Public Lecture
The University of St. Thomas Center for Faith and Culture will sponsor a lecture presented by Dr. Francisco J. Ayala and Fr. George V. Coyne, S.J. on “Science and Religion.” The lecture will be held at 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday, April 27, in the IMAX Theater at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, 1 Hermann Circle Drive.

As colleagues and friends, Dr. Ayala and Fr. Coyne will address “Science and Religion” in a spirited discussion, and may even bring up more questions. Could faith possibly be made stronger by science? Can science include or exclude divine action in the world?

These two popular figures in this debate are uniquely familiar with both science and religion. Fr. Coyne is a Jesuit priest who is also a noted astronomer, and served as director of the Vatican Observatory for 28 years. Dr. Ayala is a renowned evolutionary biologist and a former Dominican priest currently servicing as a professor at the University of California at Irvine, and recently received the 2010 Templeton Prize.

The cost of the lecture is $17 for the public and $5 for students. Tickets can be purchased online at www.hmns.org, over the phone by calling 713-639-4629 or at the HMNS Box Office located at 5555 Hermann Park Drive. Students will have to show their student ID at the HMNS Box Office the evening of the lecture to pick up their tickets.

Special Programming for UST
The upcoming Faith and Culture program has strong emphasis directed toward high school and college students and faculty to address the questions emerging there, specifically “How Can a Person Be a Scientist and a Christian at the Same Time?”

In addition to the public lecture held at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Tuesday, April 27, Fr. Coyne and Dr. Ayala will give three lectures on the University of St. Thomas campus open only to UST faculty, staff and students.

Monday, April 26, 12:10-1 p.m. Cullen Hall, Department of Biology will host this event

"Evolutionary Origin of Malaria"- Francisco J. Ayala, Ph.D.

Monday, April 26, 1:30-3 p.m. – Jones Hall, Department of Chemistry/Physics will host this event

“The Evolutionary Universe” – George V. Coyne, S.J.

For more information, contact John Wilson at 713-942-5066.