Central Massachusetts Regional Brain Bee

SAVE THE DATE: March 7, 2026

UMass Chan Medical School Will Host

the 20^th Annual Central Massachusetts Brain Bee

March 7, 2026

Registration Is Now Open

The Bee will consist of educational events on the afternoon of March 7.
Detailed schedule of events and speakers to follow.

There is no cost to participate and no limit to the number of students who may attend from any given school. Guests (teachers, teammates and family members) may attend. An educational activity will be scheduled for these guests while the competitors are taking the written portion of the test.

If you are planning to attend (e.g., teachers, classmates, or family members), please send your name and email address to CentralMassBrainBee@umassmed.edu so we can preregister you with security, to save time on arrival. All attendees will be asked to sign a photo waiver upon arrival or to submit it in advance. Unaccompanied minors should get their parental signature on the photo waiver before arriving.
Photo Consent Form

Teachers, Parents, and Future Competitors – Join The Mailing List. To be added to our Brain Bee e-mail Distribution list, complete the Interest Form to receive information on 2026 and future Bees.

To Volunteer to help with the 2026 Central Massachusetts Brain Bee, please complete the form: Volunteer

Eligibility:
Participants are allowed to compete in only one regional Brain Bee in a given year.
Previous Brain Bee winners are also ineligible to compete.

Geographical restriction:
Participants in the Central Massachusetts Brain Bee must live in Massachusetts. Not all residents of Massachusetts are eligible, however. Participants whose home is inside the “Route 128 (I-95) loop” are ineligible to compete in the Central Massachusetts Brain Bee.

There will be a Brain Bee at Boston University on Sunday, March 22, 2026.
Individuals in the Boston metro area should participate in the BU Brain Bee.

About The Brain Bee

The Brain Bee was founded in 1998 by Dr. Norbert Myslinski at the University of Maryland as a neuroscience competition for high school students. Since then, it has grown into an international competition promoting knowledge of neuroscience and interest in neuroscience-related careers.

The winners of Regional Brain Bees are eligible to compete at National Brain Bees, and National Bee winners can compete in the International Brain Bee. The 2026 USA National Brain Bee will be held on April 25, 2026, at the University of California, Irvine.

The 20^th Central Massachusetts Brain Bee is sponsored by the Department of Neurobiology and the NeuroNexus Institute at UMass Chan Medical School.

Resources For Brain Bee Participants.

Brain Bee questions are based on material in two books:

Brain Facts (2018)
Available as pdf, epub and MOBI files – FREE Download
Available as an audio book- FREE Download