Conducting a topic interview is easy! Interviews may be conducted in person or virtually using Google Hangout on Air. Participating students will be provided with information packets to assist them in preparing for and conducting their interviews. Students may arrange interviews with topic experts at their school or in their community, or NASA Debates will assist in locating a topic expert for you to interview.
Videos and transcripts of the topic interviews will be posted to this website, both for debaters to use as evidence during the 2015-16 competitions, and to create a permanent online resource for research into astrobiology and its implications for humanity. All participating schools, debating societies and students will have their contributions recognized on this website.
To get started, email NASA Debates (NASADebates@gmail.com) to request an interview packet. In the subject heading of your email, please write "Interview Request." Students are encouraged to recruit topic experts from their schools and communities, but do not hesitate to let us know if you will need assistance in scheduling a topic expert to interview.
The NASA Debates will include two online speech competitions during the 2015-16 school year. The competitions will have university (all levels), high school (9-12th grade) and middle school divisions (5th-8th grade).
All winners and their schools will be recognized on this website. The top U.S. university students entering the competition will also win all-expense-paid study tours to meet with NASA officials and attend a space launch as NASA VIPs! Participation is easy! Once the competitions are open, students may enter by uploading a four minute speech to Youtube expressing their views on the 2015-16 topic, and submitting their entry at anytime before the competition closes. The first competition will open on September 1, 2015, and close on December 1, 2015. The second competition will open on January 1, 2015, and close on April 1, 2015.
Check back here on September 1, 2015, for the link to the entry page, as well as complete instructions and rules for preparing and submitting your entry!
The first 2015-16 NASA Debates national debate tournament for college students will be held at the University of Washington on Oct 17-18, 2015. The second will be held at The George Washington University on March 5-6. In addition, the NASA Debates will sponsor public debate exhibitions (and potentially a high school debate tournament) during the 2015-16 academic year. If you are interested in participating in one of the national tournaments, or in organizing a public debate or high school tournament, please email NASA Debates (NASADebates@gmail.com). Please write "Register for Tournament," "Public Debate" or "High School Debate" in the subject line of your email.
We are recruiting individuals with topic expertise for student interviews!
Interviews may be conducted in-person or online using Google Hangout on Air. Please contact us at NASADebates@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.
We are recruiting distinguished professionals to serve as judges for both the in-person tournaments in Seattle and Washington DC, as well as the online competitions. We are recruiting judges from a broad cross-section of civil socity, with an emphasis on judges with topic expertise and/or professional advocacy and communications expertise.
The online competitions may be judged from anywhere in the world! Judges will have one week to watch and rank a pod of four speeches (a 30 minute time commitment).
Please contact us by email at NASADebates@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.