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Wednesday, 24 June 2015

Year 10 student Zhong Xien Yeoh from Shenton College who lives in West Perth has won the State championships at the Australian Brain Bee Challenge and will go on to represent WA at the National Championships in December.

More than 100 brainy Year 10 students from WA competed in the championships held at The University of Western Australia yesterday.

The savvy scholars outsmarted more than 800 teenagers from 23 schools to make it through to the WA finals.

In a nail-biting finish, Zhong Xien Yeoh was named the individual winner, with his school Shenton College coming first in the team championships.

Zhong Xien Yeoh said through the competition he had gained vast knowledge about neuroscience and had the opportunity to meet a new group of friends.

“I first developed an interest in neuroscience after watching a series on National Geographic about illusions and psychology,” he said.

“I found out about Brain Bee from friends at school, and when I discovered it was about neuroscience I was really interested in becoming involved.”

Zhong Xien Yeoh said he was proud to be a WA finalist and go on to compete in the national championships, representing WA.

“It’s great that my efforts paid off, and it was a really exciting competition to be involved in,” he said.

"The competition really deepened my interest towards neuroscience which is definitely one of my options for future study and a career."

State Coordinator and UWA Associate Professor Jenny Rodger said it was pleasing to see the level of neuroscience understanding the young students involved in the competition were displaying at such a young age.

‘The knowledge these students have is exceptional and the Brain Bee Challenge is a great way for students to further develop their knowledge and test their skills, in a friendly learning environment.”

ABBC is supported by major sponsors, University of Western Sydney, along with the Australian Neuroscience Society, UWA and the Neurotrauma Research Program in WA.

The schools who participated in the State Final at UWA were:

• Austin Cove Baptist College
• Esperance Senior High School
• Geraldton Grammar school
• Goldfields Baptist College
• Guildford Grammar School
• John Paul College
• Lake Joondalup Baptist College
• Newton Moore Senior High School
• Santa Maria College
• Shenton College
• St Georges Anglican Grammar School
• St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls
• St Mark's Anglican Community School
• St Mary's Anglican Girls' School
• Woodvale Secondary College

Media references

Associate Professor Jenny Rodger (State Coordinator /NHMRC Senior Research Fellow) (+61 4) 11 844 103
Jess Reid (UWA Media)                                                                                             (+61 8) 6488 6876


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