Srivastava,+Amitabh

I am a judge from Newton, MA and have been judging PFD since 2012. I flow best at conversational speed but can manage if you are a little faster. If you go too fast I may follow you perfectly but will not be able to flow.

I am influenced more by the quality of evidence you present than mere number of arguments you cite in support of your contention. So you do not need to rush and splurge everything you could possibly say on the subject because I will be unable to assess the relative merits of each argument. In most instances, both teams will cite expert opinion in support of their contentions. It is for YOU to make the case why the research you cite is more credible than the one cited by your opponents. This means that you should be ready to discuss methodology related questions in research presented by you and to scientifically critique evidence cited by the opposing team. If there is one major argument that you believe should be given significant weight then YOU must make this case explicitly. Do not leave it up to me to decide how to weigh each contention you put forward in your favor. Focus on major points in support of your point of view and on critiquing what you believe are the most significant arguments presented by your opponents. Finally, I am pretty good at keeping track of prep time but would appreciate if you remind me when to start and stop the clock.