Natural and computational sciences escape island in annual Raft Debate

Armed with his tousled wig, bountiful box of donuts and distinctly fervent enthusiasm, Associate Professor of Chemistry Doug Young bore the attire of Buddy the Elf as he claimed his hard-fought victory for the natural and computational sciences at William & Mary’s annual Raft Debate. After a series of spirited presentations from professors, featuring everything from combusting balloons to student-body-guards, the impassioned crowd of Sadler Center’s Commonwealth Auditorium granted Young freedom from his island isolation.

Students, faculty and community members gathered on March 15 to witness the ultimate battle of wits: Three professors, representing their individual disciplines, found themselves stranded on a remote island after an imaginary shipwreck. With only a small escape raft to support one professor’s escape, each competitor had to convince a cheering audience why their discipline merited the surviving slot on the raft.

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