ST. MARYS CITY, Md. — Twenty-five high school students from across Maryland tested their neuroscience knowledge at the 18th Annual Southern Maryland Brain Bee held March 7, 2026, at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
The competition, an officially sanctioned event of the International Brain Bee, encourages students to explore neuroscience and learn about academic opportunities in the field. It was founded by Dr. Anne Marie Brady, a 1993 graduate of the college.
The event featured three rounds. The first covered general neuroscience topics, the second focused on brain anatomy, and the third addressed more specific subjects. Participants had 30 seconds to write answers on whiteboards after questions were read aloud.
Neuroscience and psychology students known as the Braniacs, working with Associate Professor of Neuroscience and program chair Dr. Elizabeth Leininger since January, organized and ran the competition. Julia Gaevsky, class of 2026, served as emcee. Scoring was handled by Braniacs Em Allan, class of 2027, Josie Gibbons, class of 2027, and Presley Pickeral, class of 2026. Additional student volunteers — Wendy Contreras, class of 2026, Nasir Howard, class of 2028, Gerardo Morales, class of 2026, Veronica Velez, class of 2027, and Brooklyn Kimball, class of 2027 — assisted with scoring and photography.
Due to strong interest from within and beyond Southern Maryland, students competed in individual in-chapter or outside-of-chapter categories as well as team rounds.
Sam G. from the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center took first place in the individual competition and received $500 to cover registration and travel for the USA Brain Bee at UC Irvine. Olivia M. from North Harford High School won the outside-of-chapter individual category. In the group competition, teammates Chris K. and Lakshith S. from Centennial High School claimed first place.
Every participant received a door prize raffle ticket, with additional prizes awarded to the top individual and team winners.
The Brain Bee provides high school students in Southern Maryland and surrounding areas an engaging way to deepen their understanding of the brain through competitive yet educational challenges. St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the only public honors college in Maryland, offers both a major and minor in neuroscience, making the event a natural fit for inspiring future students.
Dr. Leininger and the Braniacs have steadily grown the event since its early years, drawing competitors from public, private and career-technology programs across the region. The 2026 competition took place in the recital hall of the Dodge Performing Arts Center on campus.
Southern Maryland’s focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics education continues to expand with programs at local high schools and institutions like the College of Southern Maryland and St. Mary’s College. The Brain Bee aligns with these efforts by introducing students to cutting-edge topics in neuroscience, a field with growing career opportunities in research, medicine and biotechnology.
Students interested in helping organize the 19th Annual Southern Maryland Brain Bee can register for NEUR 305 in spring 2027 to become a Braniac.
The event remains free for high school participants and open to the public for observation, reflecting the college’s commitment to community outreach and STEM education in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties.
