The UCF Ethics Bowl Team has won the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics’ (APPE) Southeast Regional Ethics Bowl Championship for the third time in the past five years. Their victory against 14 teams will lead them to the national competition for the eighth time, marking the strong critical thinking skills and ethics that UCF instills in its students.

Assistant Dean of Burnett Honors College and one of the coaches for UCF’s Ethics Bowl Team, Madi Dogariu, sheds light on the origin of the team’s participation, which ties back to some of UCF’s own faculty.

“UCF’s participation in the bowl originated with Dr. Nancy Stanlick, chair of the Department of Philosophy, and Dr. Michael Strawser, associate professor of philosophy. They co-authored a book which captures the essence of this endeavor: Asking Good Questions: Case Studies in Ethics and Critical Thinking,” Dogariu says.

Strawser has been coaching UCF’s team for two decades and says that his course, Honors Case Studies in Ethics, has given these students the time and resources to lead this team to victory.

“This course takes a case-study approach to contemporary ethical issues in which students learn to apply critical thinking skills and ethical theories to interdisciplinary problems,” Strawser says. “Students write argumentative essays about the cases, give oral presentations and participate in group discussions on the cases.”

Strawser shares this practice prepares the team, each member of which is a Burnett Honors Scholar, for the unknown topics that arise during the competition.

“They have to be able to think on their feet and be able to articulate well the moral dimensions of the cases and alternative points of view,” Strawser says.

Marina Habib, a senior double major in political science, and writing and rhetoric, says that spending time with teammates in class played a crucial part in taking on their roles in the Ethics Bowl competition.

“Being so structured is what helped us win the regionals,” Habib says. “Our arguments and knowledge were important, but our preparation and everyone showing up to the best of their ability was what helped us to win.”

Strawser says this victory, along with UCF’s track record in the competition, reinforces the skills Knights earn during their education.

“It means that we not only have exceptionally bright and talented students, but they are also passionate about ethical questions and want to make our world a better place,” Strawser says. “Our students demonstrated that they excel in moral reasoning and critical thinking, as well as in public speaking and consensus building. All of these skills are extremely valuable for our society.”

The students who make up this team say they are proud of how their hard work, research and dedication have paid off. Michael Moeny, a sophomore majoring in economics and one of the team leaders, says the intersection of the many educational backgrounds has been a key factor in their success.

“We’ve shown that excellence in STEM can coexist with excellence in the humanities. One of our big strengths this year was the wide range of majors and interests we represented,” Moeny says. “As a team, we shone because of our expertise in areas as distinct as biomedical sciences and political theory.”

Team member Alexander Martin, a first-year student majoring in biomedical sciences, says this win meant a lot to him because of the explorative opportunity it provided.

“This is my first competition, as I have been homeschooled since the eighth grade,” Martin says. “I threw myself into the fire, trying all of this out for the first time, and I have come to truly appreciate teamwork and the bonds that it can build.”

Team member Rafid Rahman, a junior double major in biomedical sciences and political science, shared how he feels the team’s win exhibits what makes their representation of Knights so special.

“They embody the promise of a bright and ethical future, showing that UCF cultivates some of the sharpest minds capable of tackling the most complex and thought-provoking challenges,” Rahman says. “It has been an honor to work alongside such intelligent and passionate individuals who exemplify the positive change we can look forward to in the years ahead.”

The UCF Ethics Bowl Team will travel to Virginia in February 2025 to compete nationally in the APPE’s Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl.