Expert Judge Bios:

Toni Lohroff

Toni is currently Education Manager for the International SeaKeepers Society, connecting educators and students of all ages with unique, hands-on marine conservation education experiences through direct interactions with the yachting community. She got her MSC in Animal Biology from the University of California, Davis (Dec 2022) with work focused in conservation aquaculture and larval fish development, where she was also an NSF NRT Sustainable Oceans Graduate Fellow. She got her BSMAS (May 2020) with majors in Marine Science and Biology and minors in Ecosystem Science & Policy and Mathematics from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science with work focused in sustainable aquaculture and phycology

Geronimo Leonardi

A BS in Aquaculture from Universidad de Oriente, Venezuela. With over two decades in business, he has worked on fish and shrimp farms and hatcheries. Involved in technical sales of feeds, additives, and ingredients for Aquafeeds in the Americas. Is a Specialist on nutrition and aquaculture in shrimp.

Shubham Mathur

Shubham Mathur, a lifelong keeper of fish and fan of seafood, has been working in the Aquaculture sector since his sophomore year of undergrad at the University of Miami. Having worked with several species of marine fish and invertebrates in the RSMAS aquaculture program with Dr. Dan Benetti, he now works as the QA/QC and production supervisor at Benchmark Genetics Tilapia in Homestead, Florida.

John Stieglitz

John Stieglitz is a research assistant professor at UM-Rosenstiel School. Utilizing approaches centered on applied ecophysiology and bioenergetics of marine fish, his research aims to address marine aquaculture production challenges while also developing a greater understanding of the impacts of both natural and anthropogenic induced environmental stressors on marine fish species throughout the world. In addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in aquaculture at UM, Stieglitz conducts research investigating sustainability within the seafood business sector and has served as a consultant to commercial marine aquaculture companies in the U.S., the Caribbean, and the Americas.

Paula Manrique

Paula Manrique is a J.D./M.P.S. student at the University of Miami School of Law and the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. Paula is a Miami Public Interest scholar involved with the Environmental Law Society, National Lawyers Guild chapter, and the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. Paula graduated from Emory University in 2020 with a Bachelors in environmental science and minor in sustainability science. Prior to graduate school, Paula completed a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Spain and worked with a beach clean up organization called Limpiaventura. Paula has worked as a law clerk for the Everglades Law Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Paula will be a summer law clerk for Earthjustice in Washington D.C. this summer and hopes to continue her interest in environmental law after graduation.

Aida Stevenson

After having grown up in Maryland and visiting the beach almost every weekend, I knew from an early age that I was destined to be a marine scientist! I was unsure what I was really passionate about, so I have participated in many different study areas including scientific diving and marine mammal training. I graduated with my bachelor's in marine science from the University of South Carolina in December 2019. After that, I became a North Pacific Fisheries Observer in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. While fascinating (and very cold!), I knew that I wanted to go back to school and continue myeducation. I am now a second-year MPS student at the University of Miami – Rosenstiel School specializing in fisheries management. I am very passionate about sustainable seafood economics and the impact the consumer has on management. I am going to the University of Rhode Island in the fall to pursue a Ph.D. in natural resources economics!

Cynthia Toledo

Cynthia was born and raised in Miami. She has worked in Museum Education for 20 years developing and leading programs and tours for students, teachers, families, and adults.She currently works with Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden Science and Education Programs and is involved with the Fairchild Debates.

Zac Cosner

Zac Cosner is a Resilience Programs Manager at the City of Miami, FL, where he supports the city’s efforts in increasing resilience to climate change through mitigation measures. Zac is a UM graduate who has spent multiple years working in environmentalpolicy advocacy and implementation as a resilience programs manager for the City of South Miami, a clean energy advocate for Florida Conservation Voters, and an environmental activist working primarily on water quality and growth management issues in Miami Dade County. Zac has a triple major in Biology, Ecosystem Science and Policy, and History from the University of Miami.

Timothy Kirby
Timothy Kirby is a Resilience Programs Manager with the City of Miami, FL where supports the city’s efforts in increasing resilience to climate change through adaptation measures. He is also a PhD Candidate at Florida International University (FIU), where his dissertation research focuses on how climate change impacts institutional responses and real estate markets in Southeast Florida. Tim’s areas of expertise are global environmental change, natural resource economics, social equity and environmental justice, and financing mechanisms for water infrastructure. He has conducted extensive research on these topics throughout the U.S. through the Urban Water Innovation Network (UWIN), and internationally, having conducted water quality research in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil and anthropological research of various religious communities in Kenya. Recently, Tim completed a fellowship with the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), where he co-authored a research paper examining climate gentrification across the East Coast of the United States. Tim holds a M.S. in Geosciences from FIU and a B.A. in Sustainable Development from Columbia University.

