As we prepare for the academic year in this complicated moment, what journey is God inviting us to take? ESN Director Bob Trube reflects on the choices we make at key moments of our lives and callings. When you hear the term “critical junctures” at the beginning of an academic year, your mind may go to the decisions that may have important consequences for your academic career—the choice of an advisor, defining a research interest, or deciding which journal to which you submit an article. What about … [Read more...] about Critical Junctures: Preparing for the Academic Year
Life in the Academy
Science Corner: The Idea of Marketplaces
Science is meant to be a marketplace of ideas where the best ones carry the day, regardless of where they come from. Or at least that is how it is advertised. As I recall, the Cosmos TV series had a pub sequence extolling this virtue, the idea that anybody could sit down and contribute to the conversation. Lovely idea, right? And many have contributed, from all over the world. And there are stories like Srinivasa Ramanujan's; he was a remarkably prolific Indian mathematician with little formal training. Still, the … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Idea of Marketplaces
Science Corner: The Future of Going Back
It's been a few weeks since we've discussed the COVID-19 pandemic, so it seems like we should touch base there. Having disrupted the exponential growth of cases (at least for now), thoughts are turning towards how to move forward. The burden of staying at home is substantial and not equally distributed, so wanting to get out again is understandable. At the same time, with most of the population still unexposed and thus susceptible and a vaccine still along ways off, the mitigation of spread is still highly contingent on … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Future of Going Back
Director’s Corner: Meeting the Challenge of Double Work
Do you ever feel like you have two jobs, excelling in your field and figuring out how it all relates to your calling to follow Christ? At ESN, we work hard to support Christian academics in bringing the two together. ESN Director Bob Trube reflects on this key challenge/opportunity for Christian scholars in Director's Corner, our occasional ESN blog series where Bob distills his observations and offers ideas and resources to encourage our readers. Few of us like the idea of double work. Yet it has been suggested … [Read more...] about Director’s Corner: Meeting the Challenge of Double Work
Beginning Fall 2019: A Letter from ESN Director Bob Trube
As we start the academic year, Bob encourages us from his experience as campus minister and ESN Director. Stay tuned for our weekly readings for individuals and groups, and some upcoming announcements for events in person and online. Image: Ohio State University. Scholarship is framed around what we do not know, the research questions we pursue in our work, or even the more down to earth questions of how we will complete all this work in our waking hours. Sometimes the unknown has to do with our own … [Read more...] about Beginning Fall 2019: A Letter from ESN Director Bob Trube