High-school Students from Rēzekne and Riga Triumph in the First Latvian Brain Bee
The first Latvian International Olympiad in Neuroscience, the Latvian Brain Bee, was recently held under the auspices of Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU). In total, 170 students from all over Latvia applied, but only the 28 best high-school students took part in the competition.
First place went to Huberts Zimackis from Rēzekne State Gymnasium No 1, second place went to Ūlavs Vītols from Riga State Gymnasium No 3, and third place was awarded to Nikola Zorgevica from Riga Secondary School No 64. The winner of the National Olympiad will represent Latvia at the International Brain Bee Championships in Paris this summer.
Latvian Brain Bee was held remotely and lasted seven hours. The competition was in English and covered such topics as the anatomical and histological structure of the nervous system, the principle functions of nervous system function, and diseases of the nervous system. The Olympiad consisted of four parts: 20 multiple-choice test questions, 26 anatomy and histology image analyses, 20 open-ended questions, and clinical case studies of six patients.
The event's organisers were delighted by the interest that young people from outside the capital showed in the competition – more than half of the participants came from regional schools in Rēzekne, Liepāja, Ventspils, Valmiera, Jelgava, Aizkraukle, and other cities. ‘Although it’s only natural that most competitors were 12th graders, we were also pleased with the strong interest that younger high-school students showed.
In total, four students from the 10th grade, seven from the 11th grade, and 17 from the 12th grade took part in the Olympiad.
Although the questions were divided by level of difficulty, they were the same for all high-school students, so I am especially happy that some of the tenth graders also achieved good results,’
said Daniils Žukovs, Head of the RSU Neurology and Neurosurgery Students’ Scientific Interest Group and organiser of the Olympiad.
These Olympiads aim to stimulate interest in neuroscience and brain diseases among both high-school students and the general public. The event gives participants the opportunity to understand the extent of their knowledge, to be motivated to explore the anatomy and working principles of the brain further, and to be inspired to pursue a future in medicine and neuroscience.
The International Brain Bee competition has existed for more than 20 years. The aim of the organisation is to encourage students to get involved in neuroscience. This is the first year that Latvia has joined by organising its own competition. The organisers of the Olympiad in Latvia include the RSU Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, the RSU Neurology and Neurosurgery Students’ Scientific Interest Group, and the Neurology Development Foundation, and the cooperation partners are RSU, the RSU Academy of Young Doctors, the RSU Student Union, as well as the RSU International Student Conference 2022.
The organisers are determined to hold Olympiads every year and are grateful to the medical residents who helped to prepare the questions and evaluate the students’ answers. They want to thank Professor Andrejs Millers, Head of the RSU Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, for his practical help in organising the event, and Professor Evija Miglāne, mentor of the Neurology and Neurosurgery Students’ Scientific Interest Group, for her inspiration for supporting the event when the Latvian Brain Bee was just an idea.
