The Poetry of Science:
Discussions of the Beauty of Science

Tuesday, September 28, 12:00 pm
Cramton Auditorium, Howard University, Washington, DC

Two of science’s luminaries converse on the beauty of science. Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and host of NOVA, and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins will explore the wonders of the cosmos and of life, its origins, its inspirations, and why science is not just an option, it is the only reality we possess.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is the recipient of twelve honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. His contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos have been recognized by the InternationalAstronomical Union in their official naming of asteroid 13123 Tyson. On the lighter side, Tyson was voted Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive by People Magazine in 2000. Tyson is the first occupant of the Frederick P. Rose Directorship of the Hayden Planetarium.

Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist and former Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. With his strong, determined, and tenacious advocacy of science, he has taken on his critics with wit, humor and, most of all, evidence. Among his books are The Greatest Show on Earth, The Ancestor’s Tale, The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, Unweaving the Rainbow, and The God Delusion.

There will be a book signing immediately after the lecture.

This free public event is hosted by the Department of Physiology & Biophysics of Howard University, The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, and the Secular Students of Howard University.

Tickets can be ordered online through Ticketmaster.

Dialogue of Reason:
Science and Faith in the Black Community

Tuesday, September 28, 6:30 pm
Cramton Auditorium, Howard University, Washington, DC

Faith has traditionally played a significant role among African Americans, while science has been marginalized. It is time to confront the issues that have kept Blacks out of the halls of science and confined to the pews. Richard Dawkins along with Anthony Pinn, Sikivu Hutchinson, and others will meet at Howard University to discuss the issues surrounding science within the Black Community as well as the impediments imposed by superstition and religious dogma.

Anthony Pinn is the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University. He is the executive director of the Society for the Study of Black Religion. His teaching interests include liberation theologies, black religious aesthetics, religion and popular culture, and African American Humanism.

Sikivu Hutchinson is a writer and intergroup specialist for the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission. She is the editor of blackfemlens.org, a contributor to the New Humanism magazine and a Senior Fellow for the Institute for Humanist Studies. She is currently working on a book entitled Moral Combat: Black Atheists, Gender Politics and Secular America.

Todd Stiefel is a secular humanist, an atheist and full-time freethought activist. He is the founder and president of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation. His mission is to gain respect for freethinkers and ensure the complete separation of church and state. He serves on the development committee of American Atheists and the advisory board of the Secular Student Alliance.

Candace Shannon Lewis is a lecturer in the School of Communications at Howard University, and assistant to the Dean. Her constant contact with Howard University students gives her a unique insight into how religion and science are viewed by young adults in the Howard Community.

Mark D. Hatcher is a PhD candidate of Neurophysiology at Howard University. He started Secular Students at Howard University (SSHU), which is the first secular organization to be held at a historically black college or university.

There will be a book signing immediately after the lecture.

This free public event is sponsored by the Department of Physiology & Biophysics of Howard University, The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, Secular Students of Howard University, African Americans for Humanism, CFI On Campus, Secular Student Alliance, and other local and national secular groups.

Tickets can be ordered online through Ticketmaster.

Ordering Tickets:

Tickets are available at the Cramton Auditorium box office, local Ticketmaster outlets, and Ticketmaster online. To order tickets for the Dawkins/Tyson event,click here. For tickets to the Dialogue of Reason panel, click here. There is no charge for admission, but Ticketmaster outlets and online charge a service fee.

Secular Students at Howard University is a CFI On Campus affiliate. For more information about these events, please e-mail oncampus@centerforinquiry.net or call (716) 636-4869 ext. 421.