Photo by Felipe Furtado on Unsplash
In the remaining days before Saturday’s trial, Science Court science team members presented on their domains and legal team members practiced their opening and closing statements. During the trial, jurors will have the chance to ask questions to members of the science and legal teams in a process overseen by Science Court legal advisor and judge Bill McGinnis.
Practicing their presentations in class this week gave the science team the chance to home in on key terms they will need to explain to the jury. As the domain experts in economics, health, sociology, psychology, and education, it’s important that members of the science team clearly explain these domains in relation to polarization. For example, Minnerva Zou, a member of the science team, plans to use real-world examples, such as the coronavirus and residential segregation, to show the implications of polarization on the economy.
The legal teams also had a chance to add final touches to their opening and closing statements. Madeleine Stankiewicz, a member of the con legal team, wants to ensure the jury understands key points. "We're trying to break it down. We've been studying this for a whole semester but the jury is only hearing this for a couple of hours. We have to make sure they understand what we're talking about," she said. Listen to this SciCourt Podcast episode to learn more about how members of the legal team are preparing for the trial.
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