The Society of Catholic Scientists

Lecture, Gold Mass and Luncheon in Albuquerque, NM, on Jan 28.
2023-01-28 10:00 UTC
After the Gold Mass on Friday, Jan 28, there will be a public lecture by Prof. Maureen L. Condic, board member of SCS, entitled “Human Life and Death are Defined by Organization.”
The Gold Mass is at 10:00am John XXII Catholic Community in Albuquerque, NM. (4831 Tramway Ridge Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111). Fr. Tai Pham, Ph.D. engineering, pastor, will be the celebrant and homilist.
After the talk there is a luncheon. RSVP to scs.nmchapter@gmail.com
This event is partially supported by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Lecture, Gold Mass and Dinner in Los Alamos, NM, on Jan 27.
2023-01-27 17:30 UTC
After the Gold Mass on Friday, Jan 27, there will be a dinner and a lecture by Prof. Maureen L. Condic, board member of SCS, entitled “Human Life and Death are Defined by Organization.”
The Gold Mass is at 5:30pm at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Los Alamos, NM. (3700 Canyon Rd, Los Alamos, NM 87544). Fr. John Damiel, the pastor, will be the celebrant and homilist.
Dinner begins after the Mass and the talk will begin during dinner. RSVP to scs.nmchapter@gmail.com
This event is partially supported by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Advent/Christmas Celebration in Chicago on Saturday, December 3.
2022-12-03 17:00 - 19:00 UTC
The Lumen Christi Institute will be hosting an Advent/Christmas Celebration from 5pm to 7pm on Saturday, December 3, at Gavin House at the University of Chicago (1220 East 58th Street, Chicago). This event is co-sponsored by the Benedictine University Chapter of SCS and is open to all, so bring your family!
Please click on this link to register
There is an option to attend Saturday vigil Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle in Hyde Park (https://stapostleparish.org/) at 4pm before coming over to Gavin House for the celebration. This event is partially funded by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Lecture and Gold Mass in Kraków (Pol.) on Nov 27.
2022-11-27 18:00 UTC
There will be a lecture by Prof. Krzysztof Meissner at 6:00pm (18:00) on Sunday, Nov 27, in the Dominican Convent in Kraków, Polska, in the Hall of St. Thomas Aquinas. The title of the lecture is “Fizyk w jaskini światów” (“Physicist in cave of worlds”).
Preceding the lecture, there will be a Gold Mass at 5:00pm (17:00), in the Chapel of the Convent The celebrant will be Fr. Mariusz Stopa, O.P. (a physicist). This event is sponsored by the Kraków Chapter of the Society of Catholic Scientists and is partially funded by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Lecture at the University of Tulsa, Nov 17.
2022-11-17 17:00 UTC
On November 17, at 5:00 PM CT, there will be a lecture on the campus of the University of Tulsa in the sanctuary of Sharp Chapel [800 S Tucker Drive, Tulsa OK, 74104]. The lecture, by Prof. Stephen M. Barr, is entitled “Why Quantum Mechanics Makes Philosophical (and Religious) Sense”. The lecture will inaugurate a new lecture series in Faith Reason and Science at the University of Tulsa, which is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.

Public Lecture at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL, on Nov 15.
2022-11-15 19:15 UTC
There will be a Public Lecture at 7:15 PM CST on Tuesday, Nov 15, in the Kindlon Chapel (4th floor of Kindlon Hall) of Benedictine University Lisle campus (5700 College Road, Lisle, Illinois). Dr. Suzen Moeller, Professor of Health Sciences at North Park University, will give a talk entitled “We Are What We Eat: Faith, Reason, and the Thirst for Meaning”
Earlier, at 6:00 PM CST, there will be a Gold Mass in the chapel. The celebrant will be Fr. Andrew Buchanan from St. Mary’s Church in West Chicago. After the Mass and before the lecture there will be a brief reception. All are welcome at the Gold Mass and the talk! The Mass and talk will also be streamed on Zoom at https://benu.zoom.us/s/81627216656. For more information, please reach out to Professor Matthew Wiesner at mwiesner@ben.edu.
This event is sponsored by the Benedictine University Chapter of SCS and is partially funded by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Public Lecture at Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, on Nov 15,
2022-11-15 19:00 - 20:00 UTC
There will be a Public Lecture at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, Nov 15, on the campus of Benedictine College in Atchison, KS. (venue TBD). The lecture, entitled “‘The heavens declare the glory of God’: Catholic Contributions to Astronomy from the Middle Ages to Modernity” will be given by Prof. Christopher Shingledecker of Benedictine College. Prof. Shingledecker’s team was among the first to use the James Webb Space Telescope and were the first to observe a star-forming region.
Earlier, at 5:30 PM, there will be Gold Mass in St. Benedict’s Abbey Church (1020 N 2nd St, Atchison, KS 66002) on the campus of Benedictine College. The celebrant will be Abbot James Albers, OSB, of St. Benedict’s Abbey. After the Mass and before the lecture there will be a reception at 6:30 PM.
This event is sponsored by the Kansas City-area Chapter of SCS and is partially funded by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Public Lecture at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, on Nov 15.
2022-11-15 17:30 UTC
There will be a Public Lecture at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, Nov 15, on the campus of University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, 1800 CHEM (930 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor). The lecture is entitled “The Dignity of the Human Person: Perspectives of Faith and Reason,” and will be given by Dr. Kristin Collier, MD.
At 7:00 pm there will be a Gold Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church (530 Elizabeth St., Ann Arbor, MI) near the campus of University of Michigan. The Mass will be in the traditional Latin Rite (“usus antiquior”). All are welcome!
The events are sponsored by the SCS, Catholic Student Evangelization at UM, and the Ann Arbor Latin Mass Society. For more information, contact armallen@umich.edu
This event is partially funded by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Harvard-MIT "St. Albert the Great Lecture," Nov 13.
2022-11-13 11:00 UTC
The Harvard-MIT Chapter of SCS is having a Gold Mass, Reception, and St. Albert the Great Lecture on Sunday, Nov 13, 2022. The Gold Mass will be at 9:30 AM in the MIT Chapel (48 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139). The Reception will start at 10:30 AM and be held in MIT Building W11 (40 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139)
The St. Albert the Great Lecture, which will start at 11AM in MIT Building W11, will be given by Prof. Karin Öberg of Harvard University. Title TBD.
This event is funded by the Harvard Catholic Center and a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Public Lecture at Aquinas College (MI) on Nov 8.
2022-11-08 18:30 UTC
There will be a Public Lecture on Nov 8 at 6:30 PM in Albertus Magnus Hall on the campus of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. The lecture, entitled “Scientists Reading the Book of Creation,” will be given by Sr. Damien Marie Savino, F.S.E., Ph.D., who is Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas College. (Sr. Damien Marie Savino gave the keynote address at the 2022 SCS conference in June.)
Preceding the lecture, at 4:30 PM, there will be a Gold Mass celebrated by Bishop David Walkowiak, Bishop of the Grand Rapids diocese, held in Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom chapel on the Aquinas College campus [1700 Fulton Street E, Grand Rapids, MI 49503]. A reception will follow the Mass and will be held in the Albertus Magnus Hall of Science, followed by the Lecture at 6:30 PM.
This event is sponsored by Aquinas College, the Michigan Chapter of SCS, and is partially funded by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Public Lecture at Marian University in Indianapolis, IN, on Nov 3
2022-11-03 16:30 UTC
There will be a Public Lecture on Nov 3 at 4:30 PM in Alumni Hall at Marian University in Indianapolis (3200 Cold Spring Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46222). The lecture, entitled “Science and Religion: the myth of conflict,” will be given by Prof. Stephen M. Barr, President of SCS.
After the lecture there will be a Gold Mass at 5:30 PM in St. Joseph Chapel, close by Alumni Hall. (See Campus Map) Following the Gold Mass there will be a reception at Alumni Hall.
HERE is a link to a Parking Pass to park on the Marian University campus for these events.

Public Lecture at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, on Nov 2.
2022-11-02 19:00 UTC
There will be a Public Lecture at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, Nov 2, in the sanctuary of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN (535 W State St, West Lafayette, IN 47906). The lecture, entitled “Science and Religion: the myth of conflict” will be give by Prof. Stephen M. Barr, President of SCS.
Preceding the lecture there will be a Gold Mass at 5:30 PM in the church, followed by a reception at 6:30 PM.
This event is sponsored by the Purdue University Chapter of SCS and is partially funded by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Symposium on “Catholic Scientists, Expertise, and Bioethics”, Birmingham, AL, on Oct 29.
