Being Human: the Nexus of Science and Spirituality

Posted by Kim Petrie on Friday, March 15, 2019 in Announcements, Workshops and Seminars .

Next week, Vanderbilt is hosting a series of events is to foster inclusive discussions about science that appeal to individuals of diverse worldviews, including different faith traditions as well as those who subscribe to no faith at all. The keynote presentation and the panel will include perspectives on science pedagogy with cultural awareness and sensitivity, the need for inclusive dialogue about science and society topics, and public engagement approaches that are focused on (or at least inclusive of) religious publics, drawing on a range of perspectives from the Vanderbilt community.

The theme for the full event is Being Human: the Nexus of Science and Spirituality, and the events are sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science – Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (AAAS-DoSER). See below for more information on the three distinct events and registration details.

Being Human: the Nexus of Science and Spirituality

Keynote: “Exploring Who We Are: Public Engagement on Human Evolution”
Briana Pobiner, PhD, Paleoanthropologist, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
Respondent: C. Nolan Huizenga, MDiv; Second Presbyterian Church, Nashville
Tuesday, March 19
4:00 – 5:30 pm, with reception to follow
Student Life Center, Ballrooms A&B
Open to the public

Science Communication & Engagement with Religious Publics
Professional Development Workshop
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Student Life Center, Room 140 (Board of Trust)
8:30am – 12:00pm
Register Here by March 15, 2019 (space still available; RSVP required)
Open to Faculty, Postdoctoral Scholars, and Graduate Students

Discussion Panel with Vanderbilt Scholars
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Student Life Center, Ballrooms A&B
1:30 – 3:30 pm, with light reception to follow
Open to the public

Panelists:
David Weintraub, PhD, Dept of Physics & Astronomy
Director, Communication of Science & Technology Program

Maithilee Kunda, PhD, Dept of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Director, Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Visual Analogical Systems

Joseph Fanning, PhD, School of Medicine
Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society

Co-sponsored by the AAAS; the Vanderbilt Graduate School; the Russell G. Hamilton Leadership Development Institute; and the Vanderbilt Communication of Science & Technology Program