Media contact: Yvonne Taunton
From left to right: Kathryn, Carly, Kimberly, Ankit, Mohammad, and Josh May. Triton (service dog) .The University of Alabama at Birmingham Ethics Bowl debate team won second place at the National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 3. The competition was hosted by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics.
Teams participating in the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl must prepare arguments regarding the resolution of several ethical dilemmas and respond to challenges from judges and opposing teams. Cases cover a broad range of disciplines, including journalism, medicine and business. Hundreds of teams participated in the 11 regional competitions; but only 36 teams advanced to the national competition, including Arizona State, Clemson, Samford, Tufts, UC Santa Barbara, UW Madison and Yale.
“It’s wonderful enough to see students skillfully analyzing complex moral issues, but it’s all the more fulfilling to see them recognized for their hard work and talents,” said Josh May, Ph.D., ethics bowl team coach and associate professor in UAB’s Department of Philosophy. “The team’s ascent to the final around was also aided by UAB faculty, who gave valuable feedback during some of the team’s practices.”
The five-membered team, all students of the UAB Honors College, was composed of senior philosophy major Ankit Bansal from Birmingham, Alabama; freshman public health and biomedical sciences major Kathryn Beaman from Fairhope, Alabama; freshmen philosophy and biology majors Kimberly Chieh and Carly Snidow from Mobile, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia, respectively; and sophomore philosophy and neuroscience major Mohammad Waqas from Syosset, New York.
They were also joined by a special guest this year — Triton, a service dog that is being trained by Beaman.
This marks the fifth time since its inception in 2010 that the UAB team has made it to the National competition.