Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

conferences

Science Corner: Finding the Levers in Biomedicine

Photo of a row of metal levers in a control panel
If only more things in life were controlled with labeled knobs, dials and switches. (Photo by PIRO4D)

Recently I wrote about a webinar with Francis Su in which he discussed his career and the wisdom he has shared with students and peers. He mentioned the idea of finding the levers in your field, the opportunities to effect change. Last week, NIH Director and BioLogos founder Francis Collins announced that he would no longer accept invitations to conferences with all-male panels. Even though it will likely require minimal effort on his part, given his position he can likely apply significant leverage with a decision like that. Of course, that’s exactly how levers are supposed to work.
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ESN Local Boston: Hear Francis Collins at ASA 2018

ASA 2018 Conference

Francis Collins will be speaking at Gordon College on Saturday July 28 as part of the American Scientific Affiliation (ASA) summer faith/science conference. We shared scholarship opportunities for those coming from a distance last week. ASA has also put together a great $25 local student/postdoc one-day package including a chance to connect with ESN, lunch with Christianity Today editor Rebecca Randall, and a clambake dinner. Not a student or postdoc? You can still hear Dr. Collins for $10 or sign up for the whole conference. Scroll down for options. 

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Academic Conferences for Undergraduates

Academic conferences are a fact of life for graduate students and faculty, but there are plenty of opportunities for undergraduates, too — especially if you’re considering a career in academia. Many conferences feature special rates or events for undergraduates, and there are also conferences intended primarily for undergraduate attendees and presenters. Two such conferences came to my inbox recently.

What other conferences for undergraduates do you recommend? Leave details in the comments or email them to me, and I’ll update this post with additional opportunities.

March 1−2: Spring Paideia and University Honors Annual Conference (Dallas Baptist University)

Philosopher and author David K. Naugle has been organizing this conference for many years, and his program at DBU has a strong reputation for sending students on to graduate studies. (See my 2010 interview with Dr. Naugle for more information.) This year’s speaker is Gideon Strauss, executive director of the Max DePree Center for Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary.

For more information, visit Dr. Naugle’s faculty page at DBU.

April 12−13: Joint Undergraduate Philosophy Conference (Calvin College and Grand Valley State University)

Calvin College has hosted an undergraduate philosophy conference since 2010, and this year is co-hosting the conference with Grand Valley State University. The featured speaker is Dr. Gary Gutting of the University of Notre Dame, speaking on the topic “Religion, Atheism and Agnosticism.”

The conference has issued a call for papers from undergraduate philosophy students. The deadline to submit papers is March 3.

Let us know about other undergraduate conferences in the comments or by email. I’ll update this post as receive details.

Highlights from this month’s Lamp Post

The Lanterns, in Battersea
The Lanterns, in Battersea

The Faculty Ministry Lamp Post — our sister ministry’s monthly email chronicle  — was published earlier today, and I’d like to draw your attention to a few highlights that might interest you.

  • David Thomas, history professor at Union University, reviews the recent collection Teaching and Christian Practices, edited by James K. A. Smith and David I. Smith. I am looking forward to reading David’s review, since I reviewed the book earlier this month for Comment, and I look forward to seeing what an honest-to-goodness college teacher thinks of it.
  • Thomas Trevethan revisits the power of asking good questions.

There are also a whole host of excellent upcoming events advertised in this month’s Lamp Post:

  • The 2012 Midwest Faculty Conference with Mark Noll
  • The 2012 West Coast Faculty Conference with Kathy Cooperand an outstanding team of West Coast faculty members
  • A faculty symposion on Academic Christian Discipleship at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville on March 31

Last but certainly not least, don’t forget about the approaching deadline for the Christian Scholars Foundation Grant to Advance Christian Scholarship. The deadline for initial applications is March 15. Learn more on the main ESN website.

If you’d like to receive the Lamp Post directly, please contact ESN by email.

Poll: How will you spend your summer?

As the final stragglers hold their commencements, student and faculty thoughts turn to summer. Later this week, the Midwest Faculty Conference begins at Cedar Campus. InterVarsity Faculty Ministry intentionally designed this conference to provide both intellectual engagement — this year’s main speaker is Ken Elzinga, and there will be seminars on Bach, Chesterton, and influencing the campus — as well as plenty of time for relaxation and refreshment. (BTW, the West Coast Faculty Conference begins August 1, and there’s still time to register.)

I’ve seen many friends on Facebook and Twitter preparing their summer reading, getting ready for academic conferences or research trips, or taking a brief break before summer classes begin. And, of course, there are lots of people moving — to new jobs, new schools, new families, etc.

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