the Society for Neuroscience and the Dana Foundation. To obtain for information about Brain Awareness Week, go to the Society of Neuroscience web page: http://www.sfn.org/BAW/ and also the Dana Foundation web page: http://www.dana.org/brainweek/