This was my first time at the ASA meeting and it is easily one of the highlights of my adult life. Being able to connect with other Christians who take science and faith seriously is an invaluable source of encouragement when returning to contexts that are suspicious about science-faith interaction (be it in the church or in the academy). – Mark, Student/Early Career Participant [Read more…] about Thanking God for ASA 2016 and A Grant to Expand in 2017
networking
Volleyball, Webcomics, and Thriving As a Science Student
Volleyball. Speakers who’ve shared at Urbana 15 and Veritas Forum, or served as Senior Project Scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope. A webcomics and science chat. Hikes in beautiful California scenery. Hearing how science can deepen your Christian faith. What brings all these things together? [Read more…] about Volleyball, Webcomics, and Thriving As a Science Student
Pray for the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) in June
We’re deeply excited about the summer here at ESN, and we invite you to join us in thanks and prayer for God’s work at ESN. [Read more…] about Pray for the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) in June
Finding Christian Community in the Planetary Sciences
Images: Above: Figure 1. (Left) Planetary scientists view the geology of Pluto’s surface in 3D. Figure 2.(Center) Conference bulletin board made for a good place to advertise this new group. Figure 3. (Right) Conference Poster hall. End of Post: Figure 4. (Left) Conference bulletin board. Figure 5. (Right) Pluto, credit: NASA
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2Â Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge. . . .In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6Â It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth. (Psalm 19:1-6)
On Palm Sunday, March 20th, 2016, a group of 16 researchers gathered in a grass roots effort to connect as Christians at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in the Woodlands, Texas. This group spanned all levels from graduate students through senior researchers, at various institutions across the United States, including academic labs and NASA centers. Jesus has transformed our lives and this one fact brought us together from varying denominational backgrounds. “Jesus is good professional development!†shared one researcher about how her Christian faith encourages and enables her to be a better researcher, less critical of her peers.
Planetary Science is an interdisciplinary field that is enabled by disciplines within earth sciences (geology, geophysics, geochemistry, atmospheric dynamics), as well as astronomy and astrophysics. Similar groups meet regularly at conferences in those fields; however, this was the first time for planetary scientists.
Several, but not all, shared about experiencing loneliness, isolation, and discrimination as the only Christian in their professional institutions. Others shared experiencing discrimination and misunderstanding by fellow church members for being a scientist. Discussions about intersections of Christian faith and science ensued throughout the week including a daily time of prayer for the conference, for the needs in the world, and to praise God for science, the wonder of creation, and all the amazing things we are learning about planets.
This group is putting together an email list for future communications and to advertise future opportunities to meet including the opportunity to hear planetary scientist, Roger Wiens, speak at the upcoming the American Scientific Affiliation (ASA) conference this July. Anyone interested in joining the Christians and the Planetary Sciences email list, please email ESN with “Planetary Sciences†in the subject line.
What Would Jesus Post on Social Media?
Have you ever felt the shot of excitement – the dopamine rush – that comes when someone ‘likes’ your photo or status on Instagram and Facebook?  Well dear reader, you are not alone. In 2015, Instagram reportedly exceeded 400 million users with 40 billion photos posted. The popularity and increasing use of social media has been a growing area of heated debate and controversy topic in the past couple of years, in both Christian and secular circles. But how does social media affect us in regard to God’s mission? Adam Jeske (website) (twitter) addresses this question in this afternoon’s seminar.
From Dec 27 – Jan 1, volunteers with our network of early career Christian academics are liveblogging seminars at the Urbana conference, a mission-focused student gathering of 16,000 Christians from across North America and the world. This post was co-written by May Yuan and Vivian Chen.