| by Godwin Ugbaka
Miss Temitope Akanni, Nursing Sciences department representative and winner of GRC symposium presentation, titled, God's Creativity in Microscopic Life, Monera and Prostista"
Miss Vera Adaeze Fred, Public Health department representative and second-place winner of GRC symposium presentation, titled, God's Creativity in Microscopic Life, Monera and Protista
L-R: Mission Vera Adaeze Fred, Public Health department, Miss Temitope Akanni Nursing Sciences department and Miss Nmesoma Ejike, Physiology department, second, first and third place winners of GRC symposium presentation, respectively posed with the award plaques
Director of GRC, Babcock University, Professorssor Kayode Ogunwenmo (1st left), Miss Vera Adaeze Fred, (2nd left), Miss Temitope Akanni, (2nd right) and Miss Nmesoma Ejike (1st right) with the award plaques at GRC symposium, titled, "God's Creativity in Microscopic Life, Monera and Prostista"
Miss Temitope Akanni, representing the Department of Nursing Sciences, emerged in first place at this year’s Geoscience Research Centre [GRC] symposium held at Babcock University.
Miss Vera Adaeze Fred of Public Health and Miss Nmesoma Ejike of Physiology clinched second and third positions respectively.
The competition featured presentations from nine departments: Anatomy, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Medicine and Surgery, Medical Laboratory Science, Nutrition and Dietetics, Nursing Sciences, Public Health, and Physiology.
All participants spoke on the theme "God's Creativity in Microscopic Life, Monera and Protista.”
A panel of judges comprising Professors Cyril Nwagburuka, Isaac Oyewole, Esther Adejumo, F. O. Odutayo, Ayandiran Aina, and Elder Kehinde Daniel moderated the event.
Before presenting prizes to winners and consolation awards to the other six participants, Prof. Nwagburuka and Prof. Oyewole commended all presenters for their performance.
“We the judges have done beautifully with no partiality, and no subjectivity. We were objective in our scoring and we have your criteria, your confidence, your appearance, your mastery of the subject. We have looked at everything holistically,” Prof. Nwagburuka said.
Earlier, GRC Director Professor Kayode Ogunwenmo said the event was important to the university administration and to students. He urged students to remember they were created in the image of God, noting that while most textbooks point to evolution, “God is intelligent and He created all organisms and it was time to listen as they aired theirs about science and creation.”
An elated Temitope shared her experience after being announced winner: “At first I was nervous even though I had been practicing night by night. I just had to keep going over my lines. But then I just thought to myself that this is what I came to do, and I’m happy that my department put their trust and faith in me. They were all so supportive.”
She explained how she delivered without a script: “I wouldn’t say it was easy, there were times I woke up to revise, and sometimes I didn’t even want to. I had assignments; I had tests, but I just had to wake up and keep going over the lines, making it flow. I would even listen to it as I was sleeping.
Temitope said she requested 13 minutes for her presentation instead of the allotted 10 minutes because her practice average was 13 minutes. “I decided to say the main points, talk to my audience, and be very bold about it,” she said. She thanked her teammates for their prayers and support during planning and rehearsal. “I would say thank you guys so much, I love you guys. You guys really brought me to it.
They were always telling me, don’t worry, you got this. Even when I was nervous, they were like breathe in, take water.”