With passionate delivery and compelling detail on the issue of Golden Rice, Alexandra Shuttleworth won the Faculty of ALES' 2016 Macgregor Smith Speaking Competition.
The third-year student in agricultural resource economics took the trophy by eloquently stating that millions of children with vitamin A deficiency in developing countries are going blind because the proposed solution - a genetically modified rice containing beta carotene - is the target of anti-GMO activism.
The controversial topic stirred debate during the Q&A segment that followed her allotted five minutes to speak. However, judges awarded her top marks for not only engaging the audience, but also for her organization of ideas, command of the topic, and clarity and confidence in presenting it.
The speech addressed one of the two themes competitors could choose to talk about this year: "By 2030, I'd like to see … " The other theme was, "What my ALES education means to me."
Second place went to Tash Lahd, a fourth-year nutrition student who described how her undergrad prepared her to effectively help people and qualify for a dietetic internship.
Daniel Neuman, also a fourth-year nutrition student, won third prize by advocating more patient-centred health care, through the lens of his experience working in a clinic for obese teenagers.
Honourable mentions were awarded Charlene Sinclair and Ivy Ye.
Fifth-year nutrition student Sinclair explained how a series of international experiences sponsored by the Faculty of ALES led to her developing a specific plan and place for the work she intends to do with Inuit upon graduation from her dietetic internship.
Ye, a fourth-year food science student, delivered a thought-stimulating speech on recent research that suggests it's possible to mass-produce edible meat without slaughtering animals, by replicating their muscle in-vitro.
The top three winners won $800, $500 and $300 respectively.
The Macgregor Smith Speaking Competition has been run annually since 1931 by the Agriculture Club. It was established by Jack Macgregor Smith, the faculty's first professor of agricultural engineering and an outstanding public speaker who promoted the skill to students as a valuable, lifelong strength.
Among the distinguished guests in the audience at this year's event were Professor Emeritus Keith Briggs, the first chair of the Department of Agricultural Food and Nutritional Science; and Don Laverty and his wife Martha. Don won the Macgregor Smith competition in 1954.
The third-year student in agricultural resource economics took the trophy by eloquently stating that millions of children with vitamin A deficiency in developing countries are going blind because the proposed solution - a genetically modified rice containing beta carotene - is the target of anti-GMO activism.
The controversial topic stirred debate during the Q&A segment that followed her allotted five minutes to speak. However, judges awarded her top marks for not only engaging the audience, but also for her organization of ideas, command of the topic, and clarity and confidence in presenting it.
The speech addressed one of the two themes competitors could choose to talk about this year: "By 2030, I'd like to see … " The other theme was, "What my ALES education means to me."
Second place went to Tash Lahd, a fourth-year nutrition student who described how her undergrad prepared her to effectively help people and qualify for a dietetic internship.
Daniel Neuman, also a fourth-year nutrition student, won third prize by advocating more patient-centred health care, through the lens of his experience working in a clinic for obese teenagers.
Honourable mentions were awarded Charlene Sinclair and Ivy Ye.
Fifth-year nutrition student Sinclair explained how a series of international experiences sponsored by the Faculty of ALES led to her developing a specific plan and place for the work she intends to do with Inuit upon graduation from her dietetic internship.
Ye, a fourth-year food science student, delivered a thought-stimulating speech on recent research that suggests it's possible to mass-produce edible meat without slaughtering animals, by replicating their muscle in-vitro.
The top three winners won $800, $500 and $300 respectively.
The Macgregor Smith Speaking Competition has been run annually since 1931 by the Agriculture Club. It was established by Jack Macgregor Smith, the faculty's first professor of agricultural engineering and an outstanding public speaker who promoted the skill to students as a valuable, lifelong strength.
Among the distinguished guests in the audience at this year's event were Professor Emeritus Keith Briggs, the first chair of the Department of Agricultural Food and Nutritional Science; and Don Laverty and his wife Martha. Don won the Macgregor Smith competition in 1954.