2022-10-29 18:30 UTC
There will be a Symposium in Birmingham, AL, on “Catholic Scientists, Expertise, and Bioethics” on Saturday, October 29th at 6:30 pm in Our Lady of Sorrows Parish Hall (1728 Oxmoor Rd, Homewood, AL 35209.)
Synopsis: This event will feature three distinguished guests discussing the beauty and challenges facing God’s people concerning science, expertise, bioethics and definitions of life. Dr. Joshua Reeves, PhD, will explore what supports and inhibits the people of the church from listening to experts. What is an expert and how is an expert different from the scientific consensus? Deacon Neal Kay, M.D. will then focus on the challenges of making moral choices concerning modern biology and medicine and its impact on daily life. We will close with renowned embryologist, Dr. Maureen Condic, PhD, presenting how biological organization affects the “humanness” of biological material such as cells, organs, to grown person. Dr. Condic is a member of the Board of Directors of SCS. The discussion will be moderated by Paul Wiget, PhD, President of the Society of Catholic Scientists Birmingham Chapter, which is sponsoring the event.
Hors d’oeuvres, Beer, Wine, and non-alcoholic beverages will be served.
This event is sponsored by the Birmingham Chapter of SCS and is partially funded by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Conference of SCS Spanish Regional Chapter
2022-09-15 18:30 - 2022-09-17 18:00 (Europe/Helsinki)
This is the inaugural conference of the Spanish Regional Chapter of SCS (Sección Española de la Society of Catholic Scientists).
It will be held at the Instituto Cultura y Sociedad, in Pamplona, Spain, from 18:30 CEST on September 15 to 18:00 CEST on September 17, 2022. Information about the conference, including its complete program, can be found on the conference website https://www.unav.edu/web/congreso-society-catholic-scientists-spain (English language version : https://en.unav.edu/web/congreso-society-catholic-scientists-spain) The conference talks (all of which, except the first, will be in Spanish) will be live streamed. Note that the times of the conference given above are in local time, which is Central European Summer Time (CEST) = GMT +2.
Pictures and bios of the speakers can be found HERE.
Location of the conference can be found here: https://www.unav.edu/web/congreso-society-catholic-scientists-spain/viaje
This conference is partially funded by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

2022 SCS Conference
2022-06-03 - 2022-06-05 | Mundelein Seminary, 1000 E Maple Ave, Mundelein, IL, 60060
Details
The 2022 SCS CONFERENCE (SCS2022)
Date and Venue of SCS2022
The conference was held on June 3-5, 2022, at the conference center of Mundelein Seminary (also called University of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary), renowned for its scenic beauty and a popular location for retreats and conferences. See this MAP OF THE MUNDELEIN CAMPUS.
Conference Theme and Talks
The main theme of the conference was “Earth and Environmental Stewardship.” This topic was examined from both a scientific and theological standpoint. A broad range of environmental topics was addressed, including pollution, climate, water, resource management, and biodiversity, There were also talks on topics not related to the main theme.
PROGRAM AND SCHEDULE
BIOGRAPHIES OF SPEAKERS
Poster Sessions
LIST OF POSTER PRESENTATIONS
POSTER ABSTRACTS

2021 SCS Conference
2021-06-04
Details
Program
Speakers
Videos
Posters
Details
Details
The fourth annual conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists, which was originally planned for 2020, was held on June 4-6, 2021 at the Washingtion DC Hilton Hotel (1919 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC).
Conference Theme:
The main theme of the conference was “Extraterrestrials, AI, and Minds Beyond the Human,” and had to do with various kinds of real or hypothetical intelligences that are not human or biologically related to humans, especially extraterrestrial intelligence and artificial intelligence. It included questions such as What does science say about the prospects of extraterrestrial intelligence existing? How can it be searched for? What would be the implications for Catholic theology? Is artificial intelligence possible? Would it truly have “intellect”? What would be its theological implications? There were also talks not on the main theme of the conference.
2021 St. Albert Award:
See information on the awardee Lawrence M. Principe
Program
2021 SCS Conference
Washington DC Hilton Hotel (1919 Connecticut Avenue, NW)
Friday, June 4:
7:30 PM – 11:00 PM Registration
8:00 PM – 11:00 PM Opening Reception
Saturday, June 5:
7:00 AM Mass
7:45- 8:45 AM Breakfast
8:45 AM Welcoming Remarks
9:00 AM Keynote Lecture: “Extraterrestrial Life and Catholic Theology”, Christopher T. Baglow (Univ. of Notre Dame)
10:00 AM break
10:30 AM Lecture: “The Scientific Search for Life beyond Earth: from Mars to the Galaxy”, Jonathan I. Lunine (Cornell Univ.)
11:30 AM Invited Lecture: “The Likelihood of Extraterrestrial Life”, Karin I. Öberg (Harvard Univ.)
12:00 PM Lunch
1:15 PM Guest Lecture: “The Evolution of Humans is Inevitable; so where are the extraterrestrials?”, Simon Conway Morris, FRS (Univ. of Cambridge)
2:15 PM break
2:30 PM Lecture: “Forming the Molecular Building-blocks of Life on Icy Cosmic Dust”, Christopher Shingledecker (Benedictine College)
3:00 PM Lecture: “The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: an Overview”, Timothy Dolch (Hillsdale College)
3:30 break
4:00 PM Lecture: “Earthquakes, their Consequences, and the Jesuit Pioneers of Seismology”, Natasha Toghramadjian (Harvard Univ.)
4:30 PM St. Albert Award Lecture: “Scientific Innovation and Franciscan Spirituality in the Middle Ages”, Lawrence M. Principe (Johns Hopkins Univ.)
5:30 PM: Cocktails
6:30 PM: Conference Banquet
8:00 PM: Banquet Address: “A Universe of Awe, Challenge and Possibility”, Jennifer J. Wiseman (AAAS)
8:30 PM to 10:00 PM Socializing and Poster Session
Sunday, June 6:
8:00 AM Conference Mass
9:00 AM Breakfast
10:00 AM Lecture: “Is Artificial Intelligence Compatible with Evolution?”, Fr. Javier Sanchez-Cañizares (Univ. de Navarra)10:30 break
10:45 AM Lecture:: “Artifact, Actuality, and Apparent Persons: On Humane Living with Near-Future Social AI”, Jordan Wales (Hillsdale College)
11:15 AM break
11:30 Lecture: “Deep Learning, Purpose, and Entropy”, Timothy Anderson (Catholic University of America)
12:00 Lecture: “Understanding Evolution with St. Thomas Aquinas”, Sister Stephen Patrick Joly, O.P., Ph.D. (Lansing Catholic High School)
12:30 PM Lunch
1:30 PM SCS Membership Meeting
3:30 PM Conference ends
Speakers
Timothy Anderson received his MS in Computer Science at George Mason University in 2004 and is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at The Catholic University of America. He has worked as a software engineer at Leidos (formerly Science Applications International Corporation) since 2004. Last year he began teaching philosophy courses on Thomas Aquinas and modern philosophy at The Christendom College Graduate School of Theology in Alexandria, Virginia. His PhD dissertation, directed by Robert Sokolowski, extends the phenomenological critique of artificial intelligence from an Aristotelian/Thomistic perspective. Dr. Anderson is an Associate of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Christopher T. Baglow is the Director of the Science and Religion Initiative of the McGrath Institute for Church Life of the University of Notre Dame. (PhD Theology 2000, Duquesne University) Since 2005, Prof. Baglow has directed numerous programs for faith-science integration at Catholic high schools, and is Director of Foundations New Orleans, a week-long summer seminar for Catholic high school science and religion teachers. Prof. Baglow is the author of the landmark high-school textbook Faith, Science and Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge (Midwest Theological Forum, 1st ed. 2009, 2nd ed. 2019). Prof. Baglow is a Director of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Simon Conway Morris, FRS, is Chair of Evolutionary Palaeobiology at the University of Cambridge. He is best known for his work on the Cambrian explosion, the Burgess Shale fossil fauna, and similar deposits in China and Greenland. In addition to working in these countries he has undertaken research in Australia, Canada, Mongolia and the United States. His studies on the Burgess Shale-type faunas, as well as the early evolution of skeletons, has encompassed a wide variety of groups, ranging from ctenophores to the earliest vertebrates. In January 2017, his team announced the discovery of an early ancestor of vertebrates, a bag-like sea creature, which lived about 540 million years ago. He gave the 2007 Gifford Lectures.and is the recipient of many other prestigious awards including the 1987 Walcott Medal, the 1989 Charles Schuchert Award 1989, the 1998 Charles Lyell Medal, and the 2007 Trotter Prize. He is the author of several books, including Life’s Solution (Cambridge, 2003). Prof. Conway Morris is a Christian who has lectured widely on the relation of science and faith.
