2018 Competitors

Giovanni De Gannes is a 14-year old from the beautiful island of Grenada in the Caribbean. He is a third form student at the prestigious Grenada Boys’ Secondary School. Giovanni is described as an intelligent, diligent and sociable individual who has learned to appreciate the value of hard work and team cooperation over the course of his life. He believes that living a balanced life is important, as such in his spare time Giovanni enjoys software development, exploring the world of video entertainment, creating animations, developing images, competitive swimming, and playing musical instruments. While he has not yet settled on a future career aspiration, as there are so many career fields yet to be discovered, Giovanni is fascinated by the workings of the human brain. He believes that throughout the course of preparing forthe Brain Bee Competition, he will have started the pursuit of knowledge that is necessary to enhance the lives of individuals coping with neurological disorders. It is Giovanni’s desire to explore the ever expanding capacity for knowledge which we harbor inside our minds.

Piotr Oleksy recently graduated, in April, from the Liceum Ogółnokształcące High School in Cracow where he studied biology, chemistry and math. Biology was his favorite subject in high school. Piotr became interested in anatomy, especially the internal organs, and initially wanted to become a surgeon. However, his views quickly evolved. After his first year of high school, Piotr began to move towards subjects such as biochemistry and cell biology leading him to want to study biochemistry or pharmacology. He was particularly fascinated by growth factors, neurotransmitters, and their receptors, particularly GPCR (G-protein coupled receptors). Although, he is interested in medicine for a future career, for his university studies he wants to focus on cell membrane receptors and their ligands as this is what fuels his interests in neuroscience. Piotr wants to learn more about the molecular level of nerve transmission (i.e. proteins involved in this process, receptors, neurotransmitters). He firmly believes that understanding the molecular basis of neuronal function is the starting point for the treatment of many disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression or prion disease. In his spare time, Piotr enjoys watching good movies and listening to Mahler, Glass and Rachmaninoff (mainly classical composers, but on the other hand he terribly hates Mozart and Bach). He also generally loves the art and fashion of the 20th century and interwar period, such as Art Nouveau.

Huai-Ying Huang is a 12th grade student who attends the Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School in London, Ontario. She enjoys playing the piano and oboe in her free time as well as playing table tennis, outdoor tennis and spending time and travelling with her family. Huai-Ying also loves listening to classical music and going to orchestras. Her interest in neuroscience started when she realized how fascinating the nervous system, especially the brain, was in its complexity, which started Huai-Ying’s deeper exploration into this field. Starting in September, Huai-Ying will be going to McGill University to pursue studies in the field of Life Sciences. It is her dream to become a neurologist or a neurosurgeon, not only because Huai-Ying has a passion for neuroscience, but because she also wants to be able to help the people who are affected by neurological disorders.

Elaine attends MacRobertson Girl High School, Victoria’s top academic select-entry high school. She has achieved high distinction in the Australia’s Chemistry and Biology Olympiads, a testament to her high value for learning. In addition to her studies, she loves writing poetry, reading Russian literature, playing piano and violin, watching historical Chinese dramas, and spending time with friends. Elaine also volunteers at her local hospital and is on her high school’s Interact Committee as she is passionate about contributing to global humanitarian projects. Since childhood, Elaine has been fascinated by the complexities of the brain. For her, the IBB is a great opportunity to learn about the fine, neural processes that orchestrate our lives. She is excited to represent Australia at the 2018 World Brain Bee Championships and is looking forward to the places and career path the journey of learning neuroscience will take her.

Iara studies at the Colegio Pedro II – Unidade Niterói São Gonçalo. She is in her last year of High School and intends to go to a medical school after graduating. Since 2016, Lara has participated in a Neuroscience study group. In 2017 she participated in the Rio de Janeiro Neuroscience Olympiad, achieving 2nd place. Iara then went on to achieve 4th place in the Brazilian Brain Bee. In the same year, she participated in the Mathématiques Sans Frontières and won 2nd place in the state competition and 3rd place in the national competition. Last year, Iara was also part of a course in Spanish, Español + Allá, and won a cultural exchange trip to Buenos Aires. In April 2018, she participated in the NASA Rover Challenge. This high academic achiever is thankful for the opportunity and is proud to represent Brazil at the 2018 World Brain Bee Championships in Berlin.

