Brown Brain Bee

The Brown Brain Bee is a student-led neuroscience education and outreach organization dedicated to making brain science accessible, engaging, and exciting for students and families across Rhode Island. Through free neuroscience lessons taught by Brown undergraduate and graduate students, we introduce local high school students to topics ranging from memory and sensation to neurological disease while helping them prepare for the annual Rhode Island Brain Bee.

The Brown Brain Bee hosts the official state Rhode Island Brain Bee Competition, a quiz bowl-style competition each February. Each year, our winner advances to represent Rhode Island at the USA National Brain Bee.

Our mission extends far beyond the competition. In collaboration with Brown neuroscience graduate students and Brain Waves RI, we bring hands-on neuroscience education into the broader Providence community through Brainy Visits to local schools and the annual Brown Brain Fair. The Brown Brain Fair welcomes hundreds of community members to Brown each spring to explore interactive demonstrations, meet researchers, and experience neuroscience firsthand. In 2026, the Brown Brain Fair received Brown University's Student Activities Office “Event of the Year” Award.

At the heart of the Brown Brain Bee is the belief that neuroscience is for everyone. We hope to make science approachable, foster curiosity, connect young students with mentors, and strengthen communication and trust between researchers and the communities around them. Whether a student dreams of becoming a neuroscientist, an artist, a physician—or something entirely different—we want them to leave our programs knowing that there is a place for their curiosity in science.