The Write Stuff: Geography Student Receives Honourable Mention
The prestigious Cambridge Essay Re: Think Competition is a writing competition judged by experts from top universities including Cambridge, Oxford and America’s MIT. Out of 4,200 submissions from 50 countries, Upper Sixth’s Emma received an ‘Honourable Mention,’ highlighting her exceptional talent and ability to critically engage with complex and highly contemporary issues, with her essay topic of “Do the benefits of implementing new genome editing technologies for agriculture outweigh the societal backlash of advancing technologies and bioengineered crops?”.
We sat down with Emma to find out more about her chosen topic and to hear her reflections on participating in the competition.
Can you tell us what initially sparked your interest in the Cambridge Essay Competition?
Dr Evans brought it to our attention showing us lots of different categories that we could enter. The topic that particularly stood out to me discussed the relationship between public health, agriculture and sustainability. As I am studying Geography, Biology and Chemistry at A-Level, and I have grown up on a farm, it correlated together nicely. There was a sub-question which discussed the process of genome editing and whether we should implement it into our society, despite of the social backlash. I did some initial research into it and found that genome editing happens with a lot of things like tomatoes and potatoes and particularly in America, and so this is what sparked my interest in the competition.
What was your research process like? Were there any particular challenges you faced while gathering information?
I found there was not enough information or research for genetic engineering. It’s a relatively new development and although it’s been implemented and worked successfully, many people are sceptical of its possible consequences. Around 9% of articles on genetic engineering contained misinformation. I originally wanted to research genetic engineering in pastoral farming but there’s very limited evidence of it being used globally for consumption.
Researching facts on the societal backlash was hard because often people’s thoughts aren’t just black and white. Genetic engineering is an incredibly broad topic with lots of pros and cons so people will have very different opinions and thoughts on it.
What was the most interesting piece of information you found during your research for your essay?
Probably how many crops are already being modified. Around 10% of our land globally is already growing food which has been genetically modified, but also the fact that people aren’t that educated on it and so they don’t realise they are eating genetically modified food. I also found it interesting that where some foods are genetically modified with certain properties taken and added into something else, the only medical issue that comes from that is someone could be allergic to that particular property, not necessarily the whole thing.
How long did the research and writing process take you?
It took around three months to do all the research, but once I got into it and was finding more and more information which was leading onto other things, I quickly got into a rhythm of writing.
How did you feel when you received an ‘honourable mention’ for your essay?
I felt quite proud and a little surprised. There were over 4,000 other students who took part in the competition, so I was very happy and so were my family. It was especially nice to see all of the hard work that I had put into writing the essay was noticed.
Would you encourage other students to participate in similar writing competitions?
Yes, I would definitely recommend for other students to do the same or similar. Even if I hadn’t received the honourable mention, I still think it was extremely interesting and a really good way to expand my knowledge on a topic that is actually really relevant today.
How do you feel participating in this competition has impacted your academic development?
Even though the competition didn’t necessarily contribute to my grades academically, the process of researching, writing and referencing are relevant when it comes to university. It was an extension on top of school work I was already doing, so it also made me balance my time more.
What was the most and least enjoyable part of the competition?
Not necessarily the worst part, but I think the hardest part was finding the time to do it. Looking back, I wish I had allowed myself a bit more time and started it earlier, but any time I was free whether it was at break or lunch time or when I was revising for exams I would make sure I contributed to writing the essay. I actually found that it was quite a nice break from the rest of the studying that I had to do, and because it was a topic that I had chosen to research, I was more interested in the work.
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