Huai-Ying Huang is a 12th grade student who attends the Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School in London, Ontario. She enjoys playing the piano and oboe in her free time as well as playing table tennis, outdoor tennis and spending time and travelling with her family. Huai-Ying also loves listening to classical music and going to orchestras. Her interest in neuroscience started when she realized how fascinating the nervous system, especially the brain, was in its complexity, which started Huai-Ying’s deeper exploration into this field. Starting in September, Huai-Ying will be going to McGill University to pursue studies in the field of Life Sciences. It is her dream to become a neurologist or a neurosurgeon, not only because Huai-Ying has a passion for neuroscience, but because she also wants to be able to help the people who are affected by neurological disorders.

Yuxiao (Ethan) Huang is really fascinated with the beauty of neuroscience. He also has a great interest in game theory, psychology, biology, computer science, and any subject that he can learn and exploit which is associated with neuroscience. One of Yuxiao’s hobbies is finding the strategy for solving complex problems, such as mathematical or gaming problems. The more that Yuxiao works with game theory and psychology, the deeper his fascination becomes with wanting to understand how our brain works, how our thoughts work in order to make the best strategy decisions. In his free time, he also plays table tennis and likes to study classical Chinese poetry.

David Mikhael is a 17-year-old Egyptian high school student at the Assiut STEM School, a school which he considers to be a great turning point in his life. At the Assiut STEM School, David’s knowledge and social work improved a lot and being a student at a STEM school opened his eyes to the world of science. David loves clinical case studies, especially those which were related to neuroscience and the brain. Since starting to learn about the brain two years ago, his passion for neuroscience has been growing exponentially. Now David wants to be known as one of “The Neuroscientists of the Future.” His participation in the 2018 World Brain Bee championship as the Egyptian National Champion resulted from his academic dedication. It is David’s hope that meeting Egypt the other IBB participants will inspire him to continue to pursue his interest in neuroscience.

Lilia Evgeniou is a 16-years old, 1st year International Baccalaureate student at the Ecole Jeannine Manuel in Paris, France. She is half Japanese and half Greek, speaking both languages, as well as French and English, fluently. Lilia has lived in Paris and Tokyo. In her free time, she goes horse riding and rock climbing each week. Lilia has been interested in animals since her early childhood, which grew into a love for biology and neuroscience as she became older. This year, Lilia became an avid lover of learning – studying, in-depth, Biology for the British Biology Olympiad and computer science, algorithms and the programming languages R and Python, for the semifinals of the French National Computer Science Competition, Prologin. Lilia is excited about the International Brain Bee and having the opportunity to represent France at the Neuroscience Championships in Lilia Evgeniou France Berlin, Germany.

Maria Koryakina was born into a family of doctors, thus was interested in medical science from an early age. For Maria, it was always very important to have an analytical and factual perspective on arising issues in her life. She has already written a number of works on the topic of sleep and sleep disorders. Recently, her article about insomnia was even published last year in Berliner Morgenpost: ‘Schlaflos durch die Nacht – was man tun kann.’ Maria has also been nominated for her essay on the topic of brain functioning at sleep at the Kant Prize Event of the Kant Schulen. However, her interests are not constricted by science as she has been training as a pianist for many years now and also enjoys playing tennis in her free time. Maria’s hobbies include reading, creative handwork, traveling, and watching movies.As a way to contribute to her own personal development, Maria has recently started to participate in her high school’s Germany Speech and Debate Club. She has also been involved in Model United Nations (MUN) and the ECB Annual Competition for young students interested in social studies.

