As excitement builds for the Super Bowl, another high-stakes competition is set to take place in Richmond. On Friday, Feb. 7, five students from Virginia Union University will participate in the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges’ (VFIC) 25th annual Applied Ethics Bowl at the University of Richmond. The event features teams from Virginia’s top independent colleges to deliberate on ethical dilemmas in the theme of “Ethics and Artificial Intelligence.”

VUU’s team includes Elle Cosby, Kristian Cunningham, Emoniee Hallowell, Mekhi McGainey and Blessing Solesi. The team, led by faculty coordinator Tim Wenzell, professor of English, will compete against student teams from other Virginia colleges, presenting their views on artificial intelligence through a series of case studies.

The event will kick off at 10:30 a.m. with an opening session in the University of Richmond’s Ukrop Auditorium.

The first round of competition is scheduled for 11 a.m. in the Robins School of Business. Rounds two through four will run from 2 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., and the championship round will be held at 6 p.m. in the Jepson Alumni Center, followed by the announcement of the winner at 6:30 p.m.

Anyone can attend and view the rounds at no cost. Last year’s champions, Mary Baldwin University, will return to defend their title against strong competition, including 2024 runner-up University of Lynchburg.

For more information, visit www.vfic.org.