Next Islam&Science Workshop in the UAE

Next Islam&Science Workshop in the UAE

By Islam & Science The 7 January 2014 - 19h01

Islam & Science: an educational approach

Workshop at the American University of Sharjah (AUS)

April 18 – 21, 2014

The American University of Sharjah (UAE) and the Université Interdisciplinaire de Paris (France) are pleased to announce a workshop entitled, “Islam and Science: an educational approach” for senior and graduate students of the GCC, to be held from April 18 to April 21, 2014 at AUS.

This event will be the latest in a series of educational workshops that have previously been held in Paris (France), Constantine (Algeria), London (UK), Amman (Jordan), and Kuala Lumpur. For further information about these workshop and the umbrella project, please visit: http://islam-science.net/.

The general themes of the workshop span the following topics:

Islam and the History & Philosophy of Science;
Science and Qur’anic/Islamic Worldview
Islam & Modern Cosmology;
Islam & Modern Biology (Evolution);
Islam, the Environment, and Ethics;
Islam & Practical Astronomy.

The workshop will represent a unique opportunity for students and young researchers to discover the contemporary field of ‘science and religion’ through lectures by, and in-depth discussions with, internationally-recognized thinkers and experts in this field, as well as viewing and discussing a one-hour documentary on Science and Islam/Religion with over 20 thinkers, including two Nobel-Prize winners.

Eligibility

Participants can attend the workshop by selection only. 20-25 applicants will be selected through an essay competition on a subject that directly relates to the general themes of the workshop and a CV or transcript of university studies.

The essays must be written in English, be between 1,000 and 2,000 words long (plus an abstract of roughly 150 words), and present a clear thesis representing the author’s opinion, with full academic referencing.

Participants must be senior undergraduate students, graduate students, or young researchers from UAE institutions or nearby countries.

All applications must be submitted by email to islam-science@aus.edu by Saturday, March 15, 2014.

Telephone interviews may be conducted to complete the selection process and to verify participants’ interest in, and familiarity with, the subject.

The 6 best essays will be presented verbally by their authors during the workshop and possibly published on the project website.

The selected participants will have all of their expenses paid (including transport to and from AUS, meals during the workshop, and, in necessary cases, lodging) and receive valuable educational material (books, articles, DVD, etc.).

Lecturers

NIDHAL GUESSOUM

Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Associate Dean at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates; he has published several books on science with direct or indirect relevance to Islam (particularly his well-received book ‘Islam’s Quantum Question; reconciling Muslim tradition and modern science’), as well as dozens of scholarly papers in astrophysics and numerous articles on science, education, and culture. He has also organized several conferences (and co-edited their proceedings) on Islam and Astronomy/Science.

BRUNO ABDELHAQ GUIDERDONI

Director of the Observatory of Lyon (France), his main research is in galaxy formation and evolution, with over 100 papers published in the field. He is also a prominent Muslim figure in France (having presented the public-television weekly program on Islam for many years) and a member of the Board of Advisors of the John Templeton Foundation.

JEAN STAUNE

With degrees in Philosophy of Science, Mathematics, Paleontology, Political Science, Computer Science, and Management, he has taught at several institutions, including currently at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne. He is the founder and General Secretary of the Interdisciplinary University of Paris and has published several best-selling books on science, philosophy, and religion in France.

JAMAL MIMOUNI

Theoretical physicist, with a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, USA, and currently a Professor at the University of Mentouri, Constantine, Algeria. He is also the Vice-President of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences. Prof. Mimouni is well-known in Arab Astronomy, both at the academic level (chairing the doctoral program in Astrophysics at his university, one of the fewest in the Arab world) and the amateur and educational levels (presiding over one of the best astronomy associations in the Arab world). He has also done much work on the educational fronts, spreading correct understandings of science and an appropriate relationship between Islam/religion and modern science.

RANA DAJANI

Assistant professor in molecular biology at the Hashemite University (Fulbright alumnus), she does research in genome-wide studies of diabetes and cancer in ethnic populations in Jordan, as well as stem cells and bioinformatics. She is an expert on the topic of Evolution and Islam. She was the main organizer of the fourth scientific research conference on cancer in Jordan, a consultant on a number of committees, a driver in the network for women mentors and mentees, and the “We love reading” program for children, which received the Synergos award for Arab world social innovators and a membership in the Clinton Global initiative 2010.

EHSAN MASOOD

Science policy expert, writer, teacher, journalist, and broadcaster. He is the editor of Research Fortnight and Research Europe and teaches at Imperial College London. Masood’s latest book is Science and Islam: A History, in which he tells the story of how science developed during Islam’s imperial period, from 800 to 1500; the book was the official tie-in to a three-part documentary series on BBC Television presented by the award-winning Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey.

Others to be confirmed…

Attachments

Download the Application Form