Faith and science

I don't think there's a person that reads this blog (that is, if there are indeed people reading this blog) regularly that doesn't know that I'm a scientist. That part of me is pretty darn public, since I happen to be a biology professor.

Maybe it's slightly less well-known that I also happen to be a Christian.

I was watching Kathryn at the end of gymnastics practice tonight when this conversation started around me:

"Yes, my daughter is enjoying middle school too. Love her homeroom teacher Ms. A. She's great."

"Oh, Ms. A is my daughter's science teacher. She's wonderful. I was worried because my daughter was at the Christian school, and they didn't teach creation there..."

(here my ears perked up. A Christian school in these parts not teaching creation?!)

"Well my family believes in creation."

"I mean, the Christian school didn't teach evolution..."

(oh boy. the E word.)

"...and I asked the teacher if this would be a problem that we believed in creation and she assured us there would be no conflict..."

"... I just tell my girls that they need to learn the answers that they're taught in school, and then we just laugh about it at home..."

"...her teacher said that the earth is millions of years old, but if you look at the timeline in the NIV bible, it's clear that it's only about 7 to 10 thousand years old..."

"...they were taught that thing about wooly mammoths in 2nd or 3rd grade, and we just laughed about it at home..."

"...my daughter was asked to draw her beliefs about where people came from in science, and she thought she'd get in trouble for drawing the Creation story... I told her her beliefs couldn't be wrong..."

(why are teachers asking about beliefs in a science class?)

"...there's nothing to lose with believing in the Bible..."

"...I think that if I didn't believe in God and Jesus I'd just be going around committing crimes and being immoral and stuff like that..."

Thankfully, practice ended at this point. I might have bled to death from my tongue otherwise.

I could write about how Christians aren't the only ones with claims to morality, but I think that one is (hopefully) obvious. The question of faith and science, however, is perhaps more troublesome.

As a (good) scientist and a (faithful, or at least trying to be faithful) Christian, I am deeply troubled by the often pervasive notion that faith and science are incompatible. And I get it from both sides. (Many) Fellow scientists imply that I'm a superstitious fool. (Many) Christians look at me as a heathen bound for eternal damnation.

This semester I have at least two students who have been quite vocal about their belief in a literal Creation story. They have offered their opinion (in writing, so far) already, 1.5 weeks into the semester. One even offered that, like the gymnastics mom I encountered tonight, she would 'give (me) the answers desired', while presumably going home to laugh at my folly. What inspired this? I'm not completely sure; I haven't covered much material beyond the components of a cell and how cells divide. (I don't imagine that she expected I was going to describe mitosis in terms of 'God causes each chromosome to move to its correct location'.) I'd be surprised if there weren't more students who shared their beliefs; I'm sure I just haven't identified them yet.

I happily reconcile both my science and my faith. I teach about molecular evolution (mutations accumulate in DNA sequence over time, and are more commonly seen in sequences not used to code for protein) and then go home and say a blessing before dinner. My research on fruit flies is based on evolution (as in, the research is applicable to humans because you're really not that different from fruit flies) and I will sing in a church choir (after a 20 year hiatus!) starting this Sunday.

Why can't I accept (not 'believe' - science is about observation, not belief) the geological evidence that the earth is millions of years old, or the biological evidence for descent with modification (a.k.a. the E word) and still believe that it was all set in motion by an all-loving God?

I can, and I do.

Maybe it's time to rename the blog

to 'Joyce has nothing to say'. Except I do, but haven't gotten around to it.

Stuff that has happened in the past few weeks which I haven't gotten around to blogging about:

1. I have a 9 year old! When did that happen?!
2. I survived said 9 year old's birthday party. A slumber party. 10 girls, including mine. Miraculously, all made it out alive.
3. I am teaching again. It's like a marathon, and I didn't train anywhere close to enough.
4. I am singing again. It's good.
5. I have about 6 pounds of yarn donated from Lands' End to knit into warm clothing in the next 3 months. 6 pounds is a LOT of yarn.

Mom's done with her meetings!

So we went to the Magic House. It's ostensibly a children's museum, but I think the adults have at least as much fun, which is why John was under strict orders not to take the kids there by himself.

The kids went downstairs via beanstalk, (John and I took the stairs. We're boring.)



where they found the nation's capital.

They raised the flag,



then Rebecca took some phone calls at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office.



while Kathryn held a press conference.



Next, the court, Judge Becca presiding.



Being a judge is hard. So they switched to construction.





If only she'd do this at home.



On to more literary pursuits.

Rebecca played the 'harpsichord' a la Beauty, of Beauty and the Beast fame. She actually looked at the color-coded notes on the music, matched them to the colored keys, and played them in the right order, without being told what to do (not that she'd have listened if she were told). My budding musician!



They also got to play dress-up.

Cinderellas:



Characters from Lan Po Po, a Chinese folk tale:



Sacageweas?



All that, and just in the first two hours! (Then the blogger got tired of uploading photos...)

We played at the Magic House for over six hours, and had an awesome time. It's not that easy to thoroughly engage both the 4 year old and the 9 year old, and this place did it impressively. If you're in St. Louis with kids, you MUST take a trip here.

We loved it so much it made our hair stand on end.

Building an arch

I would have liked a better title for this one, with technical sounding physics/engineering terms, but I didn't actually see the exhibits. Had to work. Poor me.

John built an arch at the St. Louis Science Center. It was so well built that the kids could actually stand under it.



Then they learned about optics.



And they did some brain teaser called the tower of Hanoi.



The teamwork exhibited in this picture is amazing. And rare.



Success!



Then they balanced 12 nails on one.






I am a little perturbed that they apparently learned a lot more physics/math on this trip than biology. Guess that's what happens when I'm not around to make sure they get a well-rounded education.

Mini-vacation!

I had to go to St. Louis for a workshop, so John and the girls tagged along to take advantage of the free room and mileage.

While I attended meetings in an over-cooled room with no windows, Rebecca and Kathryn brushed goats,



rode frogs,



sat in a hippo's mouth,



and climbed on a REALLY big bug.



They also saw some cool butterflies,



and goofed off in front of the penguins.



Tomorrow: the St. Louis Science Center.

What I did in July

We've come to the point in the summer when I realize that it's about time I started thinking about fall classes, fall syllabi, fall schedules. The luxury of not working for a living is almost past. And as usual, I have about the same list of to-do's at summer's end as I had in the beginning.

Sigh.

I feel so un-accomplished.

Except that I did teach in June. And supervise research students in June and July. (Yes, the 'not working for a living' thing is a sad myth.) And rip up a deck. And watch the Tour.

And I knit. Warm Woolies has a contest this summer. Six for six - knit six items that would fit a six year old child and win some knitting gifts. Sounded good, so I decided to go for it, even though I haven't finished the ten for ten contest - ten sweaters or pairs of socks suited for a ten year old.

I got started around July 6. And finished the last piece August 4.




Maybe I did accomplish something this summer after all.

Welcome, baby Isaac! Can't wait to meet you!