A native of Columbia, SC, Dr. Sarah (“Kitty”) Tryon grew up in the Palmetto State and pursued her Bachelor of Science degree from Furman University in Neuroscience (and German Studies).  After Furman, she earned a Fulbright Student Grant to Germany where she enjoyed teaching German high school students. It was during her time in Germany when she first became involved in the International Brain Bee, having assisted with the 2013 and 2014 German National Brain Bee competitions.  After her Fulbright, she returned to the U.S. to earn her PhD in Exercise Science from the University of South Carolina, where she founded the Graduate Association for Brain Awareness (GABA).  She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Marlene Wilson's lab at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience researching the neural mechanisms underlying fear and emotional disorders.  Having assisted with the 2014 International Brain Bee and the 2015 USA National Brain Bee, she is more than excited to bring neuroscience education and competition to South Carolina high school students through neuroSC and the South Carolina Brain Bee! Dr. Tryon is passionate about improving treatments and cures for brain diseases through neuroscience research and education outreach initiatives. It is her goal of motivating the next generation to become compassionate, exceptional leaders in neuroscience research and medicine through creating neuroscience outreach opportunities for South Carolina students that drives her outreach work!

About me

Karinne Cobb is a junior at The University of South Carolina pursuing a degree in neuroscience. She has worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the McQuail lab at The UofSC School of Medicine since 2019 in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience. Her project focuses on memory loss and metabolic dysfunction in the aging brain. She has been and member of the undergraduate Neuroscience Club since 2019, and has served as an executive board member of the club since 2020. She has a strong passion for neuroscience and is excited to be a part of the South Carolina Brain Bee competition!

About me

Nick Maxwell earned his bachelors from Roanoke College in Biology, then shortly thereafter began working as a lab manager and research assistant at a Neuroscience laboratory at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. After three years in that position, he joined the Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine to pursue his PhD in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience. Currently he is the President of the Graduate Association for Brain Awareness (GABA), and is thrilled to be working with the other Coordinators to bring neuroSC and the South Carolina Brain Bee to South Carolina.

Devin Kellis is a third-year MD/PhD student in the Neuroscience Track of the Integrated Biomedical Sciences doctoral program at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia. A native of Florence, SC, he previously completed his undergraduate studies in psychology and biology at Francis Marion University. With aspirations of becoming a psychiatrist-scientist, he currently studies the neurobiological basis of resilience to traumatic stress under the mentorship of Drs. Jim Fadel and Marlene Wilson. He currently serves as the Medical Student Liaison to the South Carolina Psychiatric Association (SCPA) and Vice President of the Graduate Association of Brain Awareness (GABA).​​