News from Trinity University

Members of Trinity’s Neuroscience Club proudly display their winning trophy. James Roberts, faculty adviser, is seen in the center of the back row.

SAN ANTONIO – Knowing the correct answer to a question about epilepsy earned a team of Trinity University undergraduates majoring in neuroscience, psychology, and biology a first-place victory in the 12^th annual Brain Bowl.

The seven Trinity students competed against neuroscience teams from defending champion Texas A&M University and another challenger, the University of Texas at Arlington. The event, which was held in observance of Brain Awareness Week to honor neuroscience research, was sponsored by the Center for Biomedical Science and the pharmacology department at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

James L. Roberts, the Cowles Endowed Professor of Life Science and faculty adviser to Trinity’s Neuroscience Club Brain Bowl Team, said the group’s hard work practicing for the event “was a pleasure to observe.” During the April event, the students outscored the other teams by answering a series of 25 neuroscience questions, each with an increasing level of difficulty, he said.

The participating Trinity students were Nic Chretien, Caroline Crocker, Elizabeth Flagge, Mallory Harden, Patrick O'Malley, Ryan Stover, and Lindsay Weigley. Among the highlights:

· Mr. Chretien, a senior from Houston, captured attention with this repeated request – “Can you repeat the question?”

· Ms. Crocker, a junior from Austin, is a double major in neuroscience and psychology. She will be a summer research intern in the health science center’s pharmacology department and plans to attend physician assistant school when she graduates from Trinity. She correctly answered a question seeking the name for increased sensation of pain after injury. The answer is “allodynia.”

· Ms. Flagge, a senior from Spring, Texas, will conduct research during the summer with Professor Roberts. She plans to enroll in a dual MD/PhD program when she graduates. She correctly answered a question about neuron formation.

· Ms. Harden, a senior from Lewisville, Texas, and Mr. O’Malley, a junior from Sugar Land, Texas, answered the final question correctly to win all the marbles. Their question required them to distinguish the difference between the right and left hemispheres of the brain in a patient with epilepsy. Mr. O’Malley is a neuroscience major with a minor in classical studies. He plans to seek a doctorate in neurobiology or a dual MD/PhD.

· Mr. Stover is a junior from Flower Mound, Texas, majoring in neuroscience and economics. He is considering a master’s degree in health care administration or a doctorate in neuroscience.

· Ms. Weigley, a senior from Chevy Chase, Md., plans to apply to medical school with a goal of being a pediatrician who works with disadvantaged children.