Academic Biathlon Brain Surgery

By archiebarribeau | Updated: May 12, 2026, 12:17 p.m.

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Academic Biathlon
Brain Surgery
Background
Beyond the extensive training, a neurosurgeon needs exceptional skills such as a steady hand, precision, patience, and the ability to make quick, critical decisions under pressure. Neurosurgeons must also have the physical and mental stamina to handle long and complex procedures. Is your team ready to take the neurosurgeon challenge?

Challenge Definitions
 For this problem, the brain is a complex organ that controls the body's functions through a network of nerves. The Jenga Tower will serve as the brain in this problem.

For this problem, surgical instruments are hand-held tools used by healthcare professionals to perform specific actions during surgery, such as cutting, grasping, or retracting tissue. Each team will be given materials to construct “surgical instruments.”

For this problem, brain surgery is an operation to treat problems in the brain and surrounding structures, performed to remove tumors, correct abnormalities, treat aneurysms, or relieve pressure.

Each team will perform “brain surgery” using the surgical instruments they have constructed. The team will perform brain surgery by deconstructing a Jenga Tower that represents the brain.

The Problem
Your challenge is to perform “brain surgery.” Teams will create two sets of surgical instruments. Then, teams will use one set of instruments to deconstruct or remove pieces from a Jenga Tower (the brain). Then, teams will use the other set of instruments to build a new brain, Jenga Tower, with the previously removed pieces.

PRE-OP: During the first 10 minutes, teams will build their instruments and test them.
SURGERY (Scoring Phase): During the next 5 minutes, teams will perform surgery by using the surgical instruments to first remove pieces from the brain (Jenga Tower). Then, build a new brain (Jenga Tower).

POST OP/ DECONSTRUCTION: During the final 5 minutes, teams will gather and return all the materials. They will also rebuild their Jenga Tower to its original form.
Challenge Time!
Scoring Rubric
ロ 2 points for each created surgical instrument
 (2 sets- one for removing pieces & one for building a new tower with the removed pieces)
✔ Each instrument must be designed differently to score.
✔ Each instrument must be made out of a combination of at least 3 different materials to score.  
✔ Instruments must be used to be scored,
ロ 5 Points per block removed piece from the original Jenga Tower (brain)
✔Only the instruments can touch the blocks. 
✔ If a team member’s hand touches a Jenga Block, the team must start over with the Jenga Tower in its original form.
✔ If the Jenga Tower falls while taking out blocks, teams must rebuild the tower and start over. Teams can use their hands if their tower tumbles to rebuild it.
ロ Height of the new Jenga Tower (5 points per level)
✔ Each level must contain either 2 or 3 blocks.  
✔Only the instruments can touch the blocks.

Rules to Remember

❍ Teams cannot take blocks from the top level while removing pieces.

❍ Teams cannot touch the Jenga Blocks with their hands. Team can only use the surgical instruments they have created. Only the surgical instruments can touch the Jenga Blocks.

❍ If the tower tumbles during surgery or rebuilding. Teams must start over. Teams can use their hands to reset the Jenga Tower during surgery, but they can only use the surgical instruments if the Jenga Tower tumbles during the building of the new brain.

Academic Biathlon
Brain Surgery

Academic Biathlon Brain Surgery

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