Timothy Dolch is Assistant Professor of Physics at Hillsdale College. He received his BS from Caltech and his PhD in Physics & Astronomy from the Johns Hopkins University in 2012. Before joining the faculty of Hillsdale College, he held postdoctoral positions at Oberlin College and Cornell University, both with the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) collaboration. . In NANOGrav he chairs the Education and Public Outreach Working Group. He is also a research scientist with Eureka Scientific, Inc. Primarily a transient radio astronomer, his research focuses on pulsars and using them as tools to detect gravitational waves from merging supermassive black holes. He is an author on 49 refereed publications and has taught courses in quantum mechanics, general relativity, computational physics, and astronomy. With Hillsdale students, he constructed the Low-Frequency All-Sky Monitor, an on-campus radio telescope. Prof. Dolch is a member of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Sister Stephen Patrick Joly, O.P., is a perpetually professed member of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. She earned her PhD in Cell and Microbial Biology from The Catholic University of America in 2018. Her dissertation was titled “Identification of SUP5: A Protein that Interfaces with the Deviant ATP-Binding Site of the Yeast Pdr5 Multidrug Transporter.” Sr. Stephen Patrick is currently a high school science teacher at Lansing Catholic High School and has taught Honors and General Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, AP Biology, Physical Science, and Meteorology & Astronomy. She is a member of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Jonathan I. Lunine is David C. Duncan Professor in the Physical Sciences of Cornell University and Director of the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science. (PhD Planetary Science 1985, Caltech) Prof. Lunine does research in astrophysics, planetary science and astrobiology. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and among other awards is the recipient of the Jean Dominique Cassini Medal of the European Geosciences Union (2015) and the Basic Sciences Award of the Int. Academy of Astronautics (2009). He is the author of Astrobiology, A Multidisciplinary Approach (Pearson Addison-Wesley, 2005) and Earth: Evolution of a Habitable World (2nd ed., Cambridge Univ. Press, 2013). Prof. Lunine is Vice President of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Karin I. Öberg is Professor of Astronomy and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard. Her research focuses on how chemistry affects star and planet formation and the likelihood of forming habitable planets. Recent highlights include observations of snowlines and organic molecules in Solar Nebula analogs where exoplanets are currently assembling. Dr. Öberg obtained a B.Sc. in chemistry at Caltech in 2005, and a Ph.D. in astronomy at Leiden University in 2009. She received a Hubble Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2009 and joined the Harvard faculty in 2013. At Harvard, her research in astrochemistry has been recognized with a Sloan fellowship, a Packard fellowship and the Newton Lacy Pierce Award. Prof. Öberg is a Director of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Lawrence M. Principe is the Drew Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University and Professor in both the Department of History of Science and Technology and the Department of Chemistry. He is also Director of the Charles Singleton Center for the Study of Premodern Europe. Principe’s main studies concern the early history of chemistry, and he is recognized as one of the foremost experts on the history of alchemy. He is the first recipient of the Francis Bacon Medal by the California Institute of Technology for significant contributions to the history of science in 2004. His book Alchemy Tried in the Fire: Starkey, Boyle, and the Fate of Helmontian Chymistry was awarded the Pfizer Award by the History of Science Society in 2005. In 2016, he received the Franklin-Lavoisier Prize in Paris from the Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie and the Chemical Heritage Foundation. He has written extensively on the historical relation of science and religion. Prof. Principe is a member of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Javier Sanchez-Cañizares is Professor in the Science, Reason and Faith group (CRYF) at the University of Navarra. He received a PhD in Physics in 1999 from the Autonomous University of Madrid and his PhD in Theology in 2005 from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. He has published in the areas of experimental condensed matter physics, foundations of quantum mechanics, philosophy of science, science and religion, and theology. Fr. Sanchez-Cañizares is a member of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Christopher Shingledecker is Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Benedictine College in Atchison, KS. Previously, he was an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation postdoctoral research fellow in Germany, where he worked at both the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Munich and the University of Stuttgart. His research is in theoretical computational astrochemistry, with a focus on molecule formation on interstellar dust and ice. He received his PhD from the University of Virginia in 2018 under the supervision of Eric Herbst. He is one of the recipients of the 2017 Rao Prize and has more than 30 papers in journals including Science, Nature Astronomy, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Prof. Shingledecker is a member of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Natasha Toghramadjian is a third-year PhD student at Harvard University studying geophysics, with a focus on earthquakes and strong ground motion predictions. Funded by a U.S. Fulbright Research Grant, she spent 10 months in Armenia as a geophysical researcher on the NSF-funded, Caucasus-wide “Transect Project,” designing a collaborative statistical seismology study on reservoir-triggered earthquakes and aiding in the deployment of 100+ new seismic stations and analysis of incoming seismic data for tomographic modeling of the Caucasus’ crustal and mantle structure. She has done several field studies in the Seattle area. Her research is supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and Harvard Ashford Fellowship. She is a Student Member of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Jordan Joseph Wales is an Associate Professor of Theology at Hillsdale College. He received his MTS and PhD in Theology from the University of Notre Dame after studying under a British Marshall Scholarship in the UK, where he received a Diploma in Theology from Oxford and a MSc in Cognitive Science and Natural Language from the University of Edinburgh. He teaches historical theology and writes on early Christianity as well as contemporary questions relating to theology and Artificial Intelligence. His work has appeared in the journals AI & Society and Augustinian Studies, among others. As an advisor to the Pontifical Council for Culture’s new “Center for Digital Culture,” he collaborates with other theologians on questions relating to AI. Prof. Wales is a Scholar Associate of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Jennifer J. Wiseman is a senior astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where she serves as the Senior Project Scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope. She previously headed the Laboratory for Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics. She studies star forming regions of our galaxy using radio, optical, and infrared telescopes, with a particular interest in molecular cloud cores, protostars, and outflows. She led a major study that mapped a star forming region in the constellation Orion. Wiseman is a Christian and a Fellow of the American Scientific Affiliation and a member of the BioLogos Board of Directors. On June 16, 2010, Wiseman was introduced as the new director for the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion.
Videos
“Extraterrestrial Life and Catholic Theology,” Prof. Christopher T. Baglow (Univ. of Notre Dame)
“The Scientific Search for Life beyond Earth: from Mars to the Galaxy.” Prof. Jonathan I. Lunine (Cornell Univ.)
“The Likelihood of Extraterrestrial Life,” Prof. Karin I. Öberg (Harvard Univ.)
“The Evolution of Humans is Inevitable: so where are the extraterrestrials?” Prof. Simon Conway Morris (Univ. of Cambridge) [Guest Lecture]
“Forming the Molecular Building Blocks of Life on Icy Cosmic Dust,” Prof. Christopher Shingledecker (Benedictine College)
“The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: An Overview,” Prof. Timothy Dolch (Hillsdale College)
“Earthquakes, their Consequences, and the Jesuit Pioneers of Seismology,” Natasha Toghramadjian (Harvard Univ.)
“Scientific Innovation and Franciscan Spirituality in the Middle Ages,” Prof. Lawrence M. Principe (Johns Hopkins Univ.)
“Is Artificial Intelligence Compatible with Evolution?” Prof. Javier Sanchez-Cañizares (Univ. de Navarra)
“Artifact, Actuality, and Apparent Persons: On Humane Living with Near-Future Social AI,” Prof. Jordan Wales (Hillsdale College)
“Deep Learning, Purpose, and Entropy,” Timothy Anderson (Catholic University of America)
“Understanding Evolution with St. Thomas Aquinas,” Sr. Stephen Patrick Joly, Ph.D. (Lansing Catholic High School)
Posters
Christopher Spiese (Ohio Northern Univ.) “The Phosphorus Problem in the pre-biotic world.” Abstract: The so-called “phosphorus problem” in prebiotic life has traditionally been framed in terms of phosphate solubility. Phosphates (PO43-) are generally insoluble and therefore cannot supply adequate nutrients for protocellular metabolism. Phosphite (HPO32-) is thought to solve this problem, but introduces a new obstacle, what might be termed the “phosphorus permeability problem”. Phosphate and phosphite are both charged at circumneutral pH and cannot cross a lipid membrane. No evolutionary pressure exists to drive formation of transporters prior to the existence of a membrane, and so the first protocells likely lacked transporters. We suggest that volatile forms of phosphorus — phosphine (PH3) and diphosphane (P2H4) – may play a key role in prebiotic phosphorus metabolism. We show that volatile phosphorus species are produced during the aqueous reaction of Fe3P, an analog to meteoritic schreibersite ((Fe,Ni)3P). Using quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) and membrane permeation models, we show that PH3 and P2H4 can efficiently diffuse passively across cell membranes without the need for transporters. We further constrain the solubility and membrane permeation of phosphite and its calcium and magnesium salts. These results indicate that volatile phosphorus species may be key components of the global P cycle on early Earth and in the origin of life.
