Science engagement and dialogue with faith communities

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 15:47:04 -0500

Public Panel Discussion: Science engagement and dialogue with faith communities

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

Reception to follow

Register here

Come hear from four esteemed panelists with a range of experiences at the intersection of science and faith. The panelists will each speak and then answer questions. The panel is open to the public.

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 Shrein
Dr. Shrein 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.

Other Engaging Scientists events can be found here on the CNMS website (more to be added), and you can learn more about the project in this UMBC News story. We hope to see you there!

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