The Emerging Scholars Network has partnered closely with the American Scientific Affiliation on Early Career Tracks at the ASA annual meetings and at other ASA events. Christians who are scientists often experience a "double loneliness." Colleagues are sometimes suspicious of their Christian commitments and fellow church members are suspicious of their science. This conversation between a scientist and a church leader is a great opportunity to explore how we may foster a better conversation as scientists with those in … [Read more...] about American Scientific Affiliation Winter Symposium: Scientists and the Church
Science and Faith
Science Corner: New Genes for a New You
For the new year, let's look at where new genes come from. Many genes around today have pedigrees going back billions of years. Humans can find analogues of most of their genes in chimpanzees and other primates, suggesting our common ancestor millions of years ago had comparable genes. At the same time, many species including humans have genes found in no other species. As with so many things--to-do lists, spreadsheets, computer code, building plans--there are two main ways to get new ones: copy and modify something … [Read more...] about Science Corner: New Genes for a New You
Science Corner: The Case of a Curious Christmas
Among the holidays widely observed in the United States, Christmas strikes me as the one most concerned with curiosity. Several Christmas songs are posed as questions: "What Child is This?" and "Do You See What I See?" and "Mary, Did You Know?" OK, that last one has a real 'more of a comment than a question' energy, but still. There are the magi on a quest of discovery. There is the mystery and anticipation of a wrapped gift. And so I thought the science of curiosity would be an apt topic for this Advent season. … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Case of a Curious Christmas
Campus Report: The Faculty Roundtable at The Ohio State University
Imagine an evening beginning with drinks and appetizers and a dinner with people around the table of diverse disciplinary and religious backgrounds. Imagine courteous but substantive dialogue between two presenters from different faith stances, and extended time for conversation and questions around tables. And then extra time to talk with presenters over more refreshments afterwards. Does that even sound possible? It was, recently, when over 100 university faculty from The Ohio State University and neighboring campuses … [Read more...] about Campus Report: The Faculty Roundtable at The Ohio State University
Science Corner: On Creativity and Thanksgiving
I don't know about you, but like many people in the United States, a significant amount of my time and attention this week has been dedicated to getting ready for Thanksgiving. I planned the menu for our family's traditional meal -- roasted Meleagris gallopavo (turkey), mashed Solanum tuberosum (potatoes) with gravy, some type of Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberries), and Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin) and/or Theobroma cacao (chocolate) pie. I also been considered how I will spend the time when I'm not cooking --” watching the … [Read more...] about Science Corner: On Creativity and Thanksgiving