Burke Rehabilitation Hospital Announces Brain Bee Winners

Burke Rehabilitation Hospital announced Horace Mann sophomore Malhaar Agrawal has won its seventh annual local Brain Bee competition. The local championship for the International Brain Bee is a not-for-profit neuroscience competition for high school students designed to encourage them to learn more about the brain while inspiring them to pursue careers in neurology and neurological research.

White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach kicked off the event by welcoming the competitors and presenting a proclamation officially making February 28, 2018 “Brain Bee Day.” Approximately 20 students from Westchester County and the surrounding area participated in the event.

“The Brain Bee is a great opportunity for budding neuroscientists to test their knowledge while also learning more about the brain and nervous system,” says Janet Goodman, LMSW, case manager for Burke’s Brain Injury Program and coordinator for the Brain Bee in Westchester. “These young women and men will be the future of neuroscience and this competition helps expose them to the profession and find out how they can be a part of helping discover cures for injuries and illnesses that affect millions of Americans.”

Students were quizzed on subjects such as human neuroanatomy, neuroscience, types of diagnoses and brain cell identification by a distinguished panel of therapists from Burke. The Bee consisted of several rounds of questions with each round focusing on one specific topic. Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School was also well represented, boasting the second and third place finishers. Sophomore Alyssa Iryami came in second while senior Zachariah Samuel placed third.

Malhaar received a check for $500 for winning the event. He will also go on to compete in the Brain Bee’s U.S. Championships in Washington, D.C. The winner of the U.S. championship will advance to the international championship in Germany.