University of Miami OpiniUM Op-Ed Challenge

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Op-Ed 2023 Op-Ed 2023

Overview

OpiniUM is an academic research writing competition that challenges graduate students to present their research and its significance to a general audience via a concise opinion piece known as an op-ed.

Originally derived from its position opposite the editorial page in a newspaper, an op-ed is a 600–800-word column that conveys a clearly defined purpose and point of view and is written by an authoritative voice in the field. Op-ed writers use facts, statistics, anecdotes, and logic to support their expert opinions and inform and persuade the reader.

 Eligibility and Rules

  1. Competitors must be enrolled in a University of Miami doctoral or master’s program that requires an electronic thesis or dissertation (ETD; click here for a list of eligible programs).
  2. Submissions must be sole-authored and written in the participating semester. Previously published work is not eligible.
  3. Submissions are limited to 600-800 words.
  4. Competitors may seek assistance with proofreading and editing, but the submissions must be the original work of the competitor. Submissions may be submitted to SafeAssign or other plagiarism-detecting software.

If you have any questions about the OpiniUM Op-Ed Challenge, please contact the Graduate School at graduateschool@miami.edu.

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  • 2024 Recap

    The Graduate School hosted the 3rd Annual Op-Ed Challenge during the Fall 2024 Semester.

    First Place Winner:

    Christian McDonald, Ph.D. student in Microbiology and Immunology

    Op-ed Title: A Silent Epidemic: Reawakening the Fight Against a Cancer Virus

    Second Place Winner:

    Vanessa Morales, Ph.D. student in Prevention Science and Community Health

    Op-ed Title: Fighting the Opioid Crisis with Prevention: A $50 Billion Opportunity

    Honorable Mention:

    Fairuziana Humam Hamid, Ph.D. student in Community Well-Being

    Op-ed Title: Redefining Boundaries: Muslim Women’s Path for Liberation

    Full List of Competitors:
    • Tasnia Alam, School of Communication
    • Kate Arnold, School of Education & Human Development
    • Arianna Brito, Miller School of Medicine
    • Tericka Cesar, School of Nursing & Health Studies
    • Avi Hoffman, School of Communication
    • Fairuziana Humam Hamid, School of Education & Human Development
    • Christian McDonald, Miller School of Medicine
    • Eric Mischell, Rosenstiel School
    • Vanessa Morales, Miller School of Medicine
    • Jacinda Pujols, Miller School of Medicine

  • 2023 Recap

    The Graduate School hosted the 2nd Annual OpiniUM Op-Ed Challenge during the Fall 2023 Semester.

    First Place Winner:

    Leonor Teles, Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering from the College of Engineering

    Op-ed Title: When our bodies become our enemies, how can we cure autoimmune diseases?

    Full List of Competitors:
    • Khulud Almutairi, School of Nursing & Health Studies
    • Tericka Cesar, School of Nursing & Health Studies
    • Benjamin Minch, Rosenstiel School
    • Leonor Teles, College of Engineering
    • Shiyi Zhang, Miami Hebert Business School

  • 2022 Recap

    The Graduate School hosted the Inaugural Op-Ed Challenge during the Fall 2022 Semester.

    The Op-Ed Challenge provided an exciting opportunity for graduate students at the University of Miami to showcase their impactful research to a wider audience through concise and persuasive opinion pieces known as op-eds. With entries from seven schools and colleges, the competition demonstrated the diverse and groundbreaking research being conducted by graduate students, covering complex topics such as climate change, obesity during the pandemic, and diversity. The competition not only provided a platform for students to share their ideas but also helped them to improve their critical writing skills with guidance from media experts. Moreover, the judging process, carried out by experienced editorial page editors from the Miami Herald, the Tampa Bay Times, and The Conversation, added to the competitive and educational nature of this challenge. 

    First Place Winner:

    Grace Snyder, Ph.D. student in Marine Biology & Ecology from the Rosenstiel School

    Op-ed Title: Stem Cell Therapy: The Answer for Coral Reefs

    Second Place Winners (tied):

    Nikolaos Polizos, Ph.D. student in Biology from the College of Arts & Sciences

    Op-ed Title: Maggots For Brains: Why Animal Models are the Key to Our Memories

    Mariana Viso, Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering from the College of Engineering

    Op-ed Title: The Chips That Could Replace Animal Testing

    Third Place Winner:

    Joseph Bonner, Ph.D. student in Exercise Physiology from the School of Education & Human Development 

    Op-ed Title: Childhood Obesity & COVID: We Aren’t Doing Enough

    Full List of Competitors:
    • Khulud Almutairi, School of Nursing & Health Studies
    • Joseph Bonner, School of Education & Human Development 
    • Tericka Cesar, School of Nursing & Health Studies
    • Juan Esquivel, College of Arts & Sciences
    • Liza Khmara, Rosenstiel School
    • Marina McLerran, Frost School of Music
    • Nkosi Muse, Rosenstiel School
    • Adeline Nagle, Rosenstiel School
    • Nicolas Nicola, College of Arts & Sciences
    • Victoria Nieto, Frost School of Music
    • Deborah Perez, School of Education & Human Development
    • Nikolaos Polizos, College of Arts & Sciences
    • Eric Randolph, Rosenstiel School 
    • Grace Snyder, Rosenstiel School
    • Yasukiyo Sugimoto, College of Arts & Sciences
    • Theoni Varoudaki, College of Arts & Sciences
    • Mariana Viso, College of Engineering
    • Matthew Watts, College of Arts & Sciences
    • Hilary Yip, Frost School of Music
    • Fang Yuan, Frost School of Music
    • Hui Zhong, Miller School of Medicine

     

    To read all the submitted op-eds, click here. 

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