“That’s what first drew me to science – the more I learned, the more I was filled with awe which inspired me to investigate even further.”
Nicole Bouvier-Brown, Professor and Chair of Environmental Science, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Co-director of the Coastal Research Institute (CRI)
As a scientist, I have found comfort in the true respect for the harmony between faith and reason at LMU and I attribute this to our Ignatian heritage. Most of all, I am comforted by the fact that I am not alone in finding that my faith and scientific reason actually enrich each other. My education and faith journey did not involve Ignatian traditions, so I never explicitly witnessed the celebration of science in a religious context during my formative years. I personally practiced it (I have a B.S. in Biology/Chemistry with an Environmental emphasis and a minor in Religious Studies), but not until coming to LMU, learning about Jesuit history, and experiencing Ignatian pedagogy did I feel validated. Nothing encapsulates LMU’s commitment to the harmony between faith and science more than the windows in Sacred Heart Chapel referencing Louis Pasteur, Albertus Magnus, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Guglielmo Marconi – all Catholic scientists – prominently placed in our center of faith on campus. I think being a scientist at a Jesuit institution is a unique experience; to explore this, I created a First Year Seminar course called “Science and the Jesuit Tradition”. By the end of the course, there was a 34% increase in the number of students agreeing that there is no conflict between science and religion. Additionally, 100% of the students agreed that they understood how LMU’s Mission can influence their career as a scientist. Here are thoughts two students shared in an end-of-semester course survey when asked about the connection between Ignatian values and science:
- “The encouragement of learning goes hand in hand with the progression of science and the sharing of scientific discoveries. Science can be used as a tool to develop a deep understanding of the universe, and if one desires, a closer relationship with God.”
- “Jesuit values of seeing God in all things, the education of the whole person, contemplative in action, and letting go of the ‘unimportant’ things in life will help [me] make a more well-rounded decision both ethically and logically when using the scientific process.”
Exploring these ideas with my students was very fulfilling for me. Both anecdotally and through data, I have learned that many of our students want to engage in conversations about faith and reason, although they may not explicitly know it as such. They came to LMU for a reason, and it has been wonderful to help them see why scientific training at a Jesuit institution is so special.
While the science courses I teach must contain mainly scientific content, I have learned to take a moment to sense the awe of what we are learning. That’s what first drew me to science – the more I learned, the more I was filled with awe which inspired me to investigate even further. Wonder spurs on the “wow, cool” (spiritual awe) and lead us to seek how a system works (intellectual curiosity), which circles back to “isn’t this amazing!”. Science gives us a means by which we can try to understand creation with fine detail and how we, as humans, fit into the preexisting natural world. How can we not be at awe with the marvelous beauty and order of the universe? To be a scientist, we must ask questions and to ask questions is to wonder. Through my experience with Ignatian heritage at LMU I now understand how wonder is also at the heart of Catholic education. From wonder not only comes understanding, but also social sense and our need to work towards justice.