International agriscience competition recognizes researchers with innovative ideas

Master's and doctoral students can now submit their work in the world's largest agriscience competition at university level. Since its inception in 2005, the Alltech Young Scientist (AYS) program has seen more than 60.000 students from more than 70 countries participate and awarded $1 million in awards. Students can submit research on topics such as: strategies and modeling in animal feeding; vegetables production; analytical methods in agriculture; safety and traceability in the food chain; human health and nutrition; among other subjects related to agriculture.

As a new feature for 2019, the competition will be exclusively for postgraduate students (master's and doctoral students), and professors' nominations will not be necessary as in previous years. Participants will first compete in their home regions – North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific or Europe/Africa. Regional winners will be invited to attend Alltech Young Scientist Discovery Week in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, where they will participate in the worldwide competition during the ONE: Alltech Ideas Symposium, which will be held May 19-21, 2019. The winner global will receive a prize of US$10,000.

The competition is considered one of the most prestigious international agroscience competitions aimed at university students, and has already revealed several researchers from universities around the world. In 2017, the “Impact Award”, a project with the greatest impact on the production chain in agribusiness (food production), was awarded to the then doctoral student Moises Poli, from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). Qualified as the best in Latin America and classified for the global stage of the award, his research involved the sustainable and integrated production of white shrimp and tilapia using super-intensive biofloc system technology.

The researcher found out about the competition from the university itself, which usually submits works to AYS due to the visibility that the competition offers. During the awards event in 2017, he highlighted the importance of recognition as a great showcase for his career. "It's great to be at this event that breathes life into the industry. It's a great opportunity for me and also for aquaculture, which for the first time reaches an award at a global level," he said.

As Alltech Vice President and Chief Scientist Dr. Karl Dawson points out, Alltech Young Scientist provides a global stage for the next generation of agricultural scientists to present their research, promote education, and interact with some of the best scientific and agribusiness minds of our time. “We are proud to offer this unique experience, with the hope of highlighting and rewarding those who strive to impact the agricultural industry through scientific research and innovation,” he highlights.

Registrations

Registration for the next edition is open and can be submitted until December 31, 2018. Regional winners will be announced in April 2019. For more information and to register for the Alltech Young Scientist competition, visit AlltechYoungScientist.com.