Karen Beber Futernick

Karen Beber Futernick is the Co-Founder (with her daughter) of WriteByMe.io - an online text editor that eliminates implicit gender bias in written communication. She created and manages SEAS, a 3-part program, currently funded by Surfrider Foundation, Miami Chapter, that teaches swimming as a gateway skill to ocean advocacy and opportunity. SEAS works with lower-income children and families, and provides 16 swimming classes, surfing lessons, an educational beach cleanup and a floating classroom on Biscayne Bay, teaching about - and to care for - the "blue heart" of South Florida. SEAS collaborates with local ocean/beach/clean water-focused organizations, as well as the City of Miami Office of Opportunity, providing myriad opportunities for advocacy, study and employment. Karen is an active participant in the Biscayne Bay Marine Health Coalition and is the liaison between Surfrider Foundation, Miami Chapter, and Miami-Dade County.

Payment Info

The tournament fees are $50 per person for every debater, judge, etc.

Online payments can be made at Miami Oceans Debates Credit Card Portal:

Visit http://www.com.miami.edu/payment. When there click on “Access the SOC Marketplace”.

Scroll all the way down and select “UM Debate Tournaments” from the categories, enter the amount, and finish the transaction.

Checks can be made out to University of Miami Debate

Invoices & Receipts

Sign into Tabroom.com and click on your email address in the top right-hand corner

On your school’s registration page, click on “Miami Oceans Debates”

Click on the “Money” tab

There is a PDF symbol that you can click to download any invoice/receipt you need.

Full Invite Available --->

Topic Statement Available --->

The University of Miami Debate Team and the UM School of Communication invite you to the Miami Oceans Debates, a civic debate style tournament to be held on April 22-23, 2023.

Topic

Acceleration of open ocean aquaculture development would be desirable.

Format

The Oceans Debates are an intercollegiate civic debate education program intended to be consistent with the aims of the Civic Debate Conference.

The debates will be public in style with a goal of attracting media attention and local participation. The format and approach, therefore, is designed to be suitable for a public audience and accessible to student debaters regardless of experience. Persuasive delivery style and appropriate argument selection for non-expert audiences will be rewarded. To this end, we will use the format originated by the Lafayette Debates and adopted by the Social Justice Debates, a hybrid between intercollegiate policy and parliamentary formats, and very accessible for audience debates.

Students will compete in teams of two debaters each. Teams will be assigned to affirm or negate the topic, with each team representing the affirmative in two debates and the negative in two debates.

Each speaker will give one 6-minute speech, be cross examined for 4 minutes, and cross examine an opposing debater for 4 minutes. In addition, one speaker for each team will also give a 6-minute closing rebuttal:

1st Affirmative 6 Minutes

Cross examination by 2nd Negative Speaker, 4 minutes

1st Negative 6 minutes

Cross examination by 1st Affirmative Speaker, 4 minutes

2nd Affirmative 6 minutes

Cross examination by 1st Negative Speaker, 4 minutes

2nd Negative 6 minutes

Cross examination by 2nd Affirmative Speaker, 4 minutes

2 minutes of preparation time

Affirmative Rebuttal 6 minutes

2 minutes of preparation time

Negative Rebuttal 6 minutes

Tentative Schedule

Saturday, April 22, 2023

9:00 Registration, Breakfast, Mandatory Judge and Competitor Briefing

9:30 Round I

11:15 Round II

Lunch (provided by UM)

1:30 Round III

3:30 Round IV

5:30 Quarterfinals

Sunday, April 23, 2023

10:00 Breakfast

10:30 Semifinals

12:00 Finals

1:30 Presentation of Awards

Judging

You must provide 2 rounds of judging per team entered.

Community Judging: While the judges supplied by the tournament participants will serve as the judges for the preliminary debates, we plan to recruit content area experts, ocean and environmental educators, activists and professionals, and others interested in the issues of aquaculture and ocean health and/or public advocacy and public speaking to serve as the judges for the semifinal and final rounds.

Fees

Fees will be $50 per person (for all debaters, coaches, judges and observers) to defray the cost of awards, rooms, breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, lunch on Saturday, and snacks

If the fees and/or judging requirements create a hardship for you, please communicate with David Steinberg (dave@miami.edu) about your situation asap. We want you to be able to participate and will work with you.

A credit card portal will be available for payment.

Hotels

We will not be arranging a block, however, you may secure UM rates at local hotels through the University Travel Site.

Please make your reservations as soon as possible, this is Miami. For value and convenience, we recommend these hotels (today’s UM guest rates for a double are listed):

AC Hotel Dadeland ($174)

Aloft Miami Dadeland ($119)

Courtyard Marriott Dadeland ($122)

Miami Marriott Dadeland ($139)

Four Points by Sheraton Coral Gables ($149)

Hampton Inn by Hilton Coconut Grove ($159)