Flinders was abuzz last week, not only with the school students vying to win the South Australian Brain Bee Challenge but also with competitors in the Science and Engineering Challenge.

For two days, some 500 students took over the University’s Biology Discovery Centre for the southern region’s annual Science and Engineering Challenge, which pits high school teams against one another in a range of hands-on tasks.

While some teams strove to achieve maximum efficiency in their designs of rail and electricity networks, others were busily constructing working models that included Mars vehicles, gliders and bridges as well as hovercraft, and antennae dishes.

Meanwhile, the Brain Bee Challenge held its second round in the Flinders Medical Centre, and was coordinated by Flinders University researcher and neuroscientist Associate Professor Damien Keating.

The international competition aims to encourage around 5,500 competitors world-wide to learn about the brain and to inspire them to consider careers in medical science.

Following the first round conducted online, some 50 Year 10 students came to Flinders with their teachers to face the round two question-and-answer format.

The individual winner, Emily Rowland of Woodcroft College, will go on to the national finals held at the Australian Neuroscience Society’s annual conference early next year. The Team Challenge winner was the Australian Science and Mathematics School, earning the school a Primo Star HAL/LED microscope, sponsored by Zeiss.

As well as competing, students had the opportunity to learn about specific aspects of brain research and to visit the University’s neuroscience laboratories.

“It’s all about trying to get their interest in science up,” Associate Professor Keating said.