2015 Student Debates—Molecular Biology and Entomology: Partnering for Solutions

Extract

The Entomological Society of America's (ESA) Committee on Student Affairs organizes the student debate competition at the annual ESA meeting. The debate competition is specifically designed to increase critical thinking skills in the student members of ESA and encourage a discussion of contemporary issues about entomology that are of interest to people attending the annual meeting. The theme of the 2015 meeting was “Synergy and Science: Partnering for Solutions,” and related challenging topics were chosen. One of the topics was presented in a traditional “pro/con”‐style debate. The other topics posed specific, globally significant problems; teams were given the challenge to determine the most effective solution to ameliorate that problem and defend their stance in the competition. The topics were: 1) What is the single best genetically engineered technology for arthropod pest control? 2) With the development of tools like RNAi, in the future we may be capable of eradicating species. If we can eradicate a species, should we? 3) What is the single best tool for managing pesticide resistance?