Macleans College students excel in Brain Bee Challenge
Posted on July 21, 2025
A group of Year 11 Macleans College students participated in the Brain Bee Challenge, organised by the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland.
The competition took place over Terms 1 and 2 and involved around 180 students from 32 schools across the North Island.
The top nine students from Macleans College were invited to the University of Auckland Medical School in Grafton. There, they attended talks on brain research and neurological disorders, took part in quizzes and toured various laboratories and the Medical Sciences Learning Centre.
This year’s keynote speaker was Dr Kyrah Thumbadoo, a former Macleans College student (Rutherford House 2009 – 2013), who is currently researching the pathology of X-linked motor neuron disease.
The final round of the North Island competition was held in front of an audience of students, teachers and sponsors. Ayan Shah (Upham House) competed strongly to place fifth equal in a highly competitive field. Both Ayan and Stephanie Lin (Rutherford) were awarded Neurological Foundation internships and will return to the Medical School during the September school holidays.