Daniel E.Vanden Berk (St. Vincent College) “A deep wide-field search for ETI radio beacons among solar-type stars.” Abstract: Nearly 100,000 solar-type (F, G, and K class) stars have been searched for possible broad-band radio beacons originating from technological civilizations. The search was conducted by cross-matching the very deep and wide-field Very Large Array radio survey with optical sources in the very faint Sloan Digital Sky Survey “Stripe 82” region. Among the ~17,000 radio sources, only 8 have optical counterparts with colors consistent with solar-type stars. Of those, only two are verified solar-type stars, four are extragalactic quasars and galaxies, and two have no verification spectra. The maximum of four solar-type stars matched to the 100,000 radio sources is fully consistent with expectations from chance alignments. Spectra of the two verified stars show no obvious anomalies. The extremely low fraction of natural radio-emitting stars, and the ease of finding candidates, demonstrates the efficiency radio beacons as an interstellar means of signaling the existence of technological civilizations.
Kevin Greenman (MIT) “Artificial Intelligence applications in the design of novel dye molecules with targeted optical properties.” Abstract: Dye molecules are applicable in many areas including biological imaging, LED displays, and solar cells, and their optical properties are an integral focus of design for these applications. Numerous methods have been developed over the last few decades to aid in this design process, including property prediction from physics-based theories and statistical models. Artificial intelligence methods have recently been applied to increase automation and reduce the effect of human biases in molecular design. In this work, we use machine learning models to predict the optical properties of molecular dyes with quantified uncertainty. Additionally, we begin to explore the development of an active learning framework to intelligently gather new data in areas of high uncertainty, as well as generative modeling algorithms to propose new molecules that are optimized to have particular absorption and emission peak wavelengths. This work will help to shift what was once a long, costly, trial-and-error design process with extensive human involvement to a faster, cheaper, and automated approach for creating new molecular dyes.
Reinhard Vehring (Univ. of Alberta) “You Shall Not Make for Yourself Humanoid AI.” Abstract: This presentation addresses the growing attempt to make humanoid AI robots more and more human-like, which seems inexorably linked to a final goal of making such robotic AI indistinguishable from humans. Our contention is twofold: first, using a traditional category from Catholic moral theology, that the ‘object of the act’ of trying to make robotic AI ‘in our image’ almost certainly does not meet the criteria for the act to be good. That is to say, it is likely intrinsically wrong to engage in a project where one might try to re-engineer human intelligence and embodiment via technological means. Second, moving away from the intrinsic worth of the act, that the likely consequences of successfully achieving a very human-like robotic AI will be unfortunate, if not disastrous. In this presentation, we focus on the latter part of this twofold claim, and chart what we think would be some of the negative consequences of successfully achieving a human-like AI robot, especially in terms of erosion of human rights, the formation of inappropriate emotional attachments, and the greater weight that will be attributed to computer-generated information than to human knowledge.
Tom Polnaszek (Belmont Abbey College) “Minds beyond the human: animal decision-making and information use.” Abstract: All animals face many challenges on a daily basis: to find food and water, avoid predators, find shelter and other necessities. Each of these tasks requires decisions on some level. What cognitive abilities are required to solve these tasks? Are innate behaviors and simple learning rules sufficient, or is something else required? We know different animals use information to make decisions with varying levels of so-called ‘cognitive complexity’. This ranges from simpler stimulus-response mechanisms to the more complex – perhaps bordering on introspection and theory of mind. Examining the cognitive abilities of terrestrial life could tell us what we might expect of extra-terrestrial life, or help us build machines with abilities to make complex decisions based on simple heuristics or rules-of-thumb. Yet studying the decisions of animals is often difficult, since we must make inferences about the processes involved based on observable, quantitative behavior (there is no direct window into animals’ minds). This presentation discusses several diverse examples of non-human animal decision-making and information use from my own research. Examples include the cues woodchucks use to choose a home, whether and in what circumstances blue jays are dishonest and gullible, and the floral visitation decisions and innovative behavior of bumble bees. In addition to presenting these specific research projects, another goal of this poster presentation is to provide an opportunity to meet for a more general discussion of what we know (or do not yet know) about animal cognition and the mental lives of animals.
Chris Lee (SCS, New Mexico Regional Chapter) “Quarks, the Cosmos, and the Dignity of Man” Abstract: Modern cosmology has revealed how vast the universe is in space and time, leaving us humans seemingly as an insignificant, momentary speck within it. Elementary particle physics, meanwhile, seems to be converging towards an elegant, conceptually simple description of the fundamental constituents of matter and their interactions, which can suggest either the imprint of an intelligent Creator or the ultimate reduction of all phenomena to purely natural explanations. This poster is a (Catholic!) theoretical physicist’s reflections on how these discoveries relate to the dignity of Man and his relation to the Creator.
Chris Payne (Franciscan Univ. of Steubenville) “Uniting science course material to career development and vocation to promote engaged learning.” Abstract: Many students remain minimally engaged when STEM coursework is perceived as unrelated to their interests, degree, or career trajectories. This is complicated by intimidation and time-constraints associated with new learning modalities, large amounts of information, and high-stakes grade requirements for acceptance into professional or postgraduate programs. These complications can result in students seeking superficial and quick ways to simply study material instead of prioritizing understanding material and personal (and even spiritual) growth. To deepen student learning requires that students develop a personal appreciation or perceived utility of course material. An instructor can explicitly provide time and initiative to help students contemplate how course material has personal value to them. These efforts can also guide students to unite this value to their faith in order to serve as a strong unifying theme for their entire undergraduate career. I designed an assignment that provides students the opportunity to develop personal appreciation of STEM course material, connect it to their career trajectory, and ground both of these within a unifying framework of Christian vocation. The assignment requires students reflect on why they’re taking my course and how it will play a role in their careers or lives. They then read a paper discussing the differences between jobs, careers, and vocations and are asked to frame the previous reflection around their faith and calling. Next, students must interview a professional in their field of interest to ask that individual how my class’s subject matter and that individual’s faith have played a role in their careers and lives. Students write a final reflection paper explaining modified perceptions of my class’s role in their lives. Student response has been overwhelmingly positive, and student papers demonstrate substantial transformation. The vocational framework has inspired further engagement about course material and how material relates to students’ faith.
Paul Wiget (Samford Univ.) “Eclipsing Expertise: Comparing Pseudoscience and Theological Dissent..” Abstract: Those who actively publish in well-regarded scientific journals recognize that scientific truth must be continuously discerned within the academy and public research venues. Similarly, theological Truth is discerned within the community of faithful priests, bishops, and theologians dating back to before Peter the Apostle. It is within communities of studious knowers that truth, being scientific or theological, unfolds. Both data and Scripture must be studied and scrutinized. After years and years of scrutiny truth unfolds within those communities. Individual truth, however, can only find acceptance with regards to its place in the body of knowledge of those studying and developing those truths over time. Occasionally, individuals, for reasons of corruption, disenfranchisement, or fundamental error, come to different conclusions than the communities where such truths are vetted. When those alternative interpretations of reality are allowed to endure, or if the individual who came to those conclusions abandons their community and starts their own, many deleterious outcomes have been observed. Using examples from the history of science and the history of the Church, we will show one chemist’s view comparing the similarities and subsequent fracturing of society by scientific and theological individualism.
