Christians in Engineering & Technology
Newsletter
November 2005
This newsletter is published is a joint publication of the ASA CEST and the CES, distributed no more than once per month. You can sign up to receive an email notification when a new newletter is available. To submit an article for the newsletter, contact the editor, Steve VanderLeest.

Contents

Engineering Departments at Christian Colleges and Universities

Many of our readers are on the faculty of engineering departments at Christian colleges and universities. Many other readers are graduates of these programs. A simple list of engineering programs at Christian colleges and universities is available on the CES website. However, we would like to begin a series of articles highlighting one of these programs each month, providing more in-depth descriptions. What would you like to see in these articles? What is important to know about a program? If you have some suggestions for interview questions, or if you would like to volunteer to write the article for your institution, please contact the editor, Steve VanderLeest.

American Scientific Affiliation Conference - Engineering track

Call for Papers and Posters The 61st Annual Meeting of the American
Scientific Affiliation, to be held July 28-31, 2006 at Calvin College in
Grand Rapids, MI. The conference theme is "EMBEDDING CHRISTIAN VALUES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY".

Track 5: Christian Values in Engineering, Technology, and the Physical Sciences

Papers in this symposium should focus on how our common faith affects
practice in engineering, technology, and the physical sciences. This
includes how we consider and implement the ethical codes of our professions,
how we teach engineering and science students, and how we use our engineering
and scientific talents to the glory of God by developing technology for the
good of humanity, the creation and the Kingdom. Topics such as
whistleblowing, environmental ethics, engineering design from a Christian
worldview, technological norms (such as justice and stewardship), appropriate
technology and sustainable technology are all welcome. Discussions of how to
satisfy the ABET criterion of instilling in students an understanding of
ethical practice would also be appropriate. How does the work we do look
different than that of our colleagues who are not Christians? Is there such
a thing as a Christian bridge or Christian computer chip? If there were no
Christians in engineering, how would our profession look different? If there
were no Christians in astronomy, computer science, geology, or physics, how
would our disciplines look different? We look forward to enlightening
dialogue in this symposium.

Abstracts are due by February 6, 2006. Session coordinators: Ruth Douglas Miller, Department of Electrical and Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University, 261 Rathbone Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506-5204; (785) 532-459 6; rdmiller AT ksu.edu; and Steve VanderLeest, Department of Engineering, Calvin College, 3201 Burton Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49546; (616) 526-6559; svleest AT calvin.edu

Christian Engineering Education Conference

The next Christian Engineering Education Conference will be in Chicago on June 21-23, 2006, immediately following ASEE. We will begin on Wednesday evening, June 21 with a fellowship dinner and worship time. We will finish with lunch on Friday, June 23.

The conference will be held on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University, located in Bourbonnais, Illinois (about 50 minutes south of Chicago). Round trip transportation from Chicago will be available. Cost of the conference (including lodging, meals, and registration fee, but not transportation) is expected to be under $100.

The Call for Papers is posted on the CEEC web site. If you have been thinking about how Christian faith and engineering relate, please consider submitting an abstract.

The deadline for abstract submission is December 1, 2005. Example topics include but are not limited to:

  • Engineering as a Christian Vocation
  • Witnessing to the Engineering Profession through Work
  • Integrating Faith and Learning in the Engineering Classroom
  • Defining Christian Scholarship in Engineering
  • Engineering Problems that Christians Ought to Care About
  • Mentoring Students for Kingdom Careers in Engineering
  • Engineering, Technology and Ethics
  • The Interactions Between Technology and Culture
  • The Influence of Christians on Technology
  • The Relationship between the Church and Technology
  • A Christian Approach to Philosophy of Technology
  • Christian Engineers and Academic Culture
  • Opportunities for Inter-School Cooperation
  • Sustainable Design
  • Diversity, Reconciliation, and Justice in Engineering and Technology

Proposals on topics of general interest to Christian engineering education
are also welcome. Panel discussions can also be proposed (be sure to
indicate the discussion topic and suggested panelists). Abstracts and other
proposals should be sent to the program chair, Gayle Ermer. For more details, see the CEEC website.

A PDF version of the Call for Papers is available on the website. Please
consider printing this out and posting it where appropriate.
 

 

 

  

This page is maintained by Steve VanderLeest at Calvin College.
It was last modified on 31-Jan-2006.