Winnipeg teenager finishes second in international neuroscience competition

Lisa Wei (right) and Dr. Robert Beattie look at a model of the brain. Uploaded Oct. 12, 2024. (Alex Karpa/CTV News)

A Grade 11 student at Winnipeg’s Vincent Massey Collegiate is helping put the city on the map after she became one of the best in the world when it comes to neuroscience.

Lisa Wei took part in the International Brain Bee, a competition that tests high school students’ knowledge of neuroscience. More than 3,000 students from 40 countries engaged in the battle of the brains, and Wei came second in the world.

“I felt mostly surprised by the result,” Wei told CTV News in an interview. “To be honest, it took me roughly 20 seconds to actually process the whole information.

“It was not expected at all.”

Wei said the competition focuses on facts about the brain, ranging from basic functions to higher function levels like emotions and memory. When it came to the test and live judging, Wei and her Australian competitor answered the questions about the brain so flawlessly, they ran out of questions to ask them.

The secret to her success? A lot of studying.

“I spent my summer months learning it, setting goals … and I spent the rest of September to pretty much review the sections I read during the summer,” she said.

Wei worked with Dr. Robert Beattie, a professor in the University of Manitoba’s College of Medicine.

“This competition is incredibly difficult, and these questions are postgraduate level, and so she's only in Grade 11, which is mind-boggling when you think about it,” Beattie said, no pun intended. “But she's really just a phenomenal student, and we're extremely proud here.”

Beattie said Winnipeggers have been successful in the competition over the past few years. He believes it’s because students here have a passion for neuroscience.

“We're training, through this competition, the next generation of neuroscientists and next generation of healthcare workers, and just instilling that passion for science in these students,” he said.

For other students who may be interested in the Brain Bee, Wei said they should try it out.

“Go for it,” she said. “This competition is open to anyone, regardless of your background knowledge of neuroscience.”

- With files from CTV's Alex Karpa.