Sumo Science Ecology versus Statistics

Sumo Science is a national science competition organized by SHARPER (SHAring Researchers’ Passion for Education and Rights) in collaboration with the Third Mission’s Office of the University of Sassari. The competition represents an opportunity for research and education interaction and consists of a five-round question-and-answer challenge: two researchers working in different fields compete on the dohyō, led by a moderator. At the end, a special "jury" (general public or school class) selects the winner, choosing the most compelling research field.
Each Sumo Science challenge consists of five rounds of varying lengths. The first four rounds are managed directly by the moderator, who asks the researchers four pre-arranged questions. Researchers have varying times to answer each question, ranging from 30 seconds to six minutes.
The fifth and final round involves the "jury", who can ask each researcher three questions. These questions are not prepared or communicated in advance to the researchers, who have one minute to answer each question.
At the end of the five rounds, the “jury” votes on which of the two research areas they found most compelling, based on three main criteria: attractiveness of the research field, researcher charisma, and research challenges. 
Sumo Science has involved 170 researchers from over 62 national and international universities and research institutions so far, for a total of 134 challenges held both in person and online.

Dr. Silvia Pulina, Ecologist from the Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning at the University of Sassari, and Dr. Gianni Carboni, Statistician and Demographer from the Department of Economics and Business at the University of Sassari, competed in an exciting session of Ecology versus Statistics in the school Polo Tecnico Statale G.M. Devilla in Sassari, in front of the IV B AFM class. The match was moderated by Dr. Vanessa Lozano from the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Sassari.