Published on November 7, 2016 by Sean Flynt  
Hutchinson Ian

Samford University’s Center for Science and Religion will host physicist Ian Hutchinson for a free public lecture Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. in Samford’s Reid Chapel.

Hutchinson is professor of nuclear science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He and his research group are international pioneers in exploring the generation and confinement of plasmas hotter than the sun’s center, experimenting on a world-leading magnetic confinement device they designed and built. The research aims to understand how to produce practical energy from controlled nuclear fusion reactions, the power source of the stars.

In addition to writing 200 research articles and a textbook about plasma physics, Hutchinson has written and spoken widely on the relationship between science and Christianity. His recent book, Monopolizing Knowledge, explores how the error of scientism arose, how it undermines reason as well as religion, and how it feeds today’s culture wars and an excessive reliance on technology.

At Samford, Hutchinson will discuss the question of whether science and religion are “belligerents or brothers.”

This event is funded by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

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Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.