Mark R. Scafonas (St. Joseph’s Univ.) “Application of a budget of isentropic wave activity to moist baroclinic life cycles.” Abstract: An idealized baroclinic model is used to study wave-mean flow feedback processes in the atmosphere and provides a simplified picture of mid-latitude weather patterns in the presence of an equator-to-pole temperature gradient. The budget of wave activity, using the isentropic potential vorticity (PV), for the development and life cycle of dry eddies is well studied and indicates that the primary conversion term from the zonal momentum to the wave activity is the eddy PV flux. The role of moisture in the development of these eddies is less understood and the diabatic sources of wave activity for these waves are examined, using a novel budget of wave activity applied to a non-hydrostatic, moist, atmospheric model. These results are compared to analogous dry simulations and indicate that diabatic sources of wave activity are of similar magnitude to the dynamical terms and occur predominantly on the equatorward side of the wave. The location of this wave activity source preferentially strengthens the development of the longer-lived cyclonic wave breaking topology and inhibits the development of anticyclonic wave breaking events. Subsequently, these results also indicate that, consistent with existing understanding of baroclinic life cycle feedback onto the mean jet configuration, the mean jet shifts equatorward following the cyclonic life cycle. These results provide insight into the diabatic contributions to the development of baroclinic eddies and provide a foundation to study this problem under the conditions of anthropogenic climate change.
Mark Spellmon (Univ. of Virginia School of Medicine) “O-antigen export by ABC transporters in Gram-negative bacteria.” Abstract: Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are abundant glycolipids found in the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria. The O-antigen portion of LPS is a serotype-dependent polysaccharide chain with variable saccharide composition and linkage. The heterogeneity of O-antigens among gram-negative negative microbes are utilized to shield and evade against host immunity. O-antigen biosynthesis begins on an undecaprenyl phosphate anchor in the inner leaflet of the inner membrane. Several glycosyltransferases and glycolipid transporters coordinate the construction and translocation of the O antigen from the inner to the outer leaflet where it is finally ligated to core-lipid A to complete LPS. The ABC-transporter dependent pathway is one route used to shuttle undecaprenyl pyrophosphate-linked O-antigens across the inner membrane. The O-antigen ABC transporter, WzmWzt, hydrolyzes cytosolic ATP to funnel the O-antigen in a processive approach, a unique strategy not observed in other related ABC transporters. In this study, we evaluate the structure of the protein components needed to shuttle the O-antigen from the CBM-dependent ABC transporter transport pathway.
Marek Szczepanczyk (Univ. of Florida) “Detecting gravitational waves from the next Galactic core-collapse supernova.” Abstract: Core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are one of the most spectacular phenomena known in the Universe and the next explosion of a massive star in the Milky Way will be one of the most interesting astronomical events in the incoming decades. Many open questions about these phenomena are waiting to be answered, including the unknown explosion mechanism. The detection of gravitational waves (GWs) will allow to probe directly the CCSN engine and shed some light on these questions. In my poster, I will give an overview of the predicted GW signatures based on a wide range of CCSN models. I will show the search results from the LIGO and Virgo observing runs and current upper limits. I will present the feasibility of detecting and reconstructing GWs from the next Galactic CCSN if it happens during the upcoming observing runs of the advanced GW detectors. Finally, I will discuss the accuracy and the challenges of reconstructing the overall waveforms and the GW signals emitted by specific emission processes.
James Vranish (Franciscan Univ.) “Origin of Life: Merging the Unknown and the Miraculous.” Abstract: The events that lead to the formation of the first organisms on earth are perplexing to many biochemists. There are immense gaps in our knowledge that seem to defy plausible explanation. As Catholic scientists, we seek natural explanations for the universe but simultaneously acknowledge the necessity for the miraculous and supernatural. The temptation exists to claim that the origin of life must have been miraculous since we don’t understand it, which can lead to a so-called “God of the gaps” mentality. This can harm scientific inquiry and lead to a faith that can be shaken with new discoveries. At the same time, Christians acknowledge the possibility of divine intervention. This poster explores different approaches to understanding this problem from a theological and scientific perspective and how to approach this problem in a classroom.

2020 SCS Conference (postponed to 2021)
2020-06-05 - 2020-06-07
The 2020 annual conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists was to be held to Providence College in Rhode Island on June 5-7, 2020. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 panemic, it was cancelled. Therefore, the fourth annual conference was the 2021 conference, held in Washington, DC, from June 4, 2021, to June 6, 2021.

2019 SCS Conference
2019-06-07 - 2019-06-09
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Program
Speakers
Videos
In The Media
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The third annual conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists was held on June 7-9, 2019 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, USA.
Conference Theme:
The theme of the conference was “What does it mean to be human?” This included such questions as What is “human nature”? When did it appear? Did Neanderthals and other archaic species of Homo have it? When does an individual human life begin? Can human nature be changed by genetic engineering? In what ways are humans unique on earth? Are we unique in the cosmos? These questions were explored from the point of view of biology, paleoanthropology, philosophy, theology, and other disciplines.
2019 St. Albert Award:
See information on the awardee Maureen L. Condic
Program
Program of 2019 SCS Conference
Friday, June 7:
7:30 PM – 11:00 PM Registration desk open (Morris Inn)
8:00 PM – 11:00 PM Reception and Poster Session I (Morris Inn)
Saturday, June 8:
7:00 AM Mass (Welsh Family Hall Chapel)
8:00 Breakfast (McKenna Hall, dining room)
8:45 AM Welcoming remarks (McKenna Hall Auditorium)
9:00 Keynote Lecture: “What Does ‘Made in the Image of God’ Mean?” Marie I. George (St. John’s University)
10:00 break.
10:15 Invited Lecture: “Becoming and Being Human: evidence from the archaeological, fossil and genetic records” Steven J. Mithen (University of Reading (UK))
11:15 break
11:30 “The Science behind Ancestry Mapping: what can it tell us about our human nature?” Benjamin Rybicki (Henry Ford Cancer Institute)
12:00 Lunch (McKenna Hall, dining room)
1:15 Invited Lecture: “CRISPR and Genetic Engineering: the science and its implications” Nicanor Austriaco, O.P. (Providence College)
2:15 break
2:30 Invited Lecture: “Homo ex Machina and Imago Dei: the nightmare dreams” Conor Cunnningham (University of Nottingham (UK))
3:30 break
3:45 “To Look to the Heavens: Galileo on the Potential of the Human MInd” Lawrence Machia, O.S.B, and Daniel Vanden Berk (St. Vincent College)
4:15 “Neurobiology of Emotions and the Evidence of Human Interconnectedness” Sonsoles de Lacalle (Ohio University)
4:45 break
5:00 St. Albert Award Lecture: “Human Beings are Defined by Organization” Maureen L. Condic (University of Utah)
6:00 PM: Cocktails (Smith Ballroom, Morris Inn)
6:30 PM: Conference Banquet (Smith Ballroom, Morris Inn)
8:00 PM: Banquet Address: “Discovering Eifelheim” Michael F. Flynn (Author of Eifelheim and winner of 2003 Robert A. Heinlein Medal) (Smith Ballroom, Morris Inn)
Sunday, June 9:
8:00 AM Conference Mass
9:00 AM Breakfast (McKenna Hall, dining room)
10:00 “Created in the Image and Likeness of Man” Megan Levis (University of Notre Dame) (McKenna Auditorium)
10;30 “Will Tissue Engineering Change Human Nature?” Christopher Raub (Catholic University of America)
11:00 “Evolution and the Eschatological Meaning of Human Nature” Richard Austin Choate (Cambridge University)
11:30 Poster Session II (McKenna Hall, dining room)
12:30 Lunch (McKenna Hall, dining room)
1:30 Membership Meeting (McKenna Hall, dining room)
2:30 Conference ends
Speakers
(alphabetical by last name)
Nicanor Austriaco, O.P., is Professor in the Department of Biology of Providence College. He received his Ph.D. in biology from MIT in 1996 and does research in experimental molecular biology, especially programmed cell death in unicellular eukaryotes. He is a priest of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) and holds a doctorate in theology from the Univ. of Fribourg in Switzerland. Among other distinctions he is an investigator in the NIH-Rhode Island Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence Program. He is the author of Biomedicine and Beatitude: An Introduction to Catholic Bioethics (CUA Press, 2011) and co-author of Thomistic Evolution: a Catholic approach to understanding evolution in the light of faith (Cluny Media, 2016). Prof. Austriaco is on the Board of SCS.
Richard Austin Choate is a graduate student in theology at the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge, working on his doctoral thesis “Theosemiotics, Peirce, Perichoresis, and St. John of Damascus.” He is a Scholar Associate of SCS.
