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In this episode, Richard interviewed Dr. Katy Hinman who is Director of the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program at AAAS. Katy’s background uniquely qualifies her to lead the DoSER program. She has a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Stony Brook University, and she is an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church. Katy served churches in Georgia for nine years before joining DoSER.

In the interview, we discussed the work of the DoSER program, which is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year. Among science and religion organizations, DoSER is distinctive in that it is a science-based organization. Katy and Richard discussed the common misunderstanding that science and religion are locked in an inevitable conflict.

Katy stressed that this perceived conflict does not reflect personal experiences, including the experiences of many scientists. Unfortunately this popular misunderstanding has suppressed the science and religion discussion because people lack the opportunities or permission to talk about their actual experiences. Katy believes it is important to create spaces for open conversations about science and faith.

For more information, check out the DoSER websites at aaas.org/DoSER and ScienceReligionDialogue.org.