Young minds explore the brain: DNO 2026

March 14, 2026

On a Saturday morning in mid-March, our lecture hall slowly fills with a mix of excitement and quiet concentration. More than 60 students from across the region have gathered for this year’s German Neuroscience Olympiad in Bonn, all driven by the same question: How does the brain work?

After a short welcome, the competition begins. Pens move quickly across exam sheets as participants tackle questions ranging from neural signaling to behavior. But the 'Deutsche Neurowissenschaften Olympiade' (DNO; German Neuroscience Olympiad) is more than a written test. Over the course of the afternoon, students rotate through practical challenges, identifying brain structures, diagnosing neurological case studies, and applying their knowledge in new contexts.

Between competition rounds, the atmosphere shifts. On the ground floor, the institute has been transformed into an interactive NeuroExpo, a space where neuroscience becomes tangible. Here, students test their own perception in classic illusions, explore how the brain adapts to changing sensory input, and compare brains across species. At one station, vision and movement fall out of sync. At another, touch and body perception are subtly manipulated. What all these experiences have in common is that they reveal a key insight: perception is not a direct reflection of the world, but something the brain actively constructs. A special highlight this year was the contribution of the iBehave CADRE and eLab teams from the Universities of Bonn and Cologne. At their booth, visitors could explore how engineering and neuroscience intersect in modern research, from electronic systems to experimental approaches.

Throughout the day, participants also had the opportunity to engage directly with researchers. During the Ask-Me-Anything session, held in the lecture hall, students were invited to ask questions about studying neuroscience, career paths, and everyday life in research. This open format created space for informal exchange and encouraged students to explore topics beyond the competition itself.

In the final round, the podium session, the top 15 students answered short neuroscience questions posed by the jury. This session determined first, second, and third place of the Bonn competition, which were celebrated at the end of the day. The jury, consisting of group leaders Monika Scholz and Aneta Koseska as well as postdoctoral researcher Kalel Rossi, ensured a careful and consistent evaluation during this stage.

The day concludes where it began, in the lecture hall, now marked by excitement and recognition of the participants’ achievements. Awards for the winners included neuroscience learning materials as well as the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through internship placements at the institute and collaborating research sites.

Qualification for the national finals followed in the days after the event. Based on the combined results across all regional competitions, the top 45 students from Bonn, Heidelberg, and Berlin were invited to the national DNO finals in Frankfurt. These finals will take place at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, a long-standing partner of the DNO and part of a close collaborative network within the German neuroscience community.

Events like the DNO show how early curiosity can turn into scientific passion. By opening its doors to young students, the institute not only shares its research but also invites the next generation to become part of the scientific journey.