Students excel at Otago University Brain Bee
Brain Bee students, from left, Fynn Campbell-Bowden, Oliver Bailey and Holly Johnson are grateful to the community who helped sponsor their trip to Dunedin.
Three talented young locals enjoyed a taste of university life recently – and came home with excellent results.
Holly Johnson, Fynn Campbell-Bowden and Oliver Bailey (all in year 11) went to Otago University’s Brain Bee on 28 June. Oliver won third place overall in the individual quiz competition and all three students acquitted themselves well.
Holly, Fynn and Oliver were part of a group of just 80 students who won places in the final by scoring highly in an online quiz based on a booklet about the brain published by the university. Their science teacher, Kevin Durkan, encouraged them to enter, and they said were very surprised to all make the finals.
The trip to Dunedin cost about $2000, but supporters and sponsors from throughout the Bay helped the students raise the whole sum.
“We’re totally grateful to all the people who supported us,” said Oliver.
The final quiz took place in a big lecture theatre at the university. The students went through two rounds of questions and the field was reduced to just 18 students. All three Golden Bay High students were in this final 18. One question was: What is the drug that is used to treat Parkinson’s Disease? The answer? Levodopa.
The group 18 became six after another round and Oliver was in this final group.
“There were 12 more questions in the next round and they were quite easy,” Oliver said. “I got seven of them right and that got me through to the last three. It was a sudden-death playoff with two other students. They asked the first question and I didn’t have a clue what the answer was. That meant I was third. I won book vouchers, i-tunes vouchers and a trophy. I also get to go to a science camp down in Otago in the summer. It sounds really great.”
The students and their adult supporter, Oliver’s dad Jon, enjoyed their trip. It included lab tours of the neuroscience department, mini lectures and an address from the university’s deputy vice- chancellor, Professor Harlene Hayne.
“She was a good speaker,” said Holly. “Very interesting.”
Fynn said that the trip to the university was great because it involved the students “doing something that you might not otherwise have thought about”.
They all said that it was interesting to find out about a new field of science.
“There’s so much to learn,” said Oliver.
Neil Wilson
