Central Massachusetts Regional Brain Bee

UMass Chan Medical School Hosted

20^th Annual Central Massachusetts Brain Bee

High School Students Showcase Neuroscience Knowledge at Brain Bee

Thirty-four students competed in the 20^th Annual Central Massachusetts Regional Brain Bee, held in the Albert Sherman Center at UMass Chan Medical School on March 7, 2026.A written exam trimmed the field to ten Finalists, who competed in the Oral Bee by responding to oral questions in writing in front of the audience responses.

Sheldon Benjamin, MD, and the ten Finalists. Photo credit: David Weaver, PhD.

Fifteen rounds of questioning were needed to identify Joseph Peng, a 10th grader at Shrewsbury High School, as the winner and recipient of the Andrew M. Sheridan Young Neuroscientist Award. Parnitha Karapakula of the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science and Hasika Chauhan of Hopkinton High School initially finished tied for second place; another three questions were needed to identify Parnitha as the runner-up.

Left to Right: Joseph Peng, Parnitha Karapakula, Hasika Chauhan. Photo credit: Jack Cheng.

student receiving award

Left to Right: David Weaver, PhD, Shirley Sheridan, Joseph Peng, Parnitha Karapakula, Hasika Chauhan, Sheldon Benjamin, MD, and Michael Sheridan. Photo Credit: David Kennedy, PhD.

Evelyn Zuckerberg of Acton-Boxborough Regional High School and Aadith Maganti of Shrewsbury High School tied for fourth place. Rounding out the top 10 finishers were Pratham Pai of Shrewsbury High School and Yoanna Gandy, Jakken Ty, Charlee Miller and Johanna Easo from Grafton High School. Other high schools represented included the Cushing Academy and Tantasqua Regional High School

All the competing students were winners, showing their passion for learning about the brain, its functions, anatomy and diseases.

Photo Credit: Jack Cheng Photo Credit: Jack Cheng

Guests (family members and teachers) had snacks and perused seven posters while the competing participants completed the written Bee. Poster presenters from UMass Chan were Becca Beiter, PhD, Caitlyn Edwards, PhD, Travis Faust, PhD, Samara Vilca, PhD, Matthew Fanelli and Harmony Singh. Mimi Nomikos and Rachel Moreno presented a poster on their work conducted at Mount Holyoke College.

Six speakers shared their science and/or perspectives with the audience while the written Bee exams were being scored. The oral presentations were delivered by
(1) E. Kale Edmiston, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, “Understanding Brain-Based Risk Factors for Anxiety Disorders”;
(2) Caitlyn Edwards, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Neurobiology,“How Teen Drinking Rewires the Brain: A 3D Tour Inside the Mouse Brain”;
(3) Avery Mizrahi, Undergraduate at Harvard University “How To: Research in High School”;
(4) Sean Simonini, UMass Lowell 2025 graduate, and founder, Aging Initiative "You Can Just Do Things: Going Beyond the Classroom in Neuroscience";
(5) Faina Rabinovich, Clinical Research Coordinator II, Department of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, “Clinical Research in NeuroICU: Impact, Pressure, and Possibility”; and
(6) Shamini Biju, Winner, 19^th Central Massachusetts Brain Bee (2025); Junior, Shrewsbury High School, “Experiencing the 2025 USA National Brain Bee.”

The event was organized by David Weaver, PhD, Professor of Neurobiology. Sheldon Benjamin, MD, Professor Emeritus of Neurology and Psychiatry served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Speakers and Oral Bee. Alo Basu, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience at the College of the Holy Cross and incoming President of the Western Massachusetts Chapter contributed to Opening remarks celebrating the students’ commitment to learning.

We are especially thankful for the Volunteers who helped make the Brain Bee possible including the grading team headed by Megan Fowler-Magaw and Oral Bee Judges Travis Faust, PhD, and Maryam Omran, MD.

Financial support for the Bee was provided by the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience and the Department of Neurobiology at UMass Chan.

Dates for the 2027 Central Massachusetts Brain Bee have not been set at this time.

About the Brain Bee

There is no cost to participate and no limit to the number of students who may attend from any given school. Guests (teachers, teammates and family members) may attend. An educational activity will be scheduled for these guests while the competitors are taking the written portion of the test.

If you are planning to attend (e.g., teachers, classmates, or family members), please send your name and email address to CentralMassBrainBee@umassmed.edu so we can preregister you with security, to save time on arrival. All attendees will be asked to sign a photo waiver upon arrival or to submit it in advance. Unaccompanied minors should get their parental signature on the photo waiver before arriving.
Photo Consent Form

Teachers, Parents, and Future Competitors – Join The Mailing List. To be added to our Brain Bee e-mail Distribution list, complete the Interest Form to receive information on 2027 and future Bees.

To Volunteer to help with the 2027 Central Massachusetts Brain Bee, please complete the form: Volunteer

Eligibility:
Participants are allowed to compete in only one regional Brain Bee in a given year.
Previous Brain Bee winners are also ineligible to compete.

Geographical restriction:
Participants in the Central Massachusetts Brain Bee must live in Massachusetts. Not all residents of Massachusetts are eligible, however. Participants whose home is inside the “Route 128 (I-95) loop” are ineligible to compete in the Central Massachusetts Brain Bee. Individuals in the Boston metro area should participate in the BU Brain Bee.

About The Brain Bee

The Brain Bee was founded in 1998 by Dr. Norbert Myslinski at the University of Maryland as a neuroscience competition for high school students. Since then, it has grown into an international competition promoting knowledge of neuroscience and interest in neuroscience-related careers.

The winners of Regional Brain Bees are eligible to compete at National Brain Bees, and National Bee winners can compete in the International Brain Bee. The 2026 USA National Brain Bee will be held on April 25, 2026, at the University of California, Irvine.

The 20^th Central Massachusetts Brain Bee is sponsored by the Department of Neurobiology and the NeuroNexus Institute at UMass Chan Medical School.

Resources For Brain Bee Participants.

Brain Bee questions are based on material in two books:

Brain Facts (2018)
Available as pdf, epub and MOBI files – FREE Download
Available as an audio book- FREE Download