8th Annual Matthew Harris Ornstein Summer Debate Institute Wrap Up

The 8th Annual Matthew Harris Ornstein Summer Debate Institute has officially wrapped up — and we were back in person! 

Online debate was a great stop-gap during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the vibes and excitement of in-person debate can’t be beat (and we have a whole generation of debaters who had to learn how to debate in person, building a podium, filing an expando, and so much more!) 

Many thanks to BASIS DC for being a wonderful host — easy to work with, accessible to transit so students could easily attend, and downtown made it easier for some of our great guest speakers to attend! 

Daniel (Howard Math) and Logan (BASIS DC) show off their awards after the end of institute competition. Both Novices have extremely bright futures
Former NATO Ambassador Ivo Daalder introduces students to NATO on Day 6

We came into this summer excited to be back together, but dubious of the resolution this year:

The United States Federal Government should substantially increase its security cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in one or more of the following areas: artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cybersecurity.

As debaters, we take pride in being ahead of the national conversation — debating criminal justice reform before it made national headlines, and now choosing to debate NATO before the Ukraine-Russia war broke out. 

Novices took a lunch break outside at the Navy Memorial. Yes, that's just the novices!

That being said, this resolution posed some unique pedagogical challenges — introducing both international relations theory, the geographic and geopolitics of Europe, and how international institutions like NATO work, but also delving into three complex areas of emerging tech with nuanced implications for the economy, warfare, personhood, and every other aspect of life. 

We couldn’t have done it without a star studded array of guest speakers, including: 

WUDL Alumni Addie and Dennis prepare for the Varsity Demo Debate (and got recruited by Georgetown as a result!)
JV 3 (Dennis and Chris) were very serious all summer, and never did anything playful at all....
  • Current and Former Government Officials:
    • Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s National Security Advisor
    • Current US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith (who reached out to us wishing to speak!)
    • Former US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder (Obama Administration)
    • House Armed Services Staffer John Warden 
  • Scholars:
    • Carrie Cordero (CNAS) 
    • Dr. Margarita Konaev (CSET Georgetown),
    • Chris Mesarole (Brookings)
  • Practitioners:
    • Brian Drake (Accrete AI),
    • Ali Jessani (Wilmer Hale)
    • Jason Kwon (Open AI),
    • Ben Purser (Meta / Facebook),
    • Nate Salminen (Hogan Lovells)
    • Amanda Tobey (NATO Cyber Command)
Many thanks to Ben Purser (Meta), Katie Proch (Ben Alligeretti Consulting), Ohm Gore (Booz Allen), and Allison Pickett (Capital One) for joining us for the career panel!

Beyond an outstanding roster of experts, we couldn’t have asked for a better staff! This year’s team featured: 

  • 7 active WUDL Coaches,
  • 10 WUDL alumni,
  • Representatives from other Urban Debate Leagues,
  • Coaches we compete against during the season,
  • College debaters and coaches,
  • And even the Director of Debate in Bulgaria! 

Special shout out to Jess Berenson and Elena Fialkoff from the Matthew Harris Ornstein Memorial Foundation for their irreplaceable partnership and assistance.  

Senior Liv Birnstad (Capital City) was selected as the 2022 Matthew Harris Ornstein Outstanding Debater
Current NATO Ambassador Julianne Smith briefed us on the recent Madrid Summit, answered questions from students, and gave a powerful endorsement to the value of debate (she was a debater herself!)
Being back in person made the summer institute even more fun and engaging than usual. From snacks and ice cream on Matthew’s Birthday to some hard-core cross examination and speaking drills, students experienced non-stop engagement. The largest highlight for me as director was to simply stroll the halls, listening to earnest conversation and laughter wafting out of each classroom door.


President Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stopped by to give us the latest on the Russia-Ukraine War, show how national security policy is formulated, and to share about how he uses skills honed through debate every day.

By the end of the 3 week program, middle and high school students, about half with no debate experience at all, had a strong handle on recent global affairs, and were speaking with authority and creativity on subjects as diverse as biofuels, cryptocurrency regulation, autonomous weapons, election security, algorithmic bias in artificial intelligence and so much more. Join us during the season to see debate worth of (and always more substantive than that occurring downtown) the nation’s capital! 

Students from Transition to Varsity do speaking drills to warm up in the morning. As you can see, many students have pivoted back to debating on paper
WUDL Volunteers and cybersecurity attorneys Ali Jessani (Wilmer Hale) and Nate Salminen (Hogan Lovells) discuss how to think about cybersecurity and strategize with students looking to write their own cases
Parents and Students: Look for a note from your school’s coach, (or from WUDL introducing you to them) the regular season is about to begin!
 
First up, Georgetown Day’s Invitational
 
Volunteers: Keep an eye out for emails about coaching and judging opportunities, school starts in a few weeks!
Inaugural Members of the 117 Society: Those who have attended the MHOSDI for 3 or more years (staff and students)