MIT Professor Ian Hutchinson Will Speak at Roy B. Albaugh Lecture, Hosted by Baylor Phi Beta Kappa

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-710-6275
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by Jessie Jilovec, student newswriter, Baylor University Media and Public Relations

WACO, Texas (March 26, 2019) – Ian Hutchinson, Ph.D., professor of nuclear science and engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will present “Can a Scientist Believe in Miracles?” at Phi Beta Kappa’s Roy B. Albaugh Lecture at Baylor University.

The lecture will be at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in Bennett Auditorium in Draper Academic Building, 1420 S. Seventh St.

“Professor Hutchinson is a renowned scientist as well as a dynamic speaker who can explain complicated matters in a clear and accessible way,” said Michael Foley, Ph.D., associate professor of patristics, chair of the Roy B. Albaugh Lecture Committee and member of the Baylor chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. “His work on the relationship between science and religion is thoughtful and quite timely.”

Hutchinson is the author of numerous publications on religion and science. He will discuss his latest book, “Can a Scientist Believe in Miracles?: An MIT Professor Answers Questions on God and Science,” which was published in September 2018. The book ponders questions about what faith and science are, if they are compatible and if God’s existence is a scientific question.

“What Ian Hutchinson successfully does in his life and in his profession is what we at Baylor do as an institution: integrate religious faith and scientific learning without shortchanging either,” Foley said. “This is a delicate balancing act, and so it is always good to hear from a pro about how it can be done.”

The Roy B. Albaugh Lecture has been the flagship event of the Baylor chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for 40 years. Foley said the event, hosted every one or two years, benefits the Baylor and Waco communities. Among many others, speakers in the past have included historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., filmmaker Whit Stillman, novelist Marilynne Robinson and U.S. Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon.

“We bring in a renowned thinker or artist who has made substantial contributions to his or her field and who can contribute to the conversation at Baylor about important issues,” Foley said.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Phi Beta Kappa website.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.