This episode is the first in an intermittent series on majoring in the various academic fields (broadly speaking). My hope is to help you understand more of what is involved in various areas of study, how these fields relate to the Christian faith, and practical advice as you major in this area. My guest for each episode in this series will be someone with many years experience in the field, as well as a robust faith in Christ, and has learned to flourish both academically and spiritually in this field of study.
We begin today with a focus on majors in the hard sciences. My guest in this episode is Dr. Bob Kaita, emeritus Senior Physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, where he has conducted nuclear fusion energy research for nearly four decades. Bob has also been the thesis advisor for students who have pursued careers in government and industry as well as academia, mentoring students through their studies in plasma physics.
He is a fellow of the American Physics Society, and a recipient of the Kaul Prize for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research and Technology Development for pioneering work in components for fusion devices. Bob is also a fellow and past president of the American Scientific Affiliation, one of the largest organization of Christians in science and engineering.
In this podcast we discuss:
How Bob first got interested in a career in the sciencesHow Bob’s coming to faith in Christ in high school connected with his love of scienceThe role Bob’s parents played in helping his pursue a career in scienceA scientist who followed God’s call that serves as a role model for BobCareer opportunities open to those with degrees in the sciencesThe importance of having a servant’s heart as a scientistSigns you may be called to be a scientistHow Bob’s faith helped him in his studies of physics, rather than be a hindranceSome areas of overlap between faith and physicsHow Bob thinks about areas of alleged conflict between science and faithThe centrality of one’s worldview in interpreting scientific dataThe exciting future for research in the sciencesThe grounding of a Christian’s worth as a scientistThe valuable role of humility and spiritual formation in the life of a Christian scientistBooks and professional societies that help connect faith and scienceThe importance of understanding the relationship between science and the philosophy of scienceDoing science vs. faith-science integrationWhy there are so many Christians in the hard sciencesThe role of imagination in the practice of scienceThe importance of being a good writer as a scientistWhy scientists need to understand truth from other disciplines, and vice-versaLimitations of science that believers should be aware ofBalancing “follow the science” with complete and blind faith in scienceThe new “priesthood” of scientists, and the resulting backlash against scienceA final word of encouragement to budding scientistsResources mentioned during our conversation and later suggested by Bob:
The American Scientific AffiliationWalter R. Hearn, Being a Christian in ScienceOther InterVarsity Press books on faith and scienceP. Moreland and Garrett DeWeese, Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big QuestionsRobert Wuthnow, The Struggle for America’s Soul: Evangelicals, Liberals, & SecularismHannah Eagleson (ed.), Science and Faith: Student Questions ExploredElaine Howard Ecklund, Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values that Move Us Beyond FearTextbook: The Crossroads of Science and Faith: Astronomy Through a Christian WorldviewTextbook: The Crossroads of Science and Faith: An Introduction to the Science & Faith Dialogue