Maureen Condic is an Associate Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Utah, with an adjunct appointment in Pediatrics. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and her doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on the role of stem cells in development and regeneration and has been recognized by both the Basil O’Connor and the McKnight awards. She is currently a member of Pontifical Academy for Life, and in 2018, was appointed by the President of the United States to the National Science Board. Dr. Condic has recently co-authored a book with her brother Samuel, entitled Human Embryos, Human Beings, that explores the nature of the human embryo from a scientific and philosophical perspective. Her second book, Untangling Twinning, considers the biologic and philosophic issues raised by human twinning, and is due to appear in the summer of 2019. Dr. Condic participates in both graduate and medical education, having taught Human Embryology in the Medical School for 20 years. She has a strong commitment to public education, and has presented over 250 seminars and interviews, both nationally and internationally, on science policy, bioethics and her own research. Prof. Condic is a member of SCS.
Conor Cunningham is Associate Professor in Theology and Philosophy, and Director of the Centre of Theology and Philosophy, University of Nottingham. Prof. Cunningham has degrees in Law, Philosophy, and Theology. He did his PhD at the University of Cambridge. His prize-winning research has been translated into many languages including: French, Polish, Chinese, Spanish, Korean, and Russian. He is the author of Genealogy of Nihilism: Philosophies of Nothing and the Difference of Theology (2002), He is also the author of the award-winning book Darwin’s Pious Idea: Why the Ultra Darwinists and Creationists Both Get it Wrong (2010).The third part of this trilogy is forthcoming: Soul and the Marriage of Discourse: The Return of Scientia. In addition, Prof. Cunningham was the writer and presenter of the multi-award-winning BBC documentary “Did Darwin Kill God?”
Sonsoles de Lacalle is Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Ohio University and Director of the Office of Advanced Studies in Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. She received both an MD and a PhD from the University of Navarre in Spain, after which she did postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago. Her research is in the field of neuroscience, focusing on the field of aging and dementia and the effects of estrogen on brain cells. Prof. de Lacalle is a member of SCS.
Michael F. Flynn is an award-winning science fiction writer. After receiving a masters degree in mathematics from Marquette University (in general topology), he had a long and successful career as a quality engineer and consultant on statistical methods. He is the author of more than 70 stories and articles and 15 novels and story collections. He is best known for the novel Eifelheim and the recent Spiral Arms series. He has been nominated seven times for science fiction’s Hugo Award and received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for his body of work and the Sturgeon Prize for the short story “House of Dreams.” In addition, he has received the Seiun Award from Japan and the Prix Julie Verlanger from France, both for translations of Eifelheim. His most recent book is the collection Captive Dreams, six interlocked stories dealing with issues of morality and technology.. His most recent short story “Nexus” is reprinted in the 35th annual The Year’s Best Science Fiction. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction calls him “a central modern creator of Hard SF.” His novel Eifelheim is a theologically, scientifically, and historically sophisticated story about the encounter between a medieval Christian village and extraterrestrials.
Marie I. George is Professor of Philosophy at St. John’s University, NY. She received her Ph.D. in philosophy from Laval University. She also holds Masters degrees in biology and in pastoral theology. An Aristotelian-Thomist, her interests lie primarily in the areas of natural philosophy and philosophy of science. She has received several awards from the John Templeton foundation for her work in science and religion, and in 2007 was co-recipient of a grant from the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS) for an interdisciplinary project entitled “The Evolution of Sympathy and Morality.” Professor George has authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles and two books: Christianity and Extraterrestrials? A Catholic Perspective (2005) and Stewardship of Creation (2009), as well as editing The Essential Guide to Catholic Spiritual Classics (2017). She is a Thomistic Institute speaker and the assistant editor of the Long Island Botanical Society newsletter. Prof. George is a Scholar Associate of SCS.
Megan Levis is a fourth year doctoral student in Bioengineering at the University of Notre Dame in the field of tissue engineering. Her research focusses on the pathways involved in mechanical signaling during tissue growth, development, and healing after injury. Megan also designs microfluidic devices to mechanically and chemcally perturb multicellular systems. She is a graduate student member of SCS.
Lawrence Machia, O.S.B., is priest of the Order of St. Benedict. He holds an MDiv and an MA in Theology from St. Vincent Seminary. His master’s thesis research was on Galileo’s Letter to Christina and its place in Catholic intellectual tradition. He is currently studying undergraduate physics at St. Vincent College in preparation for graduate studies in astronomy and astrophysics. Fr. Machia is a student member of SCS.
Steven J. Mithen is Professor of Early Prehistory at the University of Reading in the UK. His research concerns human evolution and early prehistoric communities, with a focus on the evolution of intelligence, language and music, and the emergence of farming communities. He has long-term archaeological field projects in Southern Jordan and Western Scotland. His books include The Prehistory of the Mind (1996), After The Ice: A Global Human History 20,000-5000 BC (2003), The Singing Neanderthals (2005), Thirst: Water and Power in the Ancient World (2012), and WF16: Excavations at An Early Neolithic Settlement in Southern Jordan (2018). Prof. Mithen has served as Pro-Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Reading. He was elected as a Fellow of the British Academy in 2003.
Christopher Raub is Asst. Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Catholic University of America. He received his PhD in 2009 from UC Irvine, and did postdoctoral work at UC Davis and the University of Southern California. Dr. Raub’s research merges tissue engineering, biomedical optics, and microfluidics to study cell and matrix dynamics noninvasively and relate microscale features to macroscale tissue mechanics. Prof. Raub is a member of SCS.
Benjamin Rybicki is Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Public Health Services at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He received his PhD in Epidemiology from University of Michigan in 1996. His research focusses primarily on the epidemiology, demographics, and genetics of a variety of diseases, including sarcoidosis, Parkinson’s disease, and prostate cancer. Dr. Rybicki is a member of SCS.
Daniel Vanden Berk is Assoc. Professor of Physics at St. Vincent College. He received his PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics in 1997 from the University of Chicago. His research focusses on gamma-ray bursts, quasars and active galaxies, sky surveys, statistical analysis of large data sets, the intergalactic medium, and ultraviolet astronomy. Prof. Venden Berk is a member of SCS.
Videos
Videos of 2019 conference talks
In The Media
Media Coverage of Conference:
aleteia story on SCS and 2019 conference
Catholic World Report
Podcasts of Interviews with speakers:
Fr. Lawrence Machia, O.S.B. and Daniel Vanden Berk, Part I (July 15, 2019)
Fr. Lawrence Machia, O.S.B. and Daniel Vanden Berk, Part II (July 22, 2019)
Bejamin Rybicki (August 12, 2019)
Jonathan Lunine (August 19, 2019)
Karin Öberg (August 26, 2019)
Megan Levis, Part I (Sept 2, 2019)
Megan Levis, Part II (Sept 9, 2019)

2018 SCS Conference
2018-06-08 - 2018-06-10
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Program
Videos
In The Media
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Our second conference — “The Human Mind and Physicalism” — ran from June 8-10, 2018, in Washington, DC, at the Cathollic University of America.
Topics:
Physicalism (also called scientific materialism) is the reductive claim that all of reality, including the human mind, is physical. The conference brought together scholars in many fields (philosophy, physics, neuroscience, and computer science/mathematical logic) to examine this claim critically. There were also talks on other topics, including the life of Bl. Nicolaus Steno. The St. Albert Award Lecture was given by Juan Martin Maldacena of the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton) on the subject of “Black Holes and the Structure of Spacetime.”
