The first annual “Bio’s Challenger” Event took place on the evening of April 4th, 2019 amidst cheers, and chants from all of the students in HNUE’s Biology Department. This event aims to improve the presentation and functional English skills of students by presenting them with real life English scenarios. These range from profession presentation skills, to more impromptu life scenarios.
There are many teachers and students in the Faculty of Biology attending the Event. In particular, the Event has the participation of the REI Volunteer from America - Alyssa Meyer as a jury of the competition.
One student from each class and grade was designated as the representative for their class. Each was hoping to bring honor to their classmates by surmounting each challenge with poise and expertise. Although 10 students competed for the top prize, only 1 could be named the champion. Their preparation and hard work would not make it an easy decision for the judges.
In the first round, students were asked to prepare a speech (completely in English) about a suggested topic, and were then asked impromptu questions about their presentation. The given topics were as follows: ecology and environmental protection, animal and plant physiology, cell structure and function, molecular biology and genetics, or biotechnology.
Round two was to prove the functionality of their English skills in real world scenarios. Each student randomly selected 1 of 7 possible questions, posed to represent a foreigner asking for help. These questions covered a diverse amount of topics ranging from, “Could you help me get to HoanKiem lake from here?” to “My parents are coming to visit Hanoi. Can you suggest some places in Hanoi that I should take them?”. Each student had 2-3 minutes to give their answer.
The ambitious students who participated in this event are as follows:
1. Pham Quynh Anh
2. Dang Phuong Nam
3. Duong Thi Thao Quyen
4. Nguyen Huu Huy
5. Ninh Tung Duong
6. Luong Thuy Ha
7. Vu Thi Thuy Quynh
8. Vu Hai Dang
9. Tran Thu Huong
10. Nguyen Phuong Linh
Ms. Pham Quynh Anh lead the group with a clear fluency in the English language, confidence in her presentation, and strong persuasive ability. The enthusiastic support of her classmates in K66K helped her to rise to the top with the topic “Biotechnology”. The second prize went to contestant Nguyen Huu Huy, of K66C, and third prize to Ninh Tung Duong of K67K. In addition, 5 honorary prizes were awarded.
As the evening drew to a close, many students were impressed with their representative classmates. They will look forward to next year when it may be their turn to showcase their English skills.
Some photos of the “Bio’s Challenger” Event
Photo 1. Prize winning candidates.
Photo 2. Contestant Ninh Tung Duong with 3rd prize
Photo 3. Contestant Pham Quynh Anh (first prize) and Nguyen Huu Huy (second prize)
Photo 4. Candidates, judges, and organizers