I know the world faces a lot of weighty issues right now. Some of you may be on college campuses with recent or ongoing police activity, cancelled or disrupted commencement events and other types of disturbances to what is usually a celebratory season. And all of that stems from events in Israel and Palestine, where staggering numbers of lives have been lost and many more irreversibly altered. I might wish science could offer answers to the uncertainty, but clashes of values are not readily adjudicated by its methods. … [Read more...] about Science Corner: I Wan’na Be Like You
Five Tips for Academics on Communicating to Lay Audiences
As scholars, we train rigorously in our fields, and learn to communicate with each other, but not the people most impacted by our work. How can we learn to do better? The world and the Church need us. I’m an academic, but I spend more time writing for lay audiences than scholarly ones. I’ve done my share of academic writing, from undergraduate essays, to grant proposals, science articles, and poster presentations. I even teach students how to do this. As a science communicator, I’ve realized that there is a … [Read more...] about Five Tips for Academics on Communicating to Lay Audiences
The Faculty Roundtable at Ohio State: Finding Hope Amid Suffering
Imagine faculty on your university gathering across disciplinary and religious lines to discuss important questions common to the human experience. On March 22, over a hundred faculty and other guests gathered to do just that over dinner at the Ohio State University's Faculty Club, preceded by a reception. University Provost Karla Zadnik opened the evening with a warm welcome expressing interest in the topic of suffering and learning from one another how we engage this common human experience. Our main speaker for … [Read more...] about The Faculty Roundtable at Ohio State: Finding Hope Amid Suffering
Call For Articles: Your Dreams for Academia
"Tell them about the dream, Martin." Martin Luther King, Jr. was the last speaker of the day at the March on Washington in 1963. He was preceded by his good friend, singer Mahalia Jackson, who sang and then introduced him. At a critical point in his prepared remarks, Jackson recalled a previous speech of King's that she felt was what the crowd of 250,000 needed and called out, "Tell them about the dream, Martin." Laying aside his remarks, King listened to his friend, gathered himself and began again, "I have a … [Read more...] about Call For Articles: Your Dreams for Academia
Science Corner: So When is an Eclipse not Just an Eclipse?
The past week brought a total solar eclipse and a magnitude 4.7 earthquake to the northeastern United States (among other places for the eclipse). For the folks who will seize any opportunity to invoke the rapture and possibly God's judgment on specific subpopulations, it was a convergence too delicious to pass up. This in turn could not be overlooked by the folks who love to trot out a science fact. Don't you know that eclipses and earthquakes have natural causes, and that the eclipse has been predictable for decades? … [Read more...] about Science Corner: So When is an Eclipse not Just an Eclipse?