Giovanni De Gannes is a 14-year old from the beautiful island of Grenada in the Caribbean. He is a third form student at the prestigious Grenada Boys’ Secondary School. Giovanni is described as an intelligent, diligent and sociable individual who has learned to appreciate the value of hard work and team cooperation over the course of his life. He believes that living a balanced life is important, as such in his spare time Giovanni enjoys software development, exploring the world of video entertainment, creating animations, developing images, competitive swimming, and playing musical instruments. While he has not yet settled on a future career aspiration, as there are so many career fields yet to be discovered, Giovanni is fascinated by the workings of the human brain. He believes that throughout the course of preparing forthe Brain Bee Competition, he will have started the pursuit of knowledge that is necessary to enhance the lives of individuals coping with neurological disorders. It is Giovanni’s desire to explore the ever expanding capacity for knowledge which we harbor inside our minds.

Bak Yue Chow is a 11th grade student at Diocesan Boys’ School in Hong Kong. Thanks to the Hong Kong Brain Foundation, which organised the Hong Kong Brain Bee, Bak Yue will represent Hong Kong at the 2018 IBB. He has always been fascinated by science and in particular biology. At school, his teachers are very supportive of his thirst for knowledge. They have provided Bak Yue not only with interesting material, but also a plethora of opportunities to participate in scientific affairs and biologically-related competitions in Hong Kong, such as the Hong Kong Joint-School Biology Olympiad organised by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (which he has also won). The most significant of these competitions is, of course, the Brain Bee, which has certainly opened my eyes to the exciting and dynamic field of neuroscience. Preparing for this competition has enabled him to delve into the complex mechanisms of the human brain and gain an understanding of how people think and move. As an aspiring doctor, he feels that the Brain Bee has really helped him confirm his interest in medicine and especially neuroscience. In the future, he really hopes that he can successfully embark on this path, working his way through the complexities of the brain to find a cure for one (or more) of its disorders.

Samyak Vinaykumar Bharwad is from Maharaja Agrasen Vidyalaya, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. He is in the 12th grade where he opted for Biology as his main subject. Samyak has already achieved many academic accomplishments in his young life. He was voted ‘All-Round Best Student’ of his school in the 8th grade. For his 10th grade board examinations, Samyak received a 10/10 CGPA. The following year, he placed first in his class during his 11th grade final examinations. In 2017, Samyak received the Arunalal Scholarship from the Physical Research Laboratory. Currently, he is the Vice Captain of his school. Outside of school, Samyak is also a scout and has registered for the Presidency Award under The Bharat Scouts and Guides. He likes writing poetries, cycling and traveling, especially if it includes a close rendezvous with nature. Samyak also likes meeting new people and getting to know more about them. He looks forward to new opportunities, like the current one of being a participant in the International Brain Bee, which he has been dreaming of since the 10th grade. Samyak had enrolled in a neuroscience course in Coursera during his 10th grade exams. Immediately he fell in love with the beauty of the brain and its wonders. Samyak thanks IBB for this unique opportunity and he is really looking forward to coming to Berlin, Germany for the final international round.

Mahsa Arman is 15 years old and the first Iranian girl to take part in the International Brain Bee. Mahsa has always been a good student but became interested in neuroscience only a year ago. One of her friends informed her about the Brain Bee competition and that’s where it all started for Mahsa. She developed such a deep passion for this field that she is planning to continue studying neuroscience as university student. Mahsa even has a few theories about brain certain functions that she hopes may be proved someday! Aside from neuroscience, Mahsa is really into sports and music, of which she enjoys playing guitar in her free time. She believes in having balance in every aspect of life, as it that’s the way to succeed.

Yonatan is a 15-year-old teenager from Ashdod, Israel. Since he was kid, Yonatan was always interested in understanding how and why things happen. After elementary school, he was accepted into a gifted kids program. He learned physics, biology and chemistry at an early age. He fell in love with science, from learning about the biology of the human body to exploring the tiniest reaction in chemistry. In the 8th grade he started learning medicine, choosing to supplement his studies with an additional 4 hours per week to learn about human anatomy, diseases and other interesting topics. In 9th grade, Yonatan participated in biology research group, which studied the effect of different doses of the hormone auxin on the growth of a plant’s cuttings. His group went on to win 1st place in their district’s competition. Yonatan was introduced to the field of neuroscience when he joined a Neuroscience enrichment program at the Weizmann Institute. In 10th grade, after studying the basics of the brain for a whole year, he decided to become a neurosurgeon and made this a major goal in his life. When Yonatan found out about the Brain Bee competition, he just knew he had to participate and hopes to make the most out of this experience.

