The Thunder Bolt

Concordia’s high school science students participated in the annual Hanoi Science Debates, debating on physics, chemistry and biology. 

The format follows standard debate rules with each team involved in six debates - pro and con for each subject. Team members research and find materials to either support or oppose the different topics, develop their strategies and begin writing their opening and closing statements. They also have to prepare for the cross examination and rebuttals. 

“While finding time for research on the topics amidst heavy workloads, I realized once again that time management is extremely important for valuable experiences,” said Jinseo (G10). “I place more importance on the value and enjoyment of the process rather than the mere outcome, and this science debate gave me patience, growth, and fun in the preparation process. It was a great learning experience, and I was surprised that we did extremely well and had awesome teamwork even though we had no idea what to expect in our first debate.”

This year’s three questions for which each team prepared were: 
 
Is geological deposition an effective method of the disposal of nuclear waste?
 
Can carbon nanotubes be effective filters for large-scale water purifications?
 
Are plastic-eating bacteria (Ideonella sakaiensis) a feasible solution for plastic pollution?

"To be very honest, both the preparation process and the actual debate sessions were extremely stressful. However, by the end of the day, my team got 5th place, with only 3 points away from the winning team!" said Hyewon (G11).

"From taking part in this science debate competition, not only was I able to gain a better understanding of how debate worked in the scientific world, but I was also able to broaden my knowledge on the debated topics, such as plastic-eating bacteria, carbon nanotubes, and geological deposition. This event was a fantastic experience for me, and I highly recommend it to others interested in both science and debate,” said Preston (G9).

“My hope is that students involved learned some critical skills beyond debating,” said Concordia science teacher Mr. Osterloh, who supervised the team. “Students should learn how to research specific topics, analyze the data and information found, build an argument based on that data and analysis, and use the data to support their position.” 
 
“I’d also like to express our gratitude to Mr. Osterloh for guiding us along the long journey of eight hours and 30 minutes!” Jinseo added. “I hope that someday Concordia will host our own invitational science debate.”