A team of three UNC undergraduate students won the National Bioethics Bowl March 14 at Harvard University.
Students debated issues related to requiring patients to take drugs to prevent disease and the commercialization of organs for transplantation. The contest was held at the National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference.
Competitors were given the cases to review in advance and had to conduct background research about the issues presented in order to prepare for the questions.
Team members Carlyn Cowen, Davis Bennett and Doug Romney took home first prize, defeating the University of Miami for the championship title.
A five-person student team also placed well — in the quarterfinals — of the national 15th Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl in Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 5, losing by a few points to Indiana University, which went on to win the contest. Cowen, Bennett and Romney were joined by team members Anneke Robinson and Trevor Brothers in that competition, which is sponsored by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics.
Graduate student David Frost and Parr Center for Ethics Director Jan Boxill helped to coach the students for the competitions. The center, a part of the department of philosophy, also has hosted the regional ethics bowl competition for the past two years, which the UNC team won last November to advance to the intercollegiate bowl.
“I am proud of these talented and very busy students who dedicated their time and effort to analyze all the cases and form a real cohesive team, which ultimately led to their success,” said Boxill, who also is a senior lecturer in the department of philosophy. “It was an absolute joy working with them.”
The team is sponsored by the Parr Center for Ethics, the department of philosophy, the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence, the division of student affairs and the office of the chancellor.