2018 St. Albert Award:
See information on the awardee Juan Martin Maldacena
Program
2018 SCS Conference
Friday, June 8:
5:00–9:00 PM Registration (Heritage Hall, Father O’Connell Hall)
8:00 PM Reception and Poster Session I (Heritage Hall, Father O’Connell Hall)
Saturday, June 9:
7:00 AM Mass (St. Vincent de Paul Chapel)
8:00 AM Breakfast (Great Room, Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center)
8:45 AM Benediction Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C. & Welcoming Remarks Stephen M. Barr, President of the Society of Catholic Scientists
9:00 AM Keynote Lecture “Arguments for the Immateriality of the Mind”, Edward Feser (Pasadena City College)
10:00 AM Break
10:15 AM Lecture: “The Role of the Observer in Quantum Mechanics”, Stephen M. Barr (University of Delaware}
10:45 AM Break
11:00 AM Lecture: “Randomness in Quantum Phenomena”, Valerio Scarani (National University of Singapore)
12 Noon: Lunch
1:15 PM Lecture: “Fifty Years Without Free Will”, Aaron Schurger (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM))
2:15 PM: Break
2:30 PM Guest Lecture: “On the Question of Whether the Mind Can Be Mechanized”, Peter Koellner (Harvard University)
3:30 PM Break
3:45 PM Lecture: “Inside the Brain, Inside the Earth: The Work of Bl. Nicolaus Steno”, Andrew A. Sicree (Pennsylvania State University)
4:15 PM Lecture: “Integral Ecology as a Restoration of Man’s Proper Role in Creation”, Kara D. Lamb (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
4:45 PM Break
5:00 PM St. Albert Award Lecture: “Superstring Theory”, Juan Martín Maldacena (Institute for Advanced Study)
6:00 PM Cocktails (Heritage Hall, Father O’Connell Hall)
6:30 PM Conference Banquet (Heritage Hall, Father O’Connell Hall)
8:00 PM Organ Concert, Peter Latona, D.M.A. Director of Music Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Sunday, June 10:
8:00 AM Conference Mass (St. Vincent’s Chapel)
9:00 AM Breakfast (Great Room, Pryzbyla Center)
9:45 AM Lecture: “Poetic Naturalism Versus Non-Physical Reality”, ,Michael B. Dennin (University of California, Irvine)
10:15 AM Lecture: “The Freedom of the Physical World: Are You a Machine?” Craig S. Lent (University of Notre Dame)
10:45 AM Lecture: “Mind First: Why the Decoherence Program Entails Copenhagen Interpretation”, Javier Sánchez-Cañizares (University of Navarra)
11:15 AM Poster Session II
12:15 PM Lunch
1:00 PM. Membership Meeting
2:15 PM Conference End
Videos
Videos form our 2018 conference
In The Media
Media Coverage of Conference:
EWTN story
Catholic Scientists Find Camaraderie When Discussing Faith, Research, CRUX
Major Growth for Group Highlighting Faith-Science Harmony , Catholic News Agency

2017 SCS Conference: Origins
2017-04-21 - 2017-04-23
Details
Program
Welcome
Speakers
Videos
In the Media
Details
Our first conference—“Origins”—ran April 21–23, 2017 in Chicago at the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel.
Topics:
The conference brought together researchers on all aspects of origins, from cosmos to consciousness. Specific topics included current cosmological ideas on the beginning and fate of the universe, fine-tuning and multiverse ideas, habitable planets and astrobiology, the origin of life, the evolution of species, and the origin of intelligence and consciousness.
2017 St. Albert Award:
See information on the awardee Kenneth R. Miller
Program
“Origins”
Inaugural conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists
Friday, April 21:
Arrival and registration
8:00 PM Reception and Poster Session I.
Saturday, April 22:
7:00 Mass at St. James Chapel, The Archbishop Quigley Center
8:00 Breakfast
8:45 A Welcoming remarks (Stephen M. Barr, President of the SCS)
9:00 Keynote Lecture: “The Origin and Evolution of Universes” Prof. John D. Barrow (University of Cambridge)
10:00 break.
10:15 Invited lecture: “The Origins and Prevalence of Habitable Worlds” Prof. Karin I. Öberg (Harvard University)
11:15 break
11:30 “Medieval Ideas of the Multiverse” Prof. J. Christopher Clemens (University of North Carolina)
12:00 Lunch
1:15 “The Origin of Evolution: The Interplay of Order and Contingency” Prof. Daniel Kuebler (Franciscan University of Steubenville)
1:45 “Process Information: A novel communication theory with applications to evolutionary biology” Dr. Erick Chastain (Rutgers University)
2:15 break
2:30 Invited lecture: “Why Only Us: the origin of human language” Prof. Robert Berwick (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
3:30 break
3:45 “Science in the Light of the Christian View of the Human Person” Fr. Joachim Ostermann, O.F.M.
4:15 “The Catholic Scientist in the Secular World: What is the meaning of our vocation and how does it distinguish us?” Dr. Marisa March (University of Pennsylvania)
4:45 break
5:00 St. Albert Award Lecture: “To Find God in All Things: Grandeur in an Evolutionary View of Life” Prof. Kenneth R. Miller (Brown University)
6:00: Reception/Dinner
8:00: Banquet address Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J. (Director, Vatican Observatory)
Sunday, April 23:
8:00 AM Conference Mass at St. James Chapel, The Archbishop Quigley Center
9:00 Breakfast
10:00 Invited Lecture: “Georges Lemaître’s Contributions to Cosmology” Prof. Robert Scherrer (Vanderbilt University)
10:30 “Are Probabilities Indispensable to Inferring Design?” Prof. Robert C. Koons (University of Texas at Austin)
11:00 Poster Session II
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Membership meeting
2:00 Closing remarks
2:15 Conference ends
Welcome
2017 Inaugural Conference Welcoming Remarks
As President of the Society of Catholic Scientists, I welcome you all to our first conference, whose theme appropriately enough is “Origins.” SCS itself had its origin only last summer with seven members. As of today [April 22, 2017] we have about 330, which far exceeded our expectations, as has the attendance at this conference.
I would like to say a few words about what the Society of Catholic Scientists aspires to be.
One friend whom I invited to join SCS last summer, was hesitant because, as he put it, “I am not a Catholic scientist; I am a scientist who is Catholic.” His point was that there is not a specifically Catholic way of doing science, nor are there specifically Catholic scientific theories. That is true; and yet, faith is not unrelated to or alien to the scientific enterprise. As we heard last evening in Andrew Sicree’s excellent presentation about Bl. Nicolas Steno, the founder of the science of geology, and as we will hear tomorrow in Bob Scherrer’s talk about Georges Lemaître, the father of the Big Bang theory, religious believers have contributed mightily to the progress of science. But beyond that, one can say that basic Jewish and Christian beliefs support both the possibility and the value of scientific research. Indeed, it has been suggested by many that Jewish and Christian revelation helped prepare the ground for the emergence of modern science. It did so, most fundamentally, by sharply distinguishing between God and nature.
Biblical revelation taught that the sun, moon, oceans, wind, forests, and other things of this world are neither gods, nor the habitations of capricious deities, but are, rather, the works of God. This stripped the world of divinity and made it truly a natural world. Though not itself divine, the world nevertheless reflects its divine Author. As the Book of Wisdom said, “from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.”
In particular, as God is rational and wise — indeed God is Reason and Wisdom itself — one expects the universe to be governed by laws and principles intelligible to and discoverable by reason. Johannes Kepler, a devout Lutheran, announced his discovery of one of those laws with the words: “I thank Thee, Lord God our Creator, that Thou hast allowed me to see the beauty in Thy work of creation.”
This was the attitude of all the great founders of modern science, including Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Pascal, Boyle, Steno, and Newton. It is the attitude of religious scientists today. It is the attitude of the Society of Catholic Scientists, whose own motto means “Knowledge with devotion, research with wonder.”
And yet, there is a proper distinction between theology and natural science, just as there is a distinction between God and nature. Theology and science should not be put into a blender to produce some pseudo-mystical or pantheistic mush that has the characteristics neither of genuine science nor of sound theology. Science should not pretend to be theology, nor should theology pretend to be science. Each is grounded in a sense of wonder, and a belief that the world makes sense, but each has its own methods, competence, and sources.
While God gave laws to nature, he did not choose to reveal them to us supernaturally. The laws of nature are thus not only discoverable by reason, but must in fact be discovered by reason. And since reason is the common possession of all human beings, who are made in the image of God, science is a human activity and not a specifically Catholic, or Christian activity. Moreover, as reason is a common human possession, we are prepared as Catholics to learn from anyone who has something to teach us, whether it be the great pagan philosophers of antiquity, Plato and Aristotle, or those of our professional colleagues today who are atheists. We will engage them on the field of reason and in the common pursuit of truth, without ever, of course, sacrificing those truths to which we are committed as Catholics.
There is, as my friend noted, no such thing as “Catholic Science.” Nor is there such a thing as a scientific Catholicism. Science is the same for Catholic and non-Catholic. The Catholic faith is the same for scientist and nonscientist. As members of SCS we are Catholics and we are scientists. There is a distinction, but there is also a profound harmony. It is to that harmony we wish to give witness, by our lives and work, through our discussions and our fellowship.
I should point out that in addition to members of SCS, who must be scientists, SCS has what it calls Scholar Associates, who are elected by the Board. These are distinguished Catholic theologians, philosophers, and historians of science, who are interested in the relation of science and the Catholic faith and wish to be a part of our activities. About a dozen of them are present at this meeting. We hope that our Society will increase opportunities for interaction between Catholics scientists and Catholic scholars in other fields. We also would like to foster interaction between Catholic scholars and non-Catholic scholars.
