Press Releases

March 2, 2004

Fifth Annual Brain Bee Held at Southampton College
Long Island High School Students Display Superior Skills in Quiz Competition

Contact:
Patricia Conway
631-287-8313

Southampton, NY- Southampton College was buzzing with tension this past Saturday as top Long Island high school students in the area vied for first place in the fifth Annual Brain Bee.

Sixteen scholars traveled from all over Long Island to test their knowledge of the brain and how it relates to intelligence, memory, emotions, sensations, movement, stress, aging, sleep and neurological disorders. The winner of this regional Brain Bee walked away with a $12,000 scholarship to Southampton College and the chance to participate in the International Brain held later this month.

This year's winner, Rohit Repala, a senior from Comsewogue High School in Port Jefferson Station, is no stranger to the Brain Bee, having been a finalist in two previous competitions at Southampton College. The second place winner, Darshan Sokhey, was also a previous participant, and placing third, Eric Baranek, from West Babylon High School, was a newcomer. All three were awarded scholarships to the Southampton College Summer Psychobiology Workshop.

Saroj Kunnekkatt, the International Brain Bee champion, and last year's Southampton College winner, presented a trophy to Repala and described her recent exciting experiences at the Society for Neuroscience conference in New Orleans. She won the trip to the annual meeting and a $3,000 cash scholarship for winning the International Brain Bee. Kunnekkatt, who is planning to become a neurologist, has received several offers from world-renowned neuroscientists to work with them as a result of winning both the Southampton College and the International Brain Bee. She credited the preparation workshops with Southampton College professors John Neill and Paul Forestell as being very helpful in preparing her for the competitions. "Our summer psychobiology workshops have, in fact, helped prepare future neuroscientists," said Dr. Neill, coordinator of the Southampton College Brain Bee.

In the last four years Southampton College has sent the winner, as well as second, fifth and sixth place winners to the International Brain Bee.

Internationally, the Brain Bee is part of Brain Awareness Week. Spearheaded by both the Dana Alliance, a private philanthropic foundation, and the Society for Neuroscience, the goal is to motivate youth to learn about the brain and pursue careers in biomedical brain research in the war against mental retardation, cerebral palsy, spinal-cord injury and other brain disorders.

For further information about the Southampton College Summer Psychobiology Workshop call Dr. Neill at (631) 287-8202 or email john.neill@liu.edu