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Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
scarr@unm.edu

November 2, 2007

Physics and Astronomy Department to Host Lecture by Rev. George Coyne, S.J.
Former director of Vatican Observatory to talk about the Universe

Dr. George Coyne, S.J., a Jesuit priest and astronomer, and a former director of the Vatican Observatory, will present a talk titled “ The Dance of the Fertile Universe,” Thursday, Nov. 15, at 4 p.m. in Northrup Hall rm. 122, the Earth and Planetary Sciences lecture hall. The talk, in part an exploration of the necessity for intelligent design, is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and is hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy. It is free and open to the public.

A research astronomer with a Ph. D. from Georgetown University, the sometimes-controversial Coyne will pose the question: Did we come about by chance or by necessity in the evolving universe?

The first thing Coyne states is that the problem is not formulated correctly. It’s not just a question of chance or necessity because, first of all, it is both. Furthermore, he adds, there is a third element here that is very important. It is what Coyne calls the "fertility" of the universe. This is the dance of the fertile universe, a ballet with three ballerinas: chance, necessity and fertility.

What this means is that the universe is so fertile in offering the opportunity for the success of both chance and necessary processes that such a character of the universe must be included in the search for our origins in the universe. In this light, Coyne will try to present in broad strokes what he thinks is some of the best of our modern scientific understanding of the universe. In the end he will ask the question: Can we conclude that there is an Intelligent Design to the universe?

Coyne’s research interests include polarimetric observations of planetary bodies, stars and galaxies. He was a motive force in the relatively recent (1979 - 1992) re-opening of the Galileo Affair, resulting in the Church iterating the necessity for its learning from that experience and concluding that “faith and science, properly understood, can never be at odds.”

Pope John Paul I appointed Coyne Director of the Vatican Observatory in 1978. As director, Coyne oversaw many new programs, including a highly successful summer school and building of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope on Mt. Graham, Arizona. The observatory’s research group is based at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He remains on the staff of the Vatican Observatory and continues as president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

Coyne will also present the Physics and Astronomy department colloquium on Friday at 4 p.m. in Dane Smith Hall. This conversation, presented at an introductory level, will be on “Determining the Age of the Universe.” The public is welcome to attend the colloquium.

Fr. Coyne will also attend a pre-colloquium gathering at 3:30 p.m. in the atrium of Dane Smith Hall. For more information on the colloquium contact Professor John McGraw at jmcgraw@as.unm.edu.

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