Vito Nicosia is 18 years old and comes from Catania, Italy. He is currently attending the last year of high school, after which Vito would like to study medicine at the university next year because of his interests in the many fields of biomedical research, in particular neuroscience. Vito thinks “there are still a lot of things to be discovered about our brain.” Moved by this strong passion, he has taken part in the national competitions of the Italian Brain Bee twice. When he is not studying, Vito likes to go to the gym or swimming, he reads every kind of novel, plays football, watches films or spends time with his friends. Vito also loves many genres of music, from classical to rock, and one of his favorite hobbies is relaxing in the open air and listening to music. Thus, it is no surprise that Vito spends a lot of time playing the guitar. He also likes traveling because he thinks “it is an important opportunity to open my mind and to learn something new.”

Tomoaki Okami is a 16-year old freshman from Japan with a passion for neuroscience, who is excited that he won the 1st place in the 2018 Brain Bee competition in Japan. Tomoaki often helps to organize school events and participate in volunteer activities. His two favorite subjects in school are biology and geography. Currently, Tomoaki is a member of his school’s biology research club and captain of the Japanese classic culture club. His hobbies include reading books and drawing. Tomoaki has been fond of painting since he was a little child and drew portraits of his teachers for the student handbook. As a representative candidate of Japan, he has visited a neurology hospital and was impressed by the doctors’ eagerness and how proactively they learn. This experience has really inspired his enthusiasm for neuroscience. Tomoaki is looking forward to interacting with students from many countries as well as learning about different cultures at the International Brain Bee.

Sharon Olago is 17 years old and was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. Currently she is attending the Kianda High School. During her free time, Sharon likes doing a variety of things such as reading novels and watching films or documentaries for fun. She also really loves music and hopes to learn how to play the guitar and violin in the near future. However, when it comes to sports and athletics, particularly sprints, this is what Sharon enjoys most. For as long as she can remember, Sharon has always been interested in science. In school, the sciences were her favorite subjects. Discoveries, inventions as well as explanations of how things work have always intrigued her. Over time, Sharon developed a big interest in neuroscience. For her, the brain is extremely interesting to study as it incorporates the different branches of science. Sharon knows that “there is a lot to be discovered about the brain and brain disorders that at the moment have no cure. For her, “the field of Neuroscience is an exciting, active area of research with many different areas in which one can specialize.” Sharon would love to pursue the study of neuroscience at one of the best medical universities after finishing her high school education.

JunSung Park is a Korean student who is interested in studying biology. He especially likes learning about the different functional, and sometimes complex, biological networks of living organisms. This underlies his desire to study the brain. His interests in biology began after he read the “Double Helix” by James Watson. Initially, this book was difficult for JunSung to comprehend most of the book due to a lack of knowledge in biology. However, JungSung used this as a driving force to learn more about this field of study. With this passion, he earned his accepelite school with a strong focus on science education. During his studies, he came to see the beauty of nature and the biological links between leaving organism, of which much remains to be study in JunSung’s opinion. Currently, JungSung is trying to describe the algal blooms appear in lakes or ponds in Korea by improve the old ecological mathemati-cal model as an elective research study. However, beyond ecology, his passion for learning more about biology also underlies his desire to study the brain. For JunSung, it is fun to learn about how many neurons are contained within the brain, their different cell types and how they work in concert to drive and support behavior-al activities. JunSung does not see love for ecology as something different from studying the brain, but sees this an extension of brain science since understanding the brain can also help one understand how a given organism interacts with it’s sur-rounding environment. It is JunSung’s dream to become a researcher who can combine and study his two scientific interests.

