Back and forth. Back and forth. Neither was willing to give in. Jack Ross Pilkington ’17, of Stuyvesant Falls, and Shan Leng ’17 of China were the final contestants left standing at Saturday’s “Brain Bee” hosted by The Center for Neurosciences and Neuropharmacology at Albany Medical Center. The Brain Bee, contested by over forty students from fourteen public and private schools in the area – Emma Willard, Albany Academies, Shenendehowa, Niskayuna, Academy of Holy Names and others – pitted students against each other in a multi-round, multi-faceted spelling bee-style competition. The subject matter wasn’t necessarily the spelling of Brain-related words like cerebellum or amygdala, but rather, the gray matter itself. Students were tasked with answering questions about the brain, its form and function. They also had the opportunity to network and ask questions of neuroscientists, neurosurgeons and neurologists.
The initial group of 40 students was then paired down to a top 10. Thus began the double elimination round comprised of oral questions. If a student got the question right, he/she proceeded. If a student gave the wrong answer twice, he/she was eliminated. Doane Stuart proudly had three students – all juniors – make it into the top 10 of the double elimination round: Jack Ross-Pilkington, Shan Leng and Mateo Boulos ’17 of Glenmont.
An All-DS Final! Shan Leng ’17 (standing) and Jack Ross-Pilkington ‘17
One-by-one the students missed their questions and were eliminated. In the end, Jack and Shan survived to face off for the championship, a Doane Stuart victory in the inaugural Albany Medical Center Brain Bee guaranteed. Jack and Shan, however, were not willing to cede victory to their fellow classmate. Back and forth they went. They battled through five rounds, back and forth. Then eight! Ten! What a showing! Our accomplished students kept out-answering each other, neither giving in. After a valiant effort, Shan eventually missed her final question and Jack, who was able to answer the final question successfully, emerged the exhausted victor. Dr. David Wells, who teaches Advanced Biology to many of these students, was impressed by the Doane Stuart showing: “I am proud of all 10 of our students that took a shot at this demanding competition and truly impressed by the composure and depth of knowledge that Jack and Shan displayed. Neither of them let the pressure of the competition get to them, and they calmly answered most of the questions. It was quite a display of brain power. Congratulations to both of them. ”
By winning the inaugural Albany Medical Center Brain Bee, Jack earns a fully-funded place at the USA Regional Brain Bee Competition held in Baltimore March 18-20, 2016. Should he win the USA Competition, Jack would earn his way to the International Brain Bee, which will be held in Copenhagen in July.
(L ro R: Mateo Boulos ’17, Dr. David Wells, Gail Bemis ’16, Jared Weiler ’17, Dalton Hanaway ’17, Jack Ross-Pilkington ’17, Louis Metz ’17, Antoinette Bevins ’16, Jacquelyn LeBlanc ’17 and Christian Libasci ’17. Not pictured Shan Leng ’17)
Congratulations to Jack, Shan, Mateo and all of the other Doane Stuart students who competed. You represented Doane Stuart and our student body with enthusiasm, class and composure. We also want to offer a very special thank you to Dr. David Wells for instructing, organizing and pushing our group of ten students in preparation for the competition. Our students’ very impressive showing is a clear example of the value of a Doane Stuart education: talented and passionate students working closely with dedicated and accomplished educators. Great job, everyone!
Albany Medical Center Press Release congratulation Jack on his victory:
https://www.amc.edu/research/CNN/local_brain_bee.cfm
And the official Albany Brain Bee website, which also offers congratulations to Jack:
http://albanycountybrainbee.yolasite.com/
From the Albany Medical Center website:
The International Brain Bee, founded in 1999 by Dr. Norbert Myslinski, is a program of the non-profit Mankind for International Neuroscience Development (MIND) and the largest worldwide neuroscience competition for teenagers. Anyone aged 13-19 can compete, regardless of their academic standing. Chapters of the Brain Bee are divided into local, national, and international levels of competition intended to test high school students in neuroscientific skill through examination in academic knowledge, as well as neuroanatomical, neurohistological, MRI, and patient diagnosis applications. First-place winners at local levels proceed to the host country’s national competition, after which the national champions are invited to compete at the international level. To date, the competition has more than 150 branches in over 30 nations. Its purpose is to motivate young men and women to learn about the human brain, and to inspire them to enter careers in the basic and clinical brain sciences.
At the local International Brain Bee level, competition awards for the participants and winners vary. They usually include certificates, prize money, trophies, and trips for the winner to the next level of the competition. This year, the winner of the Local Chapter Competition is invited to compete at the USA Regional Competition in Baltimore, Maryland. In the USA Regional Brain Bee Championship, the third place winner receives $1000; the second place winner receives $2000; and the first place winner receives $3000, an individual trophy, a traveling trophy for his or her high school to display, and a summer internship with an esteemed neuroscientist. The winner of the USA Regional Competition competes at the World International Competition in Copenhagen, Denmark!