The ASA invites submissions for ASA 2024, our Annual Meeting on July 26–29, 2024, The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, DC.

• Call for Abstracts
• Oral Presentation Deadline: February 10
• Poster Presentation Deadline: February 10

Greetings from the 2024 ASA Annual Meeting Program Chairs Mike Beidler and Sy Garte

We are looking forward to your participation in ASA 2024, our annual meeting on July 26–29, 2024, at The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, DC!

The annual meeting’s theme is “One Body, Many Gifts: The Diversity of Divine and Human Endeavor.” Participants will have the opportunity to learn and dialogue on multiple science and faith issues related to the concept of diversity. Diversity takes many forms: ethnic, national origin, Christian denomination, gender, age group, scientific field, metaphysical paradigm, ecological, etc. The theme highlights the ASA’s broad tent and focuses on (1) interpreting and understanding diversity in all of its forms and scales—cosmic, terrestrial, social, genetic—and its implications for our lives as people of faith, (2) working together despite our differences and leveraging those differences to seek broader and wider influence within both the church and the scientific community to grow God’s kingdom, and (3) promoting a climate within our personal spheres of professional influence to increase access and development for groups underrepresented in the sciences.

We invite meeting registrants to contribute oral or poster presentations along several parallel session tracks on a range of topics at the intersection of science and faith. We will also have a student poster contest. You may propose an abstract as either:

• A 20-minute oral presentation (plus 5-minute Q&A) on an important topic in the science-faith dialogue, or
• A conference-style poster for viewing and for presentation. The poster should include scientific data and analysis. If possible, (though not required) discussion of or questions about its theological significance are welcomed.

Details:

The annual meeting’s planning committee will evaluate and review submitted abstracts for both technical and theological content as well as overall quality and applicability. Since accepted presentations must show an adequate understanding of both science and faith, we encourage you to collaborate with other science professionals and/or theologians in preparing your presentations.

Please remember not to speak outside your field of expertise, double-check your facts, consider multiple possible scientific and/or theological interpretations, and be appropriately tentative and humble in your conclusions.

As is our custom, we will have designated tracks for students and early career scientists, Christian women in science, and chapters/affiliates.

Abstract Submission Deadline: February 10, 2024.

1. Abstracts must be 50–250 words.
2. Indicate your format preference:
• Oral presentation
• Poster
• Reviewers’ choice of format
3. Indicate which topical area the abstract supports.
4. Emphasize what your oral or poster presentation offers that is new and important for the chosen topic. Provide sufficient detail to be informative but use language that will be understood by a non-specialist or a scientist from outside your field.
5. Append one to three recent or particularly significant bibliographic references pertinent to your topic.
6. You may submit only one (1) abstract for which you are the primary author. You may submit additional abstracts listing yourself as a secondary coauthor.
7. You must submit your abstract(s) online using the Call for Abstracts form and:
• Begin your abstract with (a) type of submission—oral, poster, or reviewers’ choice, (b) the topical area, (c) the title of your presentation, and (d) the name(s) of the author(s).
• Save your abstract(s) using the following filename format: ASA2024YourLastName. If submitting more than one abstract (see #5 above), append a dash and number at the end of your file name (e.g., ASA2024Smith-2).
• Upload your abstract(s) as a Word (.docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) file.
8. We plan to notify you of abstract acceptance or non-acceptance by March 15, 2024.
9. All presenters must register for the annual meeting no later than April 30, 2024.

1. Physical Sciences

How new data and or concepts from the physical sciences—physics, chemistry, earth sciences, mathematics, astronomy, etc.—relate to the science-faith dialogue and are targeted to serve and protect diverse human populations.

2. Life Sciences

How new ideas in evolutionary biology, health, molecular biology, astrobiology, and ecology interact with the diversity of theological precepts related to the grandeur of life on Earth (and possibly beyond).

3. Environmental Sciences

How we can be good stewards of God’s creation for the purpose of bequeathing a healthy environment to future generations worldwide with an eye to improve the quality of life for all of humanity’s diverse populations. How human, ecological, and agricultural diversity create new pathways for scientific endeavor to reap both physical and theological benefits.

4. Social & Psychological Sciences

How new work in geography, sociology, anthropology, psychology, linguistics, political science, economics, and other social scientific disciplines relate to a diversity of Christian views on topics such as consciousness, behavior, and identity formation. How scientific topics can be better communicated to the church’s diverse membership in terms of age, ethnicity, gender, political ideology, culture, or nationality with the goal of increasing the rigor of scientific inquiry, improving research methods, and developing more effective pedagogical methods. How diverse forms of bias (e.g., racial, gender, theological, age) negatively impact scientific endeavor, and the suggestion of methods to eliminate or mitigate such biases.

5. Theological Perspectives

How modern science impacts and influences diverse theological perspectives and biblical hermeneutical methods. How the ongoing synthesis of science with diverse statements of faith result in new or modified Christian metaphysical viewpoints, with an emphasis on God’s diverse methods of cosmic sustainment and interaction with humanity.

6. Engineering & Technology

How artificial intelligence and related disciplines (e.g., machine learning and computational neuroscience) increasingly affect everyday life, both physically and spiritually. How these developments and the increased technologizing of our world impacts our Christian faith, with an emphasis on the non-Western church.

Deadline: February 10, 2024

We know that money can be tight for students. The ASA would like to help make your attendance at ASA 2024 a possibility. Thanks to generous donations from ASA members, we are able to offer limited scholarships to ASA student members. Registration for student members is FREE (a $295 value).

• Scholarship awards will cover 50% of meals and lodging (double occupancy, shared bath).
• If the student is presenting either a poster or oral presentation, the award increases to cover 75% of meals and lodging.
• Students who plan to make an poster or oral presentation should not apply for the scholarship until after an abstract acceptance is received. (Scholarship award decisions will not be made until after March 15, 2024, which is after the abstract submission deadline.)
• Students traveling from outside of the US or Canada are eligible for scholarship awards for 100% of meals and lodging. Please note the country you are traveling from on your scholarship application in your comments.

Important Notes:

• Please join the ASA as a student member if you wish to apply for scholarships. This allows us to grant scholarships within the technical infrastructure of our registration system.

To be considered for a scholarship, you must

• Be a student ASA member. To become a member, complete the online membership application.
• Be an undergraduate or graduate student, a postdoc, or early career individual (less than 3 years since graduation).
• Complete all information on the application form.
• Plan to participate in the entire meeting, including the Student/Early Career Track and the State of the ASA meeting.
• Apply by June 1, 2024.

ASA Student Membership
Not an ASA student member? No problem! Annual membership is FREE for students (a $99 value). Benefits of membership include, access to our online journal, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, and networking opportunities at local chapter meetings.