Project Summary

Saint Mary’s College, an all-women’s college located in Notre Dame, Indiana, has received a grant of $95,905 from the John Templeton Foundation in support of a project entitled The Quest Project: Women Exploring the Science/Religion Interface. The grant is administered through the Center for Spirituality, an interdisciplinary unit of the College. The Center is in a unique position to address the broader issues of how faith and human reason interact.

In the spirit of the Catholic tradition, which calls for the integration of human reason and faith, Saint Mary’s College seeks to establish a framework for facilitating meaningful dialogue among undergraduate women about the interface between science and religion. Such a dialogue is mentored by dedicated faculty members who also are eager to address the subject. The primary goal is to provide young women with a forum for asking and exploring the big questions facing today’s scientists and theologians. A secondary goal includes encouraging undergraduate women to make substantive contributions to the ongoing science/religion dialogue, thereby adding additional female voices and perspectives to such discussions and debates.

Over a two-year pilot period, the students, faculty, staff, and administrators at Saint Mary’s College will work together to design and implement a wide range of activities, ranging from student/faculty research opportunities to campus discussions, workshops, lectures, and opportunities for theological reflection. The two-year exploration will culminate in an interdisciplinary, regional conference in April 2009 (opening with dinner on Thursday evening, April 2; closing with a luncheon on Saturday, April 4). This inaugural conference will be planned and implemented by Saint Mary’s students, who, along with undergraduate women invited from other colleges/universities, will prepare and present papers, as well as respond to major speakers.

Key to the success of this project is the establishment of a network of institutions committed to advancing the science/religion dialogue, with a particular focus on opportunities for undergraduate women and their professors. Thus, various institutions, both regionally and nationally, will be invited to partner with Saint Mary’s College in creative ways.

The John Templeton Foundation was established in 1987, and funds scientific research and cutting-edge scholarship on more than 30 core themes. The Foundation’s mission is to serve as a philanthropic catalyst for discovery in areas engaging life’s biggest questions, ranging from explorations into the laws of nature and the universe to questions on the nature of love, gratitude, forgiveness and creativity.