NAD Science Professors Conference: Where Study Meets Faith

From July 29 to August 1, four of Pacific Union College’s biology professors attended the Conference for North American Division (NAD) Science Professors in Pasco, Washington. Organized by the Geoscience Research Institute (GRI), the event was an opportunity to highlight research and presentations and celebrate higher education.

PUC’s Dean of the School of Sciences, Aimee Wyrick, attended the conference, alongside Chair of Biology Bryan Ness and Professors Floyd Hayes and Backil Sung. With this year's theme being “Your Wondrous Works,” scientists and professors from the GRI, Loma Linda University and other Seventh-day Adventist institutions, along with LLU graduate students presented on topics such as paleontology, geology, biology, and the environment. Through those presentations, PUC’s biology professors collected new information that would be useful in their own lectures and benefit their students. They were also able to meet new colleagues, explore research projects, and see old friends from different Adventist schools.

Before the conference officially began, Wyrick joined a group of 30 faculty members and graduate students from various universities and colleges on a two-day field trip to explore the Columbia River Basalt and Channeled Scablands. They learned about the geologic history and Missoula megafloods that shaped the area. Although Wyrick already knew about the Channeled Scablands and Glacial Lake Missoula, she learned that Lake Columbia also contributed to the floods and saw clastic dikes and sedimentary structures she had never known existed. “It was a great experience to see the vastness of the landscape and the evidence of the immense power of the megafloods,” shared Wyrick. “We were able to travel several hundred miles to see famous landmarks like Dry Falls and Monster Rock that established neo-catastrophism as legitimate in the geological community.”

By attending the field trip, Wyrick was inspired to include more content on the Channeled Scablands in her geology lab course, and the presentations also sparked ideas for additional lessons she could include in her classes to enhance the learning experience for PUC students. With the fall quarter at PUC starting in September, attending the conference also helped prepare Dr. Sung for the upcoming school year. “I was reminded that a science faculty has a ‘mission’ to lead young students to believe God’s word,” he said.

Attending the conference was a great opportunity for PUC’s biology department to share their passion for science and faith. “The church denomination does its best to support our faith in the science community by studying Biblical origin issues by scientific method,” shared Dr. Sung. Some lectures sparked several interests in different subjects, such as radiometric dating theory, that inspired him to explore the topic further, while a session focused on biochemistry refreshed his ideas on how to introduce spiritual faith in his own classes. Through captivating conversations and presentations, they collaborated with others, shared ideas, solved problems, and left feeling a renewed appreciation for the educational system the SDA church conducts.