Special event: Dialogue among science and faith communities

Fri, 22 Mar 2019 15:39:34 -0400

Hello PSS,

On Monday, March 25, UMBC will host the “Engaging Scientists in the Science and Religion Dialogue” project, administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER). Only six universities nationwide were selected by AAAS to host these events.

With panelists who are scientists, science communicators, and medical practitioners who personally practice a range of faiths, the conversation at this public event promises to be fascinating. They each bring a rich set of stories to share about how their experiences have shaped their work. The panelists will speak and then take questions. If this is of interest, please consider attending. Details below...

Science engagement and dialogue with faith communities

March 25, 5:30 – 7 p.m., University Center Ballroom

Reception to follow

Register here

Panelists:

Rabbi Geoff Mitelman
Rabbi Mitelman founded Sinai and Synapses, an organization with expertise in constructive discourse on science and society topics with religious communities. He was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Religion and Jewish studies. Rabbi Mitelman led the congregation of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester for seven years, and his writing on the intersection of religion and science has appeared widely.

Dr. Pamela Payne-Foster
Dr. Payne-Foster is a preventive medicine/public health physician who is an associate professor in the Department of Community and Rural Medicine and deputy director of the Institute for Rural Health Research at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Regional Campus. She has expertise in community health partnerships with churches and other faith communities.

Dr. Altaf Saadi
Dr. Saadi is a neurologist and fellow at the National Clinical Scholars Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she focuses on promoting healthcare leadership in health policy, health services, and community-partnered research. Dr. Saadi is a scientist of faith, and she is active in social justice and science-informed advocacy in the public sphere.

Dr. Caitlin Schrein
Dr. Schrein is strategic communications editor at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a science communicator specializing in anthropology and evolution. Her doctoral research examined the relationship between human evolution education and students’ interest in science and their decision-making about social issues with a scientific basis, such as climate change. She particularly focused on life sciences pedagogy that is sensitive to students’ culture, faith, and worldview.

The panel will be moderated by Steve Freeland, director of UMBC's Individualized Study Program who himself is active in work at the intersection of science and faith.

You can learn more about the project in this UMBC News story.

Direct questions to Sarah Hansen, hansen.sarah@umbc.edu