Andrew Koch, of Leonardtown High School, closely examines the five parts of the brain-the occipital lobe, the corpus callosum, the cerebellum, the medulla, and the amygdala-as part of the third Southern Maryland Brain Bee competition at St. Mary's College of Maryland. (Submitted photo)
ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. (March 8, 2009)—St. Mary's and Calvert County high school students gathered Saturday, Feb. 21 to stretch their brains in neuroscience exercises during the third annual Southern Maryland Brain Bee competition at St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM). A total of 48 students entered from five high schools, including Leonardtown High School, Great Mills High School, St. Mary's Ryken, Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center, and Patuxent High School.
"We're very excited about the turnout at this year's Brain Bee," said Anne Marie Brady, assistant professor of psychology and Southern Maryland Brain Bee organizer. "It's a fantastic opportunity for high school students to learn more about the brain, and a chance for our St. Mary's students to reach out to the local community."
There were 12 individual participants and 15 small groups working to solve question-and-answers, neuro-anatomy identifications, and mock-patient diagnoses. Coordinating the event were 11 St. Mary's College students, nicknamed the "Brainiacs." SMCM student Drew Solyst ('09) served as emcee. Brady, professor of psychology Wes Jordan, and visiting assistant professor of biology Mike Baltzley served as competition judges.
Following is a list of winners.
Individual winners:
First Place: Travis Mattingly, Leonardtown High School. Mattingly is now eligible to compete in the U.S. National Brain Bee to be held March 20-21 at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
Second Place: Aparna Sajja, Leonardtown High School
Third Place: Mary Beth Baumgartner, Leonardtown High School
Group winners:
First Place: "The Ossicles" - Jonathan Baker, Mary Beth Baumgartner, and Leslie Gilman, of Leonardtown High School
Second Place: "The Power Rangers" - Liz Dalmas, Megan Ludwig, and Aparna Sajja, of Leonardtown High School
Third Place: "First Place" - Christine Kodluboy and Andrew Koch from Great Mills High School and Travis Mattingly of Leonardtown High School
This year's sponsors include the SMCM neuroscience program, admissions office, department of psychology, and the Women in Science House (WiSH). Local sponsors were Atlantic Screen Printing and Embroidery, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Cici's Pizza and Giant Food.