By Bendik Sorensen
Staff Writer
On Thursday, Nov. 20, Dr. Guy Consolmagno will speak at the Inter- faith Center about the conflict between religion and science. Consolmagno is an MIT-trained research astronomer and planetary scientist at the Vatican Observatory, with degrees in Physics, Astronomy, Theology, and Philosophy; he is also a religious figure. Consolm- agno entered the Society of Jesus in 1989, and took vows as a Brother in 1991.
In 2014, Consolmagno won the Carl Sagan for Public Understanding of Science, presented by the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP). The award’s “purpose is to honor those who have become concurrently accom- plished as researchers and/or educa- tors, and as widely recognized magni- fiers of the public’s understanding of science.” Previous winners include the creators of the TV shows “N3MBERS” and “Bill Nye, The Science Guy.”
“We have asked him to talk about the meeting place of religion and science; that a healthy sense of either and both is to approach the creation through a sense of wonder and awe,” said Father Ted Brown, LIU Post’s Catholic Chaplain. “He truly sees no conflict between faith and sci- ence. They are exclusive areas of study, but are in conversation with each other rather than at odds. One [science] says how things are and how they got that way, and the other answers what does it mean for us humans [religion].”
Consolmagno’s lecture is the last of the “Express-yo Faith” series for the semester. The lecture series, sponsored by the Newman Catholic Community (Newman Club), featured three speakers, and will continue into next semester. According to Father Ted, there’s a good chance that next semester’s speakers will include Mike Hopkins, the American astronaut who recently returned from six months on the space station.
Consolmagno’s lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in the Interfaith Center (Chapel), and is open to the public.
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