The 2026 Boston University Regional Brain Bee was held on:
Sunday, March 22nd, 2026
10:30 AM – 4:30 PM
GSU Auditorium, George Sherman Union
775 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215
A huge congratulations to our winners: Mariam Mohamed (11th Grade, James Madison High School), who will move on to the National Brain Bee representing BU in April; Allora Chaudhari (9th Grade, Newton South High School); and Pooja Udayakumar (11th Grade, Nashua High School South)!
Thank you to our judges, Dr. Mark Howe, Dr. Lynne Chantranupong, and Dr. David Somers, and to our guest speakers, Madisyn Carrington, Mingqi Sha, Beckett Blocker, and Viviana Castro. We’re also so grateful to all of our undergraduate and graduate student volunteers who helped make the day run so smoothly.
It was such a fun day- we’re really grateful to everyone who made it happen!
Registration:
Please note: Student contestants can only register for one regional brain bee per calendar year.
Participation is free and open to all students who wish to attend. Space is limited so advance registration is required. To register, please fill out this form. → https://forms.gle/VA4csYCVXqBAUFjF8
Registration Deadline is March 16th at 11:59 PM.
Brain Bee Overview:
The BU Regional Brain Bee is a regional chapter of the International Brain Bee, an annual competition for high school students testing their knowledge in the field of neuroscience, sponsored in part by the Society for Neuroscience, the largest professional Neuroscience society in the world.
The winner of our regional competition will represent Boston University at the 2026 US National Brain Bee, which will be held in person on Saturday, April 25 at the University of California, Irvine
National champions from around the world will go on to compete in the 2026 International Brain Bee, which will be held virtually in conjunction with the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in late September.
Virtual Review Sessions:
Twice a week, BU undergraduate and graduates will be leading review sessions to help you prepare for the material tested in the competition! Join at this link at your convenience to learn more about Brain Facts material and questions you can expect!
| Mondays, 7-8PM | Wednesdays, 7-8PM | |
| Neuroanatomy | 2/2/2026 | 2/4/2026 |
| Neurophysiology | 2/9/2026 | 2/11/2026 |
| Neurodevelopment | 2/16/2026 | 2/18/2026 |
| Brain Regulation | 2/23/2026 | 2/25/2026 |
| Neurological Disorders | 3/2/2026 | 3/4/2026 |
| Brain Injury & Illness | 3/16/2026 | 3/16/2026 |
Event Schedule (2026):
Transportation:
The 2026 BU Brain Bee competition is located in the George Sherman Union (GSU) Auditorium (775 Commonwealth Ave, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02215).
The outside of the George Sherman Union (GSU) Building.
If arriving by MBTA, you can take the Green B Line to the BU Central stop, and walk about 3 minutes west to reach the George Sherman Union.
Street parking may be hard to come by on the day of, so please plan accordingly. For more information about where you can park as a guest on campus, please visit this site.
Once inside the GSU, go up the stairs at the front of the GSU to the 2nd floor. Student volunteers will be inside and guiding students to the competition room. Keep a lookout for our Brain Bee posters as well!
Feel free to email prernas7@bu.edu with any questions.
Competition Format:
Round 1: Written Exam
Contestants will give open-ended answers to a 30+ question written exam. All contestants will answer the same questions in a set amount of time.
Lunch Break & Neuroscience Educational Programming
Round 2: Oral Response Round
Students will each answer questions based on the “Brain Facts” textbook orally. After two incorrect answers, students will be eliminated. Top scorers will move on to Round 3.
Round 3: Final Elimination Round
Top scorers will answer questions at the same time using whiteboards. After two incorrect answers, students will be eliminated. The last contestant standing will be crowned the winner!
Please note that specific aspects of the competition format may vary from the above.
Study Guide:
Questions from all three rounds will be based on information contained in the 2018 edition of Brain Facts, a publication of the Society for Neuroscience, which can be downloaded here.
Prizes:
Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in the BU Brain Bee. In addition, the 1st place winner may go onto the national Brain Bee in Florida.
Other Important Information:
All students willing to travel to Boston for the Brain Bee are eligible to compete.
Students of all ages are eligible to compete; however, only students between the ages of 13-19 years old will be eligible to move on to the National competition in April.
Students may only compete in one Regional Brain Bee per year.
Contestants and parents may not use any recording devices or take notes of any kind during the competition.
Contact:
For any questions/concerns, please contact prernas7@bu.edu.