CFP ORU Conference on Science and Science Fiction

Call For Papers
For the ORU Conference on Science and Science Fiction
April 12 & 13, 2012

When Worlds Collide: Science, Faith, and the Imagination 
Download the call for papers (doc) (pdf)

This two-day interdisciplinary conference - sponsored by the colleges of Arts and Cultural Studies and Science and Engineering at Oral Roberts University - will examine the relationships between science and science fiction, social science and science fiction, and theology and science fiction in all forms of science and science fiction, including science fiction stories, film, television, radio, graphic novels, and theoretical physics.

Potential contributors are invited to submit an abstract or paper for this conference on themes related to any of the following conference tracks:

• Science Fiction and Theology. Investigating the relationship between and metaphors in science fiction and theology.
• Science in Science Fiction. Discussing the plausibility of fantastical science fiction concepts such as time travel, warp drives, cloaking devices, and (quantum) teleportation.
• Hard Science Fiction. Examining scientific rigor in science fiction.
• Social Sciences in Science Fiction. Investigating psychological, sociological, and cultural issues in science fiction.
• The Relationship between Science and Science Fiction. Exploring how science drives science fiction and/or how science fiction drives science.
• Original Science Fiction Short Stories. Submitting creative and original short stories (8-10 pages) over various science fiction themes and subjects.

Papers on the above themes are invited. However, papers on other subjects related to the above topics will also be considered.

Please submit an abstract or a full paper by January 31, 2012. Presentations are welcome in any format and style, including PowerPoint, and will depend upon the traditions of your discipline, but if you submit a paper to be read, it should be 8-10 pages (double-spaced, 12 point font) and needs to be an original work that has not been read at any previous conferences. Regardless of the presentation format, participants will be held to a twenty minute presentation limit.

E-mail all abstracts/papers to the following individual:
Dr. Andrew S.I.D. Lang, Conference Director
alang@oru.edu
Phone: 918-495-6692

To insure prompt notification, please include your e-mail address on your submission. If you are willing to chair a section, please note this at the top of your abstract/paper.

We are pleased to announce our two keynote speakers, Paul Davies and Joan Slonczewski.

Plenary Speakers

Paul Davies is an award-winning theoretical physicist and best-selling author of popular science books such as God and the New Physics and The Goldilocks Enigma: Why is the Universe Just Right for Life? Davies is British and has a PhD in physics from University College London. His postdoctoral work was at Cambridge under Fred Hoyle. His academic awards include the Eureka Prize, the Kelvin Medal, the Royal Society's Faraday Prize, and the Templeton Prize for making an "exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works."

Davies has published over 100 research papers in the fields of black holes, cosmology, and quantum field theory in curved spacetime. His monograph on Quantum Fields in Curved Space, remains a seminal text in the field of quantum gravity. Davies is the founder and director of BEYOND: The Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University. Davies is a lifelong fan of science fiction and many of his books, like How to Build a Time Machine, deal with the scientific plausibility of the technology found in science fiction.

Joan Slonczewski is a Science Fiction author and Chair of Biology at Kenyon College where she teaches both biology and science fiction. Slonczewski has a PhD in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University, is a National Professor of the Year Silver Medalist, and has been awarded funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to improve science instruction for minority students.

Slonczewski is a world renowned hard science fiction author, her novel A Door Into Ocean winning the prestigious Campbell Award for Best Science Fiction Novel of the year. Slonczewski is known for dealing with issues of theology, gender, and science through her writing.