Weng Hou (Kenny) Chang is a student of Yuet Wah College for the last six years. During these years, the school has provided an invaluable opportunity for him to develop both academically and as a person. For the past two years, he was a member of the Student Union, through which the various group projects and laboratory experiences have allowed Weng Hou to hone his interpersonal and communi-cation skills. Furthermore, being part of the school’s Stu-dent Union has contributed to Weng Hou’s desire and per-sistence to learn for knowledge sake. It is this pursuit of scholastic excellence that persuaded him to participate in his local Brain Bee competition. Weng Hou is honored to represent Macao at the 2018 World Brain Bee Championship.

Quintus U-Wei Baptist loves biology, playing the guitar and reading good books. He also enjoys listening to Paul Gilbert and Joe Satriani as well as talking about interest-ing topics. However, it is Quintus ambition to be a doctor or a surgeon. As a very scholastically active student, Quintus has received a Merit Award for his participation in the Malaysian Mathematics Olympiad. He also earned the NILAM award (school level) for a public speaking compe-tition, going on to represent his school at the state NILAM competition where he earned 2nd place. In addition to student president at his secondary school. He is the Chairman for his school’s STEM club and the Chess & Indoor Games club, where he actively participates in the National Sunway Math & Logic Challenge and chess competitions. Quintus is also member and Corporal of the St. John Ambulance Malaysia (division AC/ NC 29), where he regularly joins in various courses and public duties. He is also the winner of Malaysian Brain Bee Challenge 2018 and honored to represent his country at the World Brain Bee Championships in Berlin, Germany.

Alan Li is a student from Christchurch, New Zealand. In his spare time, Alan enjoys playing the piano and has played in many orchestras. He loves to learn new skills, like table tennis, golf, tennis and chess. Although he has a wide range of interests, his curiosity and dream to understand the world has led Alan to become fascinated by the fields of Mathematics and Neuroscience. As a child, he had already expressed a deep interest in mathematics and has carried this interest with him to this current day. He is an inquisitive learner who is constantly looking to take on new challenges. In the future, Alan hopes to use his knowledge to benefit the world. He has received merit awards at numerous Mathematics competitions, earning a place on the New Zealand Mathematics Olympiad Training Squad twice. Alan’s first encounter with the field of neuroscience was when his school decided to send a team to the regional Brain Bee. Ever since then, he has been hooked ever since. Alan feels extremely honored and grateful to be able to represent New Zealand at the 2018 World Brain Bee Championships. He is really looking forward to meeting and learning from the other like-minded contestants.

Piotr Oleksy recently graduated, in April, from the Liceum Ogółnokształcące High School in Cracow where he studied biology, chemistry and math. Biology was his favorite subject in high school. Piotr became interested in anatomy, especially the internal organs, and initially wanted to become a surgeon. However, his views quickly evolved. After his first year of high school, Piotr began to move towards subjects such as biochemistry and cell biology leading him to want to study biochemistry or pharmacology. He was particularly fascinated by growth factors, neurotransmitters, and their receptors, particularly GPCR (G-protein coupled receptors). Although, he is interested in medicine for a future career, for his university studies he wants to focus on cell membrane receptors and their ligands as this is what fuels his interests in neuroscience. Piotr wants to learn more about the molecular level of nerve transmission (i.e. proteins involved in this process, receptors, neurotransmitters). He firmly believes that understanding the molecular basis of neuronal function is the starting point for the treatment of many disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression or prion disease. In his spare time, Piotr enjoys watching good movies and listening to Mahler, Glass and Rachmaninoff (mainly classical composers, but on the other hand he terribly hates Mozart and Bach). He also generally loves the art and fashion of the 20th century and interwar period, such as Art Nouveau.

