The 65th Annual Meeting of the American Scientific Affiliation: Science, Faith, & Public Policy is just over a month away (July 30 – August 2, Washington D.C.) and I hope that Emerging Scholars in the sciences will give participation serious consideration.* I’ll be there to
- connect with ESN members (such as seminar leader Jimmy Lin, see Interview: Jimmy Lin, Medical and Scientific Doxologist)
- enjoy amazing opportunities, such as touring the NASA: Goddard Space Flight Center with Jennifer Wiseman, Chief of the Laboratory for Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics
- interview plenary speakers (hope Francis Collins, Geneticist and Author of The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, and others have a few minutes to spare in a packed schedule)
- invite participants to become involved with InterVarsity’s various ministries through a display table and a Graduate & Faculty Ministry Reception (Sunday, August 1, 8:30 PM, Atrium) with my colleagues Terry Morrison and Dwight Schwartz
- wrestle with how ESN might host/contribute to discussions on Science, Faith, & Public Policy.
Here’s what my friend Edward B. (“Ted”) Davis, Distinguished Professor of the History of Science at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania, and president of the ASA has to say with regard to the benefits members of ESN will receive not only from participation in the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Scientific Affiliation, but more broadly by becoming a member of ASA.** Note: If you’ve never explored History of Science, I’d highly recommend you check out his webpage and take in some of his sessions at the ASA Mtgs.
The American Scientific Affiliation (www.asa3.org) is the premier science/faith organization in the Western Hemisphere. We publish a refereed quarterly journal, “Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith,” a bi-monthly newsletter, and host a blog only for members. I joined the ASA more than 30 years ago, and it has proved to be the most important professional decision I ever made. Through the ASA (including the years when I was a student) I have met dozens of world-class scientists and scholars who share my Christian faith; through the ASA I learned about most of the best books and article on science & Christianity; and in the ASA I have found wonderful fellowship with believers who understand and appreciate all of the main fields of pure and applied science. The annual meeting is always stimulating, well organized, and just plain fun to attend. Students are especially urged to come, at least to visit for a day, to get a sense of who we are and what we do. If you are a Christian in one of the sciences, this is an organization you want to be part of.
*Registration: $75 student rate, $30 for 1 day student rate; plus room & board. Be sure to visit the on-line registration page before June 30.
**Student member and student associate dues are $20/year. Full membership for others is half-off until June 30, i.e., only $35. Wow! To learn more about joining ASA registration click here.
Tom enjoys daily conversations regarding living out the Biblical Story with his wife Theresa and their four girls, around the block, at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church (where he teaches adult electives and co-leads a small group), among healthcare professionals as the Northeast Regional Director for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), and in higher ed as a volunteer with the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN). For a number of years, the Christian Medical Society / CMDA at Penn State College of Medicine was the hub of his ministry with CMDA. Note: Tom served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA for 20+ years, including 6+ years as the Associate Director of ESN. He has written for the ESN blog from its launch in August 2008. He has studied Biology (B.S.), Higher Education (M.A.), Spiritual Direction (Certificate), Spiritual Formation (M.A.R.), Ministry to Emerging Generations (D.Min.). To God be the glory!
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