BASIS Chandler Student Wins Arizona Regional Brain Bee
71 students from 18 Arizona high schools competed in this year's Brain Bee
- AZ - Glendale
Finalists from the Arizona Regional Brain Bee held at Midwestern University's Glendale Campus on February 18th, 2026.
On Wednesday, February 18th, Midwestern University welcomed some of the state’s top high school students for the 28th Annual Arizona Regional Brain Bee, an educational competition similar to a spelling bee that focuses on neuroscience. The 2026 Arizona Regional Brain Bee at Midwestern University was presented in partnership with the BHHS Legacy Foundation.
This year’s Arizona Regional Brain Bee featured 71 students from 18 different Arizona high schools, testing their knowledge of the human brain, how it governs human behavior, and the science that helps medical professionals understand brain function. The event final lasted for 20 rounds.
The top three Brain Bee finishers, in order, were Shireen Arora (Sophomore, BASIS Chandler); Elaine Huang (Junior, Hamilton High School, Chandler); and Joshua Lee (Junior, BASIS Chandler). Shireen is now eligible to compete at the 2026 U.S.A. National Brain Bee this spring at the University of California, Irvine, with Midwestern offsetting the travel, hotel, and food costs up to $2,500. BASIS Chandler was recognized as the overall highest-scoring team for the event; Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale fielded the most students (17) in competition.
Douglas Jones, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Pharmacology, at the Midwestern University College of Graduate Studies served as the Faculty Academic Director for the event. Midwestern University student volunteers served as judges, question readers, timers, and scorekeepers at all stages of the event.
Questions ran the gamut from identifying physical features of the brain itself to naming brain disorders and diseases to surgical and medical practices that modify neural behaviors.
The Arizona Regional Brain Bee is funded as a result of generous financial support from BHHS Legacy Foundation, an Arizona charitable organization whose philanthropic mission is to enhance the quality of life and health of those it serves.
