Our Story

A journey of passion, innovation, and global impact in neuroscience education

The International Youth Neuroscience Association (IYNA) was founded as the Youth Neuroscience Clubs of America at the 2016 United States National Brain Bee. Norbert Myslinski, founder of the International Brain Bee, challenged USA Brain Bee competitors not just to compete for the top prize but to come together to build a community for young people studying neuroscience. On March 18, 2016, our founding team met this challenge with an outline of what would eventually become the IYNA: an organization led by students, for students, designed to spread excitement for and knowledge of neuroscience to students across the globe.

From its founding, the IYNA wanted to introduce students to scientific literacy through a student-written and edited journal and empower students to spread their love of neuroscience among their communities through its chapters system. As we grew, we built new partnerships and projects — from our Modern Youth Education, Leadership, and Inquiry in Neuroscience Initiative which built our summer course curriculum, to our annual competitions hosted in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Association and International Neuroethics Society, to our Neuro& Career Webinar series hosted with the support of the Dana Foundation. After nearly ten years of growth, the IYNA is as committed as ever to finding new ways of inviting students to explore the wonders of the brain.

Special Recognition

We would like to extend a special thank you to the former executive directors of the IYNA, as well as all of the volunteers and members who have made our community so special: