Program Timeline
Year 1
Beginning September 1, 2022
Activities in Year 1 will focus on collecting data from female participants in the Science
and Religion community, asking questions about what resources or opportunities they would like to have, what does the community currently do well, and where are the
needs for improvements.
Specific activities involved will include:
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Reviewing Science & Religion publications, articles, and literature, and compiling statistics on topics, authorship, discipline, and interdisciplinary perspectives.
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Building resource lists for professional development in S&R.
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Interviewing and meeting with key S&R insiders as well as external thought leaders.
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Creating, distributing, and collecting open question surveys of female students, early career professionals, and academic scholars.
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Designing, establishing, and meeting with focus groups comprised of representative members of the target audience to further explore survey and interview topics. Data collection will take place on multiple platforms, including national conferences, online, and on-site.
The goal of the work in Year 1 is to collect data that will enable us to identify
desired WISH program topics and features.
Year 2
Beginning September 1, 2023
The second year will primarily consist of analyzing the data collected and creating a plan and proposal to fund, launch, and execute a pilot program based on the research and data collection performed in Year 1.
Specific activities involved will include:
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Compiling and analyzing the data to identify key points.
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Developing a comprehensive draft syllabus for program participants, including topics to be covered, a reading list, assignments, mentor group information, seminar/conference descriptions, and a program calendar.
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Organizing local academic seminars and larger scale conferences featuring scholars and panels of experts to facilitate in-depth discussions on selected science-humanities faith topics. This will involve:
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Identifying themes for academic seminars and conferences based on data from surveys and interviews.
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Networking with universities, organizations, scholars, and students to participate in seminars/conferences.
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Planning and coordinating all aspects of the seminars and conferences.
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Designing and building mentor groups for students and faculty to meet on a regular basis to discuss science-humanities-faith challenges that individuals are wrestling with in a trusted, safe space.
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Expanding the project and creating opportunities for students and faculty to participate in science humanities-faith projects by connecting with scholars across APCU, CCCU, the International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR), BioLogos, the Society of Catholic Scientists, InterVarsity, Cru, ASA’s Christian Women in Science (CWIS), and other relevant networks.
Year 3
The precise timing for launching the WISH pilot program based on our Year 1 data
collection and Year 2 planning activities is dependent on securing the necessary
resources. We are very optimistic that it will follow soon after Year 2 wraps up (late 2024
or early 2025).
