WHAT IS THE ST. ALBERT INITIATIVE? 

The St. Albert Initiative is a half-day program on science and faith for Catholic high school students, teachers, and parents as well as interested members of the general public (high school age and above).  It will feature short talks by Catholic scientists and the opportunity to meet, eat with, and ask questions of Catholic scientists in many fields and at various stages of their careers.  

It will be held at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans on Friday, February 2, 2024, from 9am to 3:00pm.   (Light breakfast and sign-in at 9am. Events start at 9:45am)

The St. Albert Initiative is sponsored by the Society of Catholic Scientists (SCS),  the Science and Religion Initiative of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, with funding by grants from The John Templeton Foundation.   

Event highlights include:

• An Opening Talk (45 minutes including questions)on "Science and Religion: the Myth of Conflict."

• ‘Lightning Round’ Talks.  There will be three rounds of 25-minute talks, with a menu of eight talks to choose from. Talk titles:  "The History of Life in Deep Time" / "Why you Don't Need to be Afraid of Your Toaster Just Yet: What Does Artificial Intelligence Do and How Does it Work?" / "The Promise and Pitfalls of Integrating Neuroscience and Faith" / "When Does Human Life Begin? The Scientific Evidence" / "Modern Science, the Catholic Church and the Galileo Affair" / "Chance Purpose and Order in Evolution" / "What is the Human in Human Evolution?" / "A Sparkle in the Dark: the Outlandish Quest for Dark Matter"

• Big Questions/Ask-a-Scientist Poster Sessions. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet Catholic scientists one-on-one and ask them about their fields of science, career paths, the big unsolved questions in their areas of science, being a Catholic in science, and anything else they are curious about.  The scientists will be a varied group: young and old; male and female; experimenters and theorists; and in many areas of research. Students interested in STEM subjects and teachers interested in renewing their own understanding will dialogue about high-impact topics, including: genetics, evolutionary biology, superstring theory, cosmology, environmental science, neuroscience, dinosaur paleontology, and much more. 

Click HERE for the PROGRAM & SCHEDULE.  Click HERE for Bios of Speakers and Poster Presenters.

REGISTRATION:  

How to Register:  The Registration Page is HERE.   NOTE: on the Registration Page, each person coming should individually register.  At the opening of the event, during the breakfast period, attendees will be asked to fill out a very brief sign-in sheet, but registration must be done in advance through the Registration Page.

Registration Deadline:  Registration will close on Jan 31, 2024.

Does it Cost Anything to Register?:  

• The event is free for all attendees (high school students, teachers, parents, and interested members of the general public).

• High school teachers get 8 hours of professional development (certificate to be awarded by the University of Notre Dame). 

• Members of the general public are welcome to register to attend the event.

LOCATION:    The event will take place at Notre Dame Seminary, which is located at 2901 S. Carrollton Avenue, New Orleans. Click here for directions.

The St. Albert Initiative is named after St. Albert the Great, bishop, scientist, philosopher, theologian, teacher, and patron saint of natural science and scientists.