Press Releases
South Florida Teens Celebrate 2026 Max Brain Challenge Victory
The brainiest students in South Florida competed to show which team had the most neuroscience knowledge at the 2026 Max Brain Challenge, hosted by The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience.
Held on April 11, 2026, the event brought together high school students from Palm Beach and Martin County school districts for a high-energy competition where teams competed to answer questions about neurobiology, neurological disorders, and key brain functions like learning, emotion, and memory.
When the dust settled and pencils were down, the “Buccaneer Brainwaves” from The Benjamin School emerged victorious to take the first-place spot. The team consisted of tenth graders Liv Heurich, Elle Derby, and Ilia Peck.
Reya Chennat, Eva Basnet, and Sofia Yuricek and their team “Myelin Sheath,” from Dreyfoos School of the Arts were the runners up. Third place was awarded to Aarav Shah, Milan H. Patel, and Milan M. Patel – also known as the “Mind Masters” from Jupiter Community High School.
All three winning teams received trophies and Amazon gift cards to celebrate their win. An additional award was presented to the team with the wittiest name: “Synapse, Crackle, and Pop” from South Fork High School.
Participating schools included:
- Dreyfoos School of the Arts
- Jupiter Christian School
- Jupiter Community High School
- Oxbridge Academy
- Pahokee Middle-Senior High School
- Palm Beach Central High School
- Palm Beach Lakes Community High School
- Royal Palm Beach Community High School
- South Fork High School
- The Benjamin School
- The King's Academy
Promoting Neuroscience Education through the Joy of Competition
Each team invested weeks of brain-bending preparation, strengthening their knowledge of general neuroscience foundations along with specific terms and concepts. MPFI provided teams with 15 in-depth study resources that covered everything from neuroplasticity to optogenetics.Angelique Nelson, a teacher from Royal Palm Beach High School whose students competed in the event, had this to say about the Max Brain Challenge: “My students love this event. There is no substitute for seeing science in action. This event expands their knowledge of research and they always leave with more curiosity about neuroscience and everything that goes into it.”
The 2026 Max Brain Challenge also offered learning opportunities beyond the competition itself. Every student who competed also had the chance to explore behind the scenes at MPFI on a guided tour with hands-on demonstrations in microscopy, brain dissection, optogenetics and more.
About the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) is a not-for-profit research organization that conducts cutting-edge research into how the brain works, paving the way for future cures and diagnostics for devastating neurodegenerative conditions. MPFI’s commitment to innovation gives researchers exceptional resources to take unprecedented approaches to neuroscience and develop new technologies that make groundbreaking scientific discoveries possible. MPFI also shares its science freely with the community through STEM outreach programs, including “Ask Max,” a free, in-classroom program for Palm Beach and Martin County Schools. For more information, and to support MPFI’s research and outreach mission, visit https://www.mpfi.org/.
Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience
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Katie Edwards Associate VP, Public Engagement
- April 13, 2026
- (561) 972-9252
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