Math3ma Symposium 2023

On Friday, June 9 – Saturday, June 10, 2023, The Math3ma Institute is hosting a two-day symposium at The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, CA. Registration is now open! We hope you’ll spread the word.

In short, the Math3ma Symposium invites graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and professionals in the sciences throughout academia, industry, and government for a time of fellowship and encouragement as they pursue fidelity to Christ and Scripture in their scientific vocations. 

In more detail, this event is targeted at those with vocations in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, which includes a wide range of folks—PhD students, university professors, data scientists, medical professionals, software engineers, research scientists, and others who may work in universities, research institutes, tech companies, national labs, and more.

As noted on the registration page, this symposium is a little different than traditional gatherings for Christians within the sciences, which in the past may focus on apologetics, or the topic of origins, or similar. Instead, we’re simply inviting faithful Christians who work in a variety of scientific disciplines to join us for an opportunity to meet new friends and engage in fruitful fellowship. Attendees will also be provided an opportunity for dialogue, discussion, and meaningful fellowship through a series of keynote talks and roundtable discussions. In today’s climate, we especially understand that some professionals may feel isolated in their home institutions around the world. By inviting them for a time of refreshment at The Master’s University, we hope to help strengthen and recharge them in their line of work.

I’m looking forward to organizing this event and will be joined by four other speakers:

• Beth Sullivan, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Duke University
• Jeffrey Williams, a NASA astronaut, ret. US Army Colonel, and author of the beautiful book The Work of His Hands
• Abner Chou, president of The Master’s University and Seminary (TMUS)
• John MacArthur, pastor/teacher at Grace Community Church and Chancellor of TMUS

They each have such tremendous lives, and I’m honored that they have agreed to speak at our event. Many of you may be familiar with Dr. Chou and Pastor MacArthur, but I hope you’ll take some time to get to know Dr. Sullivan and Colonel Williams, as well. I’ve shared their biographies below. They’ve been such an encouragement to me already, and I hope you’ll have the opportunity to meet them in person by joining us this June.

My own prayer is that this symposium will be a place where like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ can meet one another and form lasting relationships centered around a common love for the Lord Jesus and shared interests in the sciences. If you know of anyone who may be interested in attending, I hope you’ll share this announcement with them.

And if you’d like to listen to our keynote talks but don’t quite fit in the target audience, then please feel free to join us on livestream! All tickets are now available on the symposium’s official page.

Hope to see you there!

Speaker Details

In addition to hearing from Abner Chou and John MacArthur, we are grateful to feature Beth Sullivan and Jeffrey Williams, as well. Below is a brief snippet about their respective lines of work.

Beth Sullivan

Beth Sullivan earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology, Chemistry, and Classics from Western Maryland College and her PhD in Human Genetics from University of Maryland, Baltimore. She completed postdoctoral training at the MRC Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh, Scotland and The Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA. She has worked for nearly 20 years at Duke University School of Medicine where she is a Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology leading an NIH-funded research lab that studies the genetic basis of human disease. She is also Associate Dean for Research Training, overseeing curriculum, trainee development, admissions, and mentor training for the School of Medicine’s 17 biomedical PhD programs. She has served as Editor-in-Chief of an international, peer-reviewed scientific journal since 2020.

Jeffrey Williams

Jeffrey Williams earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in applied science and engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1980 and was designated an Army aviator in 1981. He completed a three-year assignment in Germany where he served in the 3rd Armored Division’s aviation battalion.

Williams completed a graduate program in aeronautical engineering, and was subsequently selected for an Army assignment at the Johnson Space Center, where he served in various capacities supporting the Space Shuttle Program. In 1992, Williams attended the Naval Test Pilot School, graduated first in his class and subsequently served as an experimental test pilot and Flight Test Division Chief in the Army’s Airworthiness Qualification Test Directorate at Edwards Air Force Base, California. He retired from active duty with the U.S. Army in 2007 after more than 27 years of service and logging approximately 3,000 hours in more than 50 different aircraft.

During the course of his career, he was selected as an astronaut in 1996 and completed four space flights in his 25+ years with NASA.

His first space flight was on the shuttle Atlantis in May 2000 during the early construction phase of the International Space Station (ISS).  Williams later flew three six-month tours on the ISS in 2006, 2009-10, and 2016, launching each time on a Russian Soyuz rocket.  His space flight experience included five spacewalks, hundreds of experiments across the spectrum of applied science, commanding the ISS twice, and accumulating a record-setting time in space of 534 days.

Williams has a Master of Science Degree and Degree of Aeronautical Engineer from the Naval Postgraduate School (1987), a Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College (1996), and a Doctor of Ministry from The Master’s Seminary (2021).  He also received honorary Doctorate Degrees from Johnson and Wales University (2007), Grove City College (2018), and the University of Messina (Italy, 2019).  He and his wife, Anna-Marie, reside in Washington State.