Windermere High junior wins Central Florida Brain Bee

Allison Lowe, a Windermere High School junior, recalled going into the Central Florida Brain Bee overconfident and underprepared last year. 

This year, she made sure not to make that mistake again.

She learned from last year’s competition not to overlook anything from the materials the University of Central Florida’s Neuroscience Alliance Organization provided. Lowe used her secret weapon — handwritten flashcards — to study. She tried to study for two hours per day when she could while juggling extracurriculars to prepare for the Brain Bee. 

Coming out of the final phase of the competition, which was an oral question-and-answer round in front of judges, Lowe said she didn’t feel confident. She had been doubting herself when she was seeing the questions.

Lowe went home the winner of the Central Florida Brain Bee, beating about 70 other high school students from various high schools in Central Florida. 

“It was definitely surreal,” Lowe said of winning. “At first, I had not even thought I would make it to the top 10, but when I was there, I was like, why not try for first? … It was very intense. I was kind of honed in on the questions they were asking. My hands were shaking afterwards, so I was like, ‘Did I really win? That’s crazy.’”

Lowe said she’s always been interested in science with a particular interest in biology and chemistry, and neuroscience was an “applicable and purposeful way” to dive into the subjects. 

“If you’re really interested in a topic, you can go down the rabbit hole because there’s endless amounts of stuff that you can learn about,” she said. “It’s really interesting.”

She was shocked to discover Windermere High had a neuroscience club, she said. 

“I feel like we kind of overlook or overcomplicate issues sometimes,” Lowe said. “For example, my passion in neuroscience all revolves around neuroimmunology and epigenetics. I feel like if we pay more attention to those subject areas, we can solve a lot of problems that have gone overlooked in the past.”

That’s inspired her research and poster project on multiple sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease. 

She focused on the gut-brain axis, which is the complex network of communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system, and the connection between the gut microbiome and the brain. 

“My topic was how probiotic usage can affect and alter the gut microbiome and the immune system, which in turn will alter the clinical presentation of multiple sclerosis,” she said. 

Her interest in researching multiple sclerosis stemmed from her Advanced Placement psychology class. She thought it was interesting how multiple sclerosis is considered a neurodegenerative disease when it’s autoimmune in nature, she said. 

“We don’t really focus on the autoimmune aspect a lot,” Lowe said. “We just call it a neurological disease and call it a day. I feel like if we look past the surface, we can solve a lot of these similar problems.”

Starting research on any neuroscience topic, Lowe said people often think they are knowledgeable on the subject but that’s not the case.

“It’s kind of strange because you think you know a lot and then you’re immediately humbled, which is a good thing,” she said. “In retrospect, you get to speak to professors at the (Central Florida Brain Bee) itself, and that was really eye-opening. You could ask them a bunch of questions. Everyone there had endless questions because they have endless knowledge on the topic.”

At first, speaking to the professors was intimidating, Lowe said, but after a while, she realized she wanted more. She wanted to be a part of the academic and scientific atmosphere in the future. She said it was an eye-opening experience being able to speak to the professors and explore not only what it would be like to work in the field in the future but also with whom she would be working. 

On top of that, she was meeting like-minded students. 

“It’s very energizing because that’s basically who your coworkers are going to be, and it kind of solidifies your passion in that field,” Lowe said.

Although she is considering competing in the Brain Bee next year, Lowe wants to focus on extending her research. She said looking back on her poster project, there are gaps in her research she wants to fill, which is a part of the research process. 

“If I continue down this path then I can really build up a strong foundation in research,” Lowe said. 

She hopes her research can be a small piece of the puzzle to helping those with multiple sclerosis. 

“You have to be very humble about your contributions because everyone does a small set, but ultimately, that will make a big change,” she said.