2019 Competitors

Yidou (Gwen) Weng is a student at Jiangxi Normal University in China. She had only, until recently, followed the standard Chinese curriculum, developing an interest in nearly every school subject for the past 16 years. Everything changed when the book, What a Plant Knows opened a brand-new world about science and passion. Many ideas from various books have inspired her to pursue neuroscience. In particular, Uncovering the biological basis of human higher cognition has led her to want to become a neuropsychologist. She firmly believes that deep expertise in both neurology and psychology are imperative to achieving her career goals. She sees her participation in the International Brain Bee as the first step toward achieving her dream, and is excited to participate with fellow students from around the world.

Natalia is a recent graduate from Leopold Lis-Kula High School in Rzeszow. She has been interested in psychology since junior high school, but participating in the Brain Bee let her explore the biology of the human brain. Fascinated by discovering molecular secrets about the nervous system, she decided to pursue a career as a scientist working on the biochemical and molecular basis of memory and mental diseases. Natalia has had an opportunity to complete internships in molecular biology laboratories and engage in neuroscience research, which deepened her interest in molecular sciences. Besides neuroscience, Natalia enjoys dancing, listening to good music, and developing photography skills. Her plans for the nearest future, besides developing a science career, include learning Chinese language and programming.

Kamand SoufiAbadi is a 12th grade student at Farzanegan 1: No. 56. She was introduced to neuroscience when she accidentally bumped into a large brain poster on her school’s announcement board. She decided to enlist in the Brain Bee competition and has been fascinated with neuroscience ever since. She also loves math and physics, and finds it beautiful that every science major has a correlation with mathematics. Kamand enjoys jazz and folk music and her favorite movie is Her.

Silas Hansch-Maher is an 11th year student at St. Ignatius College in Athelstone, South Australia. At school, he strives to learn more than is taught in the classroom and is especially intrigued by the sciences. He also enjoys extending himself in math and Latin because both topics provide interesting challenges. Silas is an enthusiastic member of his school’s debate team and is passionate about his involvement. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, socializing with friends, and listening to music. He also enjoys keeping up with current events. Silas discovered the exciting and complex world of neuroscience upon entering his state competition, and he has found learning about the brain incredibly fascinating and enjoyable.

Gustavo Miller Santos is an eleventh-grade student at the Technical High School of Campinas (COTUCA). Having always been passionate about technology, he studies Information Technology (IT) at his school. Gustavo also became intrigued by biology a few years ago, and since then, studying its complexities has become one of his greatest hobbies. This year, he won a gold medal in the Brazilian Biology Olympiad. In Gustavo’s free time, he enjoys reading, watching series, listening to music, and spending time with friends. He finds neuroscience fascinating and ultimately hopes to connect his knowledge of computer science to assist people with neurological disorders. Gustavo is excited about the opportunity to participate in the IBB and to learn more about the complexities of the nervous system. He feels honored to represent Brazil in the competition.

Zhongyi Sun recently graduated from Old Scona Academic High School in Edmonton, Alberta and will be attending the University of Alberta next year. She enjoys staying productive by reading, watching instructional videos, or doing homework. In her free time, she enjoys playing flute, singing karaoke, and playing mobile games. She also listens to many types of music, ranging from classical to pop. Zhongyi’s interest in neuroscience stemmed from her fascination with the complexities of the nervous system. She is especially drawn to the intriguing nature of the yet-to-be-discovered causes of certain neural disorders (such as epilepsies) which are currently under research. In the future, she hopes to apply her knowledge of the nervous system to improve the lives of people with these unfortunate disorders and diseases.

Yidou (Gwen) Weng is a student at Jiangxi Normal University in China. She had only, until recently, followed the standard Chinese curriculum, developing an interest in nearly every school subject for the past 16 years. Everything changed when the book, What a Plant Knows opened a brand-new world about science and passion. Many ideas from various books have inspired her to pursue neuroscience. In particular, Uncovering the biological basis of human higher cognition has led her to want to become a neuropsychologist. She firmly believes that deep expertise in both neurology and psychology are imperative to achieving her career goals. She sees her participation in the International Brain Bee as the first step toward achieving her dream, and is excited to participate with fellow students from around the world.

Youssef Hossam is a senior student at ElNasr Boys’ School in Alexandria, Egypt. Through his father, a scientist, he was exposed to scientific thinking early on, which helped to develop his passion towards diverse fields like Physics, Biology and Neuroscience. This drove him to achieve an outstanding academic record, ranking top of his class for 14 consecutive semesters, engage in research projects on Immunology and Physical Energy and be elected as president of his school’s student union. He actively participates in scientific competitions, like Science Olympiads and International Brain Bee. He is amazed by the electro-chemical underpinnings of brain circuits. He is also interested in Cognitive-Behavioural-Therapy as a useful tool to reorganize brain circuits affected in pathological conditions. He hopes to have a career researching these topics alongside being a neurologist. In his leisure time, Youssef enjoys learning languages, like German, and engages in activities related to politics, economics and entrepreneurship.

Seung-Bin Joo is a 16-year-old Korean student attending the International School of Paris in France. From a young age, he has developed a strong curiosity and interest in physics and mathematics. Whether it was devouring physics books or self-learning calculus, Seung-Bin has always been an avid learner excited to discover new things. In grade 10, he was encouraged by his sister to join the ISP Neuroscience Club. At first, he was hesitant to do so: the club seemed like an elite group of the school’s most “hard-core” biologists. However, once giving it a try, he realized that he could not have been more wrong. The neuroscience club was a great learning environment that allowed his interest in neuroscience to grow exponentially. Seung-Bin’s fascination in neuroscience is well expressed by a quote from Marian Diamond, a professor of neuroanatomy at the University of California, Berkeley: “The brain is a three pound mass you can hold in your hand that can conceive of a universe a hundred billion light-years across.” Fueled by this fascination, Seung-Bin is excited to represent France in the International Brain Bee. He believes that neuroscience will provide an invaluable foundation of knowledge which he would love to integrate into his future career in areas such as mechanical and aerospace engineering. Some of his passions outside of academics includes landscape photography, orchestral film composition, speedcubing, chess, and basketball.

Jasmin Alami is a 16-year-old high school student attending Robert Schuman Gymnasium Cham and living in the heart of the Bavarian forest. Biology – being her favorite subject in school – has always been a big interest of hers. Her passion for neuroscience in particular sparked when she discovered a book about the brain in the local library several years ago. She is fascinated by the complexity of the whole nervous system and wants to gain a deeper understanding of it. In her future, Jasmin intends to study neuroscience in order to eventually be an active member in research of the nervous system. Aside from neuroscience, Jasmin is also involved in photography, which she enjoys especially together with her best friend. She was recently awarded a regional photography prize. Additionally, she enjoys running and dancing as a balance to everyday life. Jasmin is both honored and excited to represent Germany at the International Brain Bee 2019.

Jevonie Thomas is a 15-year-old form 4 student at the J.W Fletcher Catholic Secondary School in Grenada. He is enthusiastic about the fields of biology, linguistics, dietetics and physics. He intends to pursue a career that incorporates all of these subjects, starting with neurologist and ending with dietician. Three of his many aspiring goals are to contribute to a cure for Schizophrenia, give a Ted Talk, and to lead the Neurology Department at a hospital. After hearing and researching the story of Charles Whitman, Jevonie has become fascinated by the field of Neuroethics. He has what he would call an “eternal hunger for knowledge.” This is what drives most his life’s goals and actions.