About

This page provides an overview of the Brain Bee competition, including the organizers, mission, key personnel, history, founder and logo, IBB management partners, project partners, and sponsors.

I. Competition Overview

The Brain Bee (International Brain Bee Championship) originated in the United States and is a global extracurricular challenge for young students. Its goal is to inspire students to learn about and explore the human brain. Participants often go on to pursue studies and careers in biology, neuroscience, medicine, psychology, chemistry, computer science, artificial intelligence, and related fields to improve human health and quality of life.

The Brain Bee entered China in 2013. Over the past seven years, it has focused on promoting neuroscience knowledge among youth and cultivating future neuroscience talent, achieving widespread recognition from schools, teachers, and students nationwide. Students from most major Chinese cities have participated, with many gaining admission to top universities such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, MIT, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Cambridge, and Oxford. Many choose biology, neuroscience, or related fields as their major.

II. Organizers of Brain Bee

The competition is jointly organized by:

  • American Psychological Association (APA)

  • Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS)

  • Society for Neuroscience (SfN)

  • Dana Foundation (USA)

  • International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)

  • Alzheimer’s Association

III. Mission of Brain Bee

The primary mission of the International Brain Bee (IBB) is to motivate students to learn about the brain and encourage them to pursue careers in neuroscience to help discover treatments and cures for brain disorders.

IV. Key Personnel

1. Board of Directors

  • Dr. Jaime L. Diaz-Granados – Board Chair (APA); Vice President, American Psychological Association

  • Ms. Tascia Asakawa – Board Vice Chair (FENS); Executive Director, Federation of European Neuroscience Societies

  • Mr. Marty Saggese – Board Secretary (SfN); Executive Director, Society for Neuroscience

  • Dr. Lars Kristiansen – Board Treasurer (IBRO); Executive Director, International Brain Research Organization

  • Dr. Norbert Myslinski – Former Chair & Founder; Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience, University of Maryland

  • Dr. Patricia Gaspar – Board Member (FENS); Professor Emeritus, INSERM & Paris Brain Institute

  • Dr. Susanna Martinez-Conde – Board Member (SfN); Professor of Ophthalmology & Physiology/Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences

  • Dr. Garth Fowler – Board Member (APA); Associate Director, HR Systems & Analytics, Northwestern University

  • Ms. Natasha Slade – Board Member (IBRO); Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Outreach, IBRO

  • Dr. Maria Carrillo – Board Member (AA); Chief Science Officer, Alzheimer’s Association

2. IBB Team (Part-Time)

  • Astrid Eberhart – Executive Director

  • Dr. Ionut Dumitru – Academic Director

  • Marleen Asfahlger – Project Manager

  • Florian Kort – IT Consultant

  • Linney Fein-Schaefer – Project Coordinator

3. IBB Interns

  • Ugne Birstonaite – Academic (Lithuania)

  • Anthony Kolonovsky – Academic (Canada)

  • Li Hailin – Academic (Canada)

  • Victoria Vizhak – Academic (Ukraine)

  • Sophia Fossergil – Social Media (Chile)

V. Brain Bee History

  • 1998 – Founded by Dr. Norbert Myslinski at the University of Maryland, the Brain Bee is a neuroscience competition for high school students.

  • 2008 – First Brain Bee outside the U.S. held in Montreal, Canada, alongside the Canadian Annual Neuroscience Meeting, co-hosted by the Canadian Association for Neuroscience and CIHR’s Institute of Neuroscience, Mental Health, and Addiction.

  • 2008–2017 – Through the dedication of volunteers, IBB grew from a grassroots initiative into a global educational and outreach program.

  • 2018 – Five leading brain research and education organizations partnered with Brain Bee’s founder to establish IBB as a nonprofit educational organization, connecting local, national, and international efforts into a globally networked initiative.

  • 2021 – Alzheimer’s Association joined as a management partner.

VI. Founder & Logo

Founder:
Dr. Norbert Myslinski, member of the Department of Neuroscience and Pain at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, has dedicated his career to teaching students worldwide about the human brain. He founded Brain Bee in 1998, which has since become a successful global initiative. In 2016, he received the SfN Science Educator Award, sponsored by the Dana Foundation.

IBB Logo:
The Brain Bee logo features a brain at the top and a bee at the bottom, reflecting the name: the brain represents the focus of the competition, and the bee symbolizes collaborative, challenging educational engagement. The bee’s stinger represents a quill or pen tip, symbolizing wisdom and learning. The two lobes of the brain resemble a heart, representing enthusiasm and care for others.

VII. IBB Management Partners

  • Society for Neuroscience (SfN) – Represents nearly 37,000 neuroscientists worldwide.

  • Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) – Represents 43 European countries and 22,000 members.

  • International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) – Global neuroscience association promoting research, education, and outreach since 1961.

  • American Psychological Association (APA) – Largest U.S. psychology organization, with nearly 115,700 members across research, education, clinical practice, and consulting.

  • Alzheimer’s Association – Leading global organization working to end Alzheimer’s and other dementias through research, risk reduction, early detection, and quality care.

VIII. IBB Project Partners & Sponsors

  • International Youth Neuroscience Association (IYNA) – Global youth-led nonprofit inspiring the next generation of neuroscientists.

  • Dana Foundation – Private charitable organization supporting brain research through grants, publications, and educational programs.

  • Leadership Initiatives (LI) – Offers full scholarships for top three winners to participate in online youth development programs, including advanced medical neuroscience or public health internships, and provides entrepreneurial, leadership, and project management training for underserved communities.

IX. Host Conferences

Details of conference hosting and organization for Brain Bee competitions.

Online Consultation
Online Consultation