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Glenville, WV - The Glenville State College Department of Science and Mathematics will conclude their four-part series of seminars on 'The Impact of Science and Religion on Society' on Tuesday, April 16th at 6:30 p.m. in room 315 of the Mollohan Campus Community Center. Complimentary beverages will be served in the pre-function area beginning at 6:00 p.m.
GSC Professor of Physical Science Dr. Joe Evans will be the speaker for part four of the series, 'Status of Science Education in the U.S.: On the Brink of Cultural Extinction.' Dr. Evans will explore the reasons for the marginal to poor performances of United States' students on science and math exams. The lack of U.S. educated students going into STEM fields, thus fueling the need for Division I universities to recruit international students, will be highlighted. The presentation will conclude with the steps being proposed to counter the situation.
"I feel that the seminars have accomplished what we set out to do, get people talking. A dialogue has certainly been opened with those who have attended one or more of the seminars. I believe we have helped people open their minds to consider more than their own points of view and beliefs," said Dr. Gary Morris, GSC Assistant Professor of Biology and Department of Science and Mathematics Chair.
Attendance has grown for each of the first three seminars with over one-hundred people present for episode three. A large core of people have attended all three seminars. One of those is GSC Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Alan Daniel.
"The flow of topics worked well; the first two seminars set up the third nicely. In general, there tends to be a lot of misunderstandings about what science is and what science does, which the first seminar helped clarify. The most powerful point of the second seminar, to me, was the idea that there are multiple ways of approaching the bible: as either entirely of human invention, entirely divine, or some blend of both. The purely divine camp is the only approach in which it is challenging to find common ground between religion and science, leaving us to debate the question 'Could an omnipotent deity provide humans with an exact, perfect message, or was something lost in translation or influenced by the culture of the time and place the bible was written?' Once the places to find common ground were established, the third seminar explored the most important discovery in the life sciences to date, evolution. Overall, the series has been a great opportunity for individuals who have struggled with reconciling the supposed conflict between science and religion to get a discussion started, and start thinking about the problem in new ways. I look forward to the final talk on science education in the US," Daniel said.
Following the seminar, a reception will be held in the pre-function area on the third floor of the Mollohan Campus Community Center. Light refreshments will be served. The seminar is free and open to the public.
For more information on the seminar series, contact Morris at Gary.Morris@glenville.edu or call (304)462-6305.
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