International expert on science and religion to speak at Goshen College Nov. 20

GOSHEN, Ind. – Anne Foerst, an expert on science and religion, will speak at Goshen College on Monday, Nov. 20 during the 10 a.m. convocation in the Church-Chapel. Currently professor of theology and computer science at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, N.Y., she is considered to be an expert in science, ethics and technology, religion and science, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Foerst is also the current director of Nexus: The Science and Religion Dialogue Project.

As director of Nexus, Foerst plans and moderates the Science and Religion Lecture Series, arranges and attends conferences and workshops, promotes research, assists with development of courses and pursues other activities that promote dialogue concerning the relation between religion and the sciences. Foerst was also elected in spring 2002, along with 11 other scientists nationwide, to set up a new program on society, ethics and technology for the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Prior to teaching at St. Bonaventure, Foerst worked as both a research scientist in the artificial intelligence laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and as a research associate at the Center for the Study of Values in Public Life at Harvard Divinity School. While at MIT, Foerst served as theological adviser for the Cog and Kismet projects, which attempted to develop embodied, autonomous social robots that resemble human infants in their ability to learn and develop more mature intelligence levels.

Foerst holds degrees in computer science and philosophy from the University of Bonn, Germany, a master of divinity degree from the Seminary of the Protestant Church in Rhineland and a doctorate in theology from the Ruhr-University at Bochum, Germany.

The College Mennonite Church-Chapel is located on the south side of the Goshen College campus off of Highway 15.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.