Save the Date: Thursday Oct. 31, Noon US Eastern Time
How can a thriving faith/science group help you start broader conversations with friends and colleagues, whatever their worldviews? How do you launch a faith/science small group and build community over time? How do you tackle controversial questions in a healthy way? Join a videochat with several of the authors of ESN’s new book Science and Faith to explore creating great conversations in your church or on campus. Our panel of experienced faith/science conversation facilitators includes: Princeton plasma physics researcher Bob Kaita, professor of green chemistry David Vosburg, biologist and science communicator Ciara Reyes-Ton, and book editor Hannah Eagleson.
RSVP to bob.trube[at]intervarsity.org to receive a conference call link for this event.
About ESN Conversations
ESN Conversations are online videochats that help students and scholars in our community connect with colleagues, share ideas, and learn from each other’s expertise.
Panelist Bios
Bob Kaita
Bob Kaita recently retired from the Plasma Physics Laboratory and the Graduate Program of the Department of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University. Dr. Kaita investigated techniques for heating plasmas to high temperatures, and developed instrumentation for measuring them. He also explored materials that could be used in future fusion reactors. His work is described in nearly four hundred and fifty papers. Bob is a fellow of the American Physics Society, and a recipient of the Kaul Prize for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research and Technology Development. He does extensive work supporting faith and science conversations and has served as President of the American Scientific Affiliation.
Dave Vosburg
David Vosburg is a Professor of Chemistry at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. He has a PhD in chemistry from The Scripps Research Institute and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School. His research involves the synthesis of medicinal natural products and molecular containers using environmentally friendly and/or biomimetic methods. Dr. Vosburg is a Fellow of the American Scientific Affiliation, a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, and an Associate of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion. He and his wife Kate (a campus minister) recently published Jesus, Beginnings, and Science: A Guide for Group Conversation.
Ciara Reyes-Ton
Ciara Reyes-Ton is a biologist, an editor, and a freelance writer who is passionate about science writing, communication, and outreach to diverse audiences, whether that be to fellow scientists, the general public, religious communities, or the students she teaches. She has a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan and a BS in Biology from Valparaiso University. She led a local graduate discussion group on faith and science that helped to field test the articles in ESN’s Science and Faith: Student Questions Explored (Hendrickson, 2019), in addition to contributing to the volume. Dr. Reyes-Ton currently teaches biology at a local college in Nashville and has served on the editorial staff of God & Nature magazine, an online publication of the American Scientific Affiliation which features essays, poetry and artwork on faith and science topics by scholars, scientists, students, clergy and lay persons.
Hannah Eagleson
Hannah Eagleson is Assistant Director of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s Emerging Scholars Network, and she is the editor of Science and Faith: Student Questions Explored, from Hendrickson Publishers (2019). Dr. Eagleson also coordinates the American Scientific Affiliation’s student/early career track, which she helped to launch in 2017 through a STEAM grant from Fuller Seminary. With Emerging Scholars Network, she launched an ongoing online devotional for academics called Scholar’s Compass (2014-). She holds a PhD in Renaissance literature from the University of Delaware and an MA in liberal arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. She developed an interest in the history of science as a graduate student, and is delighted to support faith and science engagement through work with ESN and ASA.
This book project was made possible through the support of an award from the Science and Theology for Emerging Adult Ministries project at Fuller Theological Seminary. The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Fuller or the STEAM project.
About the author:
The Emerging Scholars Network is always seeking opportunities to identify, encourage, and equip the next generation of Christian scholars to be a redeeming influence in the academy, church, and the world. As you have an announcement, a "call for papers", an event, a prayer request (e.g., campus, field, higher ed), a resource suggestion, a review, etc., which is in concord with our Kingdom of God endeavor, please send materials (marketing/sales material not accepted) for consideration to post via email or the ESN Writer Survey. Thank-you. To God be the glory!