Student Activities

Forester Lecture Tonight @ 7:00 p.m.

Forester Lecture tonight at 7:00 p.m. in Zurcher Auditorium (eligible for spiritual life credit):

Dr. Joshua Swamidass will present “The Genealogy of Adam and Eve.”

Professor Swamidass has published over 150 articles. He focuses his research on applications of statistical machine learning and decision theory in the context of chemical biology and medicine. In 2019, he published The Genealogical Adam and Eve: “The genealogical account does not prove [Adam and Eve’s existence], but it’s impossible to disprove the existence of such a couple 6,000 years ago.” Anjeanette Roberts praised Swamidass’ work and stated that in his book the emphasis on “genealogical ancestry is so clearly biblical that its long-term absence in evangelical conversations about human origins is shocking,” and the work also helps to remove “the enmity and barriers that divide scientists, theologians, exegetes, evolutionists, and creationists.” Nathan H. Lents thought the book’s “bold attempt” to find a place for Adam and Eve within the scientific understanding of human ancestry might help reconcile evangelicals to evolutionary science, and science in general, but thought it unlikely to persuade scientists of a role for the Genesis narrative in human origins.

For more biographical information, see Dr. Swamidass’ Wiki page here.