At a Brain Bee Competition in Newark, a 10th Grade Student Ignites His Curiosity for Neuroscience
Eason Yuze Lu from Livingston High School wins first place at competition showcasing expertise in cognition and other brain functions.
A high school sophomore claimed top honors during the 18th Newark New Jersey Regional Brain Bee competition.
The event, sponsored by the Rutgers Brain Health Institute, was held on March 22 at the New Jersey Medical School, drawing 98 students from 42 New Jersey high schools who competed to highlight their neuroscience expertise across topics including learning, memory, sleep, vision, movement and brain diseases and disorders. The Brain Bee is organized annually by Steven Levison, Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and Vice-Chair of the Neurodegeneration and Injury Focus Area Working Group at the BHI.
Eason Yuze Lu, a 10th grader from Livingston High School, emerged as the first-place winner and earned a spot to compete in the USA National Brain Bee, which took place at the University of California, Irvine on April 25. There 54 students from 33 different states competed for the opportunity to compete in the International Brain Bee which will take place in conjunction with the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in November.
The Brain Bee was the perfect way to enjoy learning about biology while giving me a clear goal to work toward.
Eason Yuze Lu
Brain Bee Winner
Far more than an academic competition, the Brain Bee is a cornerstone of the Brain Health Institute’s mission to inspire and nurture the next generation of brain health researchers and clinicians.
For Lu, the Brain Bee ignited a deep curiosity for neuroscience, combining his interest in biology with a competitive framework that laid out a clear learning goal.
“I became interested in neuroscience largely because of finding this competition,” Lu said. “I enjoy learning about biology, and I wanted to bring that interest to a more competitive format. The Brain Bee was the perfect way to enjoy learning about biology while giving me a clear goal to work toward.”
A fan of cognitive neuroscience, Lu said he is particularly fascinated by “how decision making and perception work,” an interest he first cultivated after discovering the Brain Bee online while researching neuroscience topics. He added the competition also deepened his curiosity for neurodevelopment and clinical biology, solidifying his goal to pursue medicine and neuroscience in the future.
Lu said he is planning to perform a neuroscience research internship with a keen focus on Rutgers and Brain Health Institute laboratories that are either performing cognitive neuroscience or neurodevelopmental studies.