Later today we shall give an award named after St. Albert the Great. St. Albert is the patron saint of scientists and of the natural sciences. But St. John Paul II has a claim to this as well. Never before had any pope written so much or so appreciatively on modern science and so penetratingly on the relation of science and faith and more generally on the relationship of faith and reason. His writings on these subjects form, as it were, a Magna Carta for the Catholic Church’s relation to science.
In 1988, Pope John Paul II wrote a letter to the head of the Vatican Observatory, which contained these words:
“those members of the Church who are either themselves active scientists, or in some special cases both scientists and theologians, could serve as a key resource. They can also provide a much-needed ministry to others struggling to integrate the worlds of science and religion in their own intellectual and spiritual lives. …”
I see the founding of the Society of Catholic Scientists as an attempt to answer this call. May the intercession of St. John Paul II, St. Albert the Great, and Blessed Nicolas Steno help us to do so in a manner worthy of them.
Speakers
John D. Barrow FRS is Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Cambridge University and Director of the Millennium Mathematics Project, a program to improve the appreciation of mathematics. His research is in cosmology and astrophysics. He has received many awards, including the Templeton Prize, the Royal Society’s Faraday Prize, the Kelvin Medal, the Zeeman Medal, the Dirac Medal, and the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society. He has written 520 scientific papers, and 22 books. His play, Infinities, won the Premi Ubu for best play in the Italian theatre in 2002. He has given many lectures on the interfaces between cosmology and areas of philosophical and theological interest and also has the curious distinction of having delivered lectures on cosmology at the Venice Film Festival, 10 Downing Street, Windsor Castle and the Vatican Palace.
Karin Öberg is the Thomas D. Cabot associate professor of astronomy at Harvard. Her research focuses on how chemistry affects star and planet formation and the likelihood of forming habitable planets. Recent highlights include observations of snowlines and organic molecules in Solar Nebula analogs where exoplanets are currently assembling. Dr. Öberg obtained a B.Sc. in chemistry at Caltech in 2005, and a Ph.D. in astronomy at Leiden University in 2009. She received a Hubble Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2009, and joined the Harvard faculty in 2013. At Harvard, her research in astrochemistry has been recognized with a Sloan fellowship, a Packard fellowship and the Newton Lacy Pierce Award. Dr. Öberg is a Director and co-founder of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Chris Clemens is Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Senior Associate Dean for Natural Sciences at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill). He received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. Clemens studies white dwarf stars, and his recent projects include seismology of oscillating white dwarf stars and the study of exoplanetary rubble that forms around white dwarfs when asteroids, comets or planets are broken up by high gravity. He also builds spectrographs and their components for observatories around the world. He has authored over 100 research papers, holds four patents and is PI of two major NSF grants. He is a faculty member of the Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies and designed and taught the course “Medieval Foundations of Modern Cosmology.” He has received the Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement and the Faculty Award for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring. He has also co-founded two startup companies, MegaWatt Solar, Inc., and Syzygy Optics, LLC.
Daniel Kuebler is Professor of Biology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and teaches courses in evolutionary biology, cell biology, and human physiology. His biological research involves two major projects, 1) understanding the relationship between metabolism and seizure disorders and 2) examining the effects that various biologics have on human mesenchymal stem cells. In addition to his lab research, he is the co-author of The Evolution Controversy: A Survey of Competing Theories (Baker Academic, 2007), a book which critically examines the controversies over evolution. He has also published a variety of popular articles on science, politics, culture and religion. He received a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley and earned a Masters of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology as well as a Bachelors degree in English from the Catholic University of America.
Erick Chastain received his B. Sc. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University in 2006, his M.S. in Neurobiology and Behavior from University of Washington, Seattle, and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Rutgers University in 2017. He is currently working as a postdoc for Nina Fefferman at University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His current work focuses on the intersection between the theory of computer algorithms, evolution, and thomistic/scholastic philosophy of nature.
Robert C. Berwick is Professor of Computational Linguistics and Computer Science and Engineering, jointly with Brain and Cognitive Sciences, at MIT. He and his research group investigate computation and cognition, including computational models of language acquisition, language processing, and language change, within the context of machine learning, modern grammatical theory, and mathematical models of dynamical systems. A second line of inquiry is probing the biological and evolutionary underpinnings of human language, including models of language change as well as its biologically-grounded evolutionary origins, in particular, in birdsong. Professor Berwick has been the recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Award as well as the MIT Edgerton Faculty Achievement Award, MIT’s highest honor for junior faculty. He has also received an NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award. He helped found and run MIT’s Center for Biological and Computational Learning for more than 15 years.
Joachim Ostermann, OFM, before entering religious life, earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Munich in 1990 for his work on mitochondrial biogenesis. After postdoctoral work in Cell Biology at the Sloan Kettering Institute, he became an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University. In 2001, he moved to Canada to work in research management positions in the biotechnology industry. In 2008, he joined the Order of Friars Minor. He professed his solemn vows in 2013 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2014. Now his research interests are in philosophy of science and religion and the implication of the scientific worldview on the religious understanding of the human person.
Marisa Cristina March is a cosmologist who specializes in research on dark energy. She received her doctorate from Imperial College London, was a Research Fellow at the University of Sussex, and is currently a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the ground-based Dark Energy Survey where she works on supernova cosmology and observes at CTIO’s Blanco Telescope. Dr. March has worked on galaxy lensing for European Space Agency’s future Euclid space mission. She also holds a Bachelors degree in Catholic Theology from Heythrop College London.
Kenneth R. Miller is Professor of Biology at Brown University. He is life sciences advisor to The News Hour on PBS and coauthor of the nation’s leading high school biology textbook. In addition to his research work in cell biology, he has written extensively on evolution, and in 2005 he served as lead witness in the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial on evolution and intelligent design. He is the author of two popular books: Finding Darwin’s God: A Scientist’s Search for Common Ground between God and Evolution, and, Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America’s Soul. His honors include the Public Understanding of Science Award from AAAS, the Stephen Jay Gould Prize from the Society for the Study of Evolution, the Gregor Mendel Medal from Villanova University, and the Laetare Medal from Notre Dame University. In 2015 he received the Presidential Citation of the National Science Teachers Association.
Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, is Director of the Vatican Observatory and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he earned undergraduate and masters’ degrees from MIT, and a Ph.D. in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona. He was researcher at Harvard and MIT, served in the US Peace Corps (Kenya), and taught university physics, before entering the Jesuits in 1989. At the Vatican Observatory since 1993, his research explores connections between meteorites, asteroids, and the evolution of small solar system bodies, measuring meteorite physical properties in Castel Gandolfo and observing distant asteroids with the Vatican’s telescope in Arizona. Along with more than 200 scientific publications, he is the author of six popular books including Turn Left at Orion (with Dan Davis), and Would You Baptize an Extraterrestial? (with Paul Mueller).
Robert Scherrer is Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt University. He received his PhD in physics from the University of Chicago. His research area is cosmology, encompassing work on dark energy, dark matter, big bang nucleosynthesis, and the large-scale structure of the universe. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (2001), and among other awards is the recipient of the Klopsteg Memorial Award of the American Association of Physics Teachers (2011) and The Ohio State University Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching (1999). He is the author of Quantum Mechanics: An Accessible Introduction (Addison-Wesley, 2006). He has also published several popular science articles and science fiction short stories. Prof. Scherrer is a Director and co-founder of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Robert C. Koons is Professor in the Philosophy Department of the University of Texas at Austin. He is a metaphysician with interests in the philosophy of religion and science and has written on the cosmological argument, the relation between reason and faith, neo-Aristotelian accounts of modern science, and topics in logic and probability. Trained at Oxford and UCLA, he has authored fifty articles. His book Paradoxes of Belief and Strategic Rationality (Cambridge, 1992) received the Aarlt Prize from the Council of Graduate Schools in 1994. He is the author of Realism Regained (OUP, 2000) and the co-editor (with George Bealer) of The Waning of Materialism (OUP, 2010), and very recently co-authored The Atlas of Reality: A Comprehensive Guide to Metaphysics (with Tim Pickavance). He came into full communion with the Catholic Church 10 years ago from a Lutheran background. He is a Scholar Associate of the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Videos
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In the Media
Media Coverage of Conference:
Faith And Science Come Together At Conference For Society Of Catholic Scientists, Forbes
Catholic Scientists Converge in Chicago to Ask Big Questions, Catholic News Agency
Catholic Scientists Discuss Faith’s Role in Work, Our Sunday Visitor
