On March 24, the selection contest for the 2nd Shanghai Academic English Speech Competition took place in Room 314, Tongwen Building, Tongji University. Organized by theDepartment of College English,the School of Foreign Studies, the event gathered nearly 20 contestants from various schools across the university.

Participants competed in two categories—the Research English Speech Group and the General Academic English Speech Group—through a 4-minute themed speech and an on-site Q&A session, demonstrating their academic English application and research communication capabilities.

The judging panel consisted of Professor ZhangLuning from the School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Professor Qin Lili from the Department of Physical Education, and three assistant professors from the School of Foreign Studies: Luo Yili, Lin Yumeng, and Yang Jingjing. Contestants were evaluated on research content, linguistic performance, and presentation delivery.

Award Winners

Research English Speech Group1st: Yin Wanzhu (College of Civil Engineering);2nd: Zheng Haowen (School of Economics and Management);3rd: He Chuen (College of Future Technology)

General Academic English Speech Group1st: Lu Ruicheng (College of Future Technology);2nd: Liu Jiatong (School of Life Sciences and Technology);3rd: Wei Shitong (School of Electronic and Information Engineering);Zhang Juntong (College of Civil Engineering)

Yin Wanzhu’s presentationtitled“Snowy Oracle: A Real-time Avalanche Warning System Based on Deep Learning”introduced a high-precision early-warning model with 92.1% detection accuracy and 30 FPS real-time processing. Lu Ruicheng’s“Powering the AI Era: Hydrogel Electrolytes for Safer Zinc-Ion Batteries”put forward three optimization strategies for energy storage safety. Both contestants responded clearly to judges’ inquiries on model generalization and industrial prospects.

Other speeches covered interdisciplinary topics such as architectural renewal, academic writing, sleep health, sustainable design, cultural tourism, microplastic impact, and coalbed methane development, fully reflecting Tongji students’ spirit of solidarity and pursuit of excellence.

Outstanding contestants will represent Tongji University at the final of the 2nd Shanghai Academic English Speech Contest in mid-April.