March 4: March Fo(u)rth into “The Realms of Science and Faith”

Some of the leading kights from science and the humanities gather “The Realms of Science and Faith,” the IU School of Liberal Arts and the IUPUI School of Science Deans’ Day, to help us understand the intersection of science and faith. It will be a good event, some of my favorite people will be speaking, IndyBuzz will post more details as they are finalized.

When: Saturday, March 4 8:30 AM -2:00 PM

Where: IUPUI University Place Conference Center and Hotel

8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Registration and Coffee and Pastries

9:00 a.m. Opening Remarks by Joe Kuczkowski, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Associate Dean Emeritus.

9:05 a.m. “The Realms of Science” David Stocum, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Dean Emeritus, Director of the IU Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine

Science, from the Latin word scientia, is any systematic field of study or body
of knowledge that aims to produce reliable explanations of natural
phenomena through observation, experiment, and inductive and deductive
reasoning. Learn the history of the scientific method and the role of
imagination, creativity, and insight in scientific discovery. Understand what
science has accomplished for civilization — including limitations in the ability
of the scientific method to gain access to the truth about the material world.
Discuss the difference between science, art, and religious faith.

9:25 a.m. “The Realms of Faith” Marti Steussy, Ph.D. MacAllister-Petticrew Professor of Biblical Interpretation, Christian Theological Seminary

9: 45 a.m. Audience Q&A

10:00 – 10:15 a.m. BREAK

10:15 – 11:15 a.m.
o “The Origin of Things” William Jackson, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies
o “The Physical Origins of Things” Kashyap Vasavada, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Physics Department

According to modern physics, our universe has an amazing and fascinating
structure stretching from sub-atomic world, which is some trillion trillion
times smaller than us, to galactic world, which is some trillion trillion times
larger than us. Discover how all of this came into being. The subtle physical
theories, which explain these, have implications for human beings’ place in the
universe and perhaps for a philosophical basis for religions.

o Robert Yost, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer in Biology

11:15- 12:15 p.m. “What does it mean to be human?”

o David Craig, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Adjunct Faculty in Philanthropic Studies
o Kathy Johnson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Psychology Department Associate Professor of Psychology

What is it that sets Homo sapiens apart from even the most symbol-savvy, tool-using nonhuman primates featured in documentaries? From the perspective of cognitive science, the answer is rooted in the more recently-evolved regions of the cortex that enable humans to plan future actions, reflect upon the past, monitor their own thoughts and behaviors, and — perhaps most importantly — inhibit actions or thoughts intentionally. Humans are almost certainly unique in their capacity to have a sense of “self” and in their ability to acquire and use language to support these cognitive abilities. These capabilities will be argued to serve as fundamental prerequisites to the creation (and evolution) of culture.

o Richard Ward, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Student Affairs Professor of Anthropology

12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Lunch
Guest Speaker: Sheila Kennedy, J.D., Assistant Professor School of Public and Environmental Affairs
"Science- Faith --- and Public Policy"

If you like this event, you should check out some of the other discussions of science, faith, and society:

• Feb. 7: Join the ACLU for a discussion of “Intelligent Design in Science Class?”
• Feb. 8: Listen to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on “The Cosmic Perspective"
• April 12: Hear Steven Pinker, the world's foremost popularizer of cognitive psychology

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