SOCORRO, N.M. – New Mexico Tech is hosting the second annual N.M. Debate Competition on Saturday, March 30, pitting two-person teams from NMT, University of New Mexico, and New Mexico State University.

This year’s debate prompt is “New Initiatives for the 21st Century.” The debate will be divided into six randomly assigned topics. Competitors will respond to this debate prompt: “You receive a check for $100 billion to pursue a single area of development that cutting edge research and development will improve/solve. Which of the following topics do you pursue? 

• Energy
• Environment
• Health
• Society 
• Urban Infrastructure 
• Transportation 

Students will be competing for the top prize of $1,500 per team; second place is $1,000 per team; and third place is $800 per team. Registration is open till March 15.
Click here for registration: http://nmtdebate2019.000webhostapp.com/.

The debate format enables students to learn about a topic of societal relevance while practicing skills in research, logical reasoning, persuasion, and oral communication. These are invaluable in students’ formation as engineers.

Dr. Ashok Ghosh, mechanical engineering professor, said the event is sponsored by the Society of Professionals Engineers and NMT administration. The first year’s event was only open to NMT students and was judged by NMT professors and administrators. Ghosh decided to open this year’s event to students from the other research universities as well.

The organizers will also host a mentoring and coaching workshops for participants in the weeks leading up to the event.

Ghosh said, “By participating in the debate competition, students will gain valuable experience practicing how their disciplinary knowledge gains new relevancy when applied to interdisciplinary goals and shared societal problems. Learning to express multiple sides of an argument is a difficult task, but it encourages critical thinking in a way that fosters development of an increased understanding of how arguments, data, evidence and persuasion all combine to form knowledge.”

– NMT --