The Math3ma Symposium is just a few weeks away — Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7 — and we're looking forward to seeing everyone again this year. I'm especially excited for the program that's shaping up, and I wanted to share a sneak peak with everyone. Here's a quick look into what you can expect at this year's event!

Speakers and Their Stories

We are delighted to share that NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore has recently been added to our speaker lineup. As you might've heard on the news, Barry recently returned from the International Space Station, where a planned eight-day mission stretched into nine months. In the midst of all the post-mission activities, Barry has graciously agreed to speak on Friday, June 6. I'm excited to hear more about his relationship with Christ and how he leaned on God's faithfulness through his time in space!

We are also looking forward to welcoming David Beaman, a senior propulsion engineer at SpaceX. I first met David at Shepherd's Conference last year and was struck by his powerful testimony and heart for the Lord. I'm so grateful David has agreed to share his story with everyone else, as well. When I asked what else is on his heart for attendees, he replied: "Through my faith in Christ, I have learned that my job, no matter how unique it may be, pales in comparison to the eternal purpose and joy found in Him. As Ecclesiastes reveals, fearing God and keeping His commandments is the end of the matter. I am excited to examine this truth with my fellow Math3mites!" And we are excited to hear from him!

At the encouragement of friends and family, I've also agreed to share my story at this year's symposium. The Math3ma Symposium has its origins in my personal blog, Math3ma, which has a ten-year history full of God's amazing providence and kindness in my life. I've been encouraged to share some of these personal stories with everyone this year. I would love your prayers as I plan for this! (In case you're wondering who I am — Hello! I am a mathematician at a tech company. Some of my research was recently described in this article at Quanta Magazine.)

We are also so grateful to have Abner Chou and Mike Riccardi, who have both spoken at the symposium in the past. Both are amazing theologians and gracious pastors at Grace Community Church. Abner is also the president of The Master's University and Seminary, and Mike is an assistant professor of theology at the Seminary. As always, we invite pastors to speak not on STEM topics, per se (we have a bunch of experts in the room who can do that themselves!), but rather to expound God's Word from a shepherd's heart, knowing the unique challenges that come to Christians who work in environments that can be hostile or isolating at times.

Dinner + Q&A on Tech for Ministry

This year we've also scheduled a group dinner for everyone on Friday night. (That's in addition to breakfast and lunch, which we'll provide both days.) Hopefully this will give folks extra time to fellowship and chat about things you may not get to chat with your work colleagues about.

One of those topics we'll feature in a Q&A during dinner time — using AI and technology in the context of ministry work. I'm especially excited for this. Last year, I had the pleasure of chatting with two employees of The Master's Academy International (TMAI), which trains indigenous pastors around the world — Howard Kim, who oversees IT, and Jim Tan, who oversees the Southeast Asia division of TMAI. Prior to joining TMAI, Howard worked for a long time in IT at UCLA, and Jim has an academic background in financial technology. Both are using their gifts and skills to further the gospel around the world.

We'll talk about some of these initiatives, including TMAI's use of artificial intelligence to translate materials for pastors, and a new large language model called ReadyAnswersGPT that Jim and a friend trained on resources from trusted ministry partners. I think this Q&A will be a great opportunity to think about ways that ministry-minded folks in STEM can come together and think of ways to use their skills outside the workplace.

Fireside Chat

One of the highlights from last year's symposium was an informal fireside chat with several folks across STEM, who shared stories of how they came to know Christ and why they chose their vocation. We're looking forward to doing it again this year. We'll hear from Matt McLain, Abel Stephen, and more! Matt is a geologist and interim dean of the science, math, technology, and health department at The Master's University. He recently took a sabbatical to South Africa as part of his work in creation science. Matt is also one of the funniest, most engaging science communicators I've ever met. Abel is a Staff Technical Program Manager at LinkedIn. We met Abel at last year's symposium and were amazed to learn how God used that particular event as an answer to Abel's own prayers about his work and research. Don't miss the fireside chat, so you can hear all about it!

And of course, we'll have plenty of time for casual fellowship and chatting. Both days are pretty short, starting around 9:30 and ending around 2:30 or 3. The idea is to have a relaxing two days of connecting with other brothers and sisters in Christ that have similar backgrounds and experiences working in STEM, whether in academia, industry, or elsewhere.

Hopefully this little preview is helpful in giving a taste of what to expect this year. I'm thankful for all the folks involved, and we are praying that this event will be a blessing to you. If you have any suggestions or feedback, I would love to know. Just drop me a note here.

Hope to see you in June!