Andrei Mitrofan is from Bucharest, the capital city of Romania. Ever since Andrei was a child, he has been passionate about nature and fascinated by the mechanisms that keep it in its perfect equilibrium. This has ignited his curiosity to learn more and dive deeper into all the sciences. Thus, during Andrei’s school years he participated in various contests and Olympiads in subject areas of physics, chemistry, biology and earth science. From quite a young age, Andrei knew that he wanted to study medicine, and that decision has never left him since. Andrei’s interest for neuroscience was sparked during high school, when he started working as a volunteer for people affected by disabilities. Seeing the heartbreaking effects of nervous system disorders, he was inspired to want to follow the path of neuroscience to try to soothe the pain of those affected by them. Apart from his academic activities, Andrei is interested in sports, especially football and martial arts, and he is an active practitioner of Taekwondo. Charmed by nature, Andrei loves mountain hiking and camping. Music has also been an integral part of his life. He’s been playing the piano for as long as he can remember. For the past few years, Andrei has learned how play the guitar and now plays as a part of strings assembly.

Lada Isakova is interested in biology, especially molecular and evolutionary biology, as well as neuroscience. She likes these topics because of their complexity. Lada wants to better understand how different natural systems are organized and how they work. She is a participant of Biology Olympiads and a member of the Minor Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Lada has participated in different scientific summer schools, including the international training courses. She enjoys communicating with people, meeting new friends, sharing her ideas and interests, and trying new adventures that allow her to discover more about herself as a person. Therefore, Lada frequently participates in extracurricular events and activities. Currently, she is the captain of her city`s biology tournament team. In the future, Lada wants to pursue a scientific career as a biologist.

Jayant Karnan grew up in the United Arab Emirates and is currently in the 10th grade at the English high school (Boy’s Br.) Sharjah-UAE. For Jayant, this quote by Wilder Penfield resonates with him: “The brain is the organ of destiny. It holds within its humming mechanism secrets that will determine the future of the human race.” This statement has always intrigued Jayant, driving him to often think about the unfathomable mysteries of the human brain and spurring his deep inclination towards science, particularly neurology and genetics. Regarding the field of genetics, Jayant is especially interested in the topic of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology which enables scientists to change an organism’s DNA. As a prolific participant of the UCMAS, Jayant indulges in research activities, and plays basketball during his leisure time. He ardently hopes to crystallize his dreams into thoughts that pave the way to positive actions, thus given him the opportunity to have an indelible impact on his community and society at large.

Emmanuela Obaro has always been interested in the scientific basis behind animal and human psyche. As she learned about the complexity of the human body and the internal hierarchy of living organisms, from a minuscule simple cells to intrinsic organ systems, Emmanuela developed an intense curiosity and excitement for the anatomical and functional features of the human architecture. At the beginning of this school year, she was encouraged by her teacher to register in the British Brain Bee competition. Initially, she was hesitant about participating as she had never taken part in a science competition before and didn’t know if she would be able to learn new and seemingly abstract information on her own. However, Emmanuela didn’t let her doubts and fears take over her consciousness. Participating in the Brain Bee really sparked Emmanuela’s interest in neurology. Not only did she have the chance to learn and discover components of the human brain that she never knew even existed, but she was also able to broaden her scientific knowledge by delving into topics outside her current school curriculum. While studying the resources for the regional – and subsequently national – Brain Bee competition, Emmanuela didn’t feel like the assimilation of all the different neuroscience concepts were a burden, but rather enjoyed reviewing the new information she had learned. Furthermore, participating in this competition helped Emmanuela to improve her self-esteem and confidence, as well as building an invaluable foundation of knowledge for her future plans. In fact, she plans to pursue a career in the medical field, in which neurology is certainly one of the possible choices for her speciality of choice.

Akhil Kondepudi is a junior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School, in Missouri, USA. He enjoys learning, among other things, about the life sciences, and especially about the brain. One of Akhil’s notable interests in neuroscience is the functional pathways of the brain and how we can represent these pathways with computers (computational neuroscience). He has participated and done well in many academic competitions, including the AMC (American Math Competition) series, USABO (USA Biology Olympiad), Science Bowl, and Science Olympiad. In the future, Akhil hopes to pursue a degree in biology or neuroscience and later obtain a MD-PhD in a related field.