On the 1st of July, 2019 Poppy Blake-Manson, Bridget Maw, Emma McCusker and Ruby Moore went to the University of Otago to represent Rangi Ruru in the South Island Brain Bee Challenge.

Our first stop was the Otago Museum where we saw the butterflies and set up our sleeping gear, as we were spending the night at the museum. We then went on to see the electron microscopes where we saw gold magnified 1,000,000 times!!! This was followed by a visit to the Anatomy Museum which was fascinating.

That evening the students explored the museum by moonlight before settling down into the Discovery Room to sleep.

The next day, the students took part in the Brain Bee competition. This involved answering questions about the biology and diseases of the brain. There were rounds where students competed in teams and as individuals. During a break we had the privilege of hearing a presentation from Dr Owen Jones on how we make memories which he related to study strategies for students. This was very topical as our students head into preparation for the end of year examinations.

I was very proud of the girls as they all made it through to the semi-finals of the competition. Well done!!!

In the afternoon we went to the Human Body Systems Laboratory and the students learnt more about the brain and the nervous system by stimulation the ulnar nerve.

The Brain Bee Challenge was a wonderful learning opportunity for the girls who not only learnt a lot about the brain but were also exposed to different experiences at Otago University and Otago Museum. I was very proud of Poppy, Bridget, Emma and Ruby, they were fantastic ambassadors for Rangi Ruru.

Poppy “I loved being able to see the experiments in the lab and listening to the lecturers”.

Bridget “I loved being able to explore the facilities of Otago University and Museum”

Ruby “What I liked about going to Brain Bee was the fact that the organisers made it a whole experience for us and made it really immersive and interactive, as they focused not only on the quiz but also all the science surrounding the topic.”

More photos below>>