Collegium of Science and Religion
The Collegium of Science and Religion was founded on the 27 February 2002. The founding members are scholars from different disciplines (physics, medicine, biology, philosophy, archaeology, history, philology, theology).
Prior to this in 2001, the first international conference “The Human Being at the Intersection of Science, Medicine and Religion” took place, with keynote speakers, Prof. Philip Hefner (Chicago) and Antje Jackelén (currently Archbishop of the Swedish Lutheran Church). The papers from the conference were published as a book in the same year by the Tartu University Publishing House (Editor Anne Kull).
Between 2004 and 2009, the Collegium members Anne Kull and Toomas Jürgenstein (Hugo Treffner Gymnasium) organised an annual essay contest for high schoolers. In 2010, the essay contest developed into a major religious education contest (University of Tartu, Science School). Several members of the Collegium have actively participated in this (Karo, Friedenthal, Remmel, etc.)
In 2006, in co-operation with the University of Tallinn a conference was organised at the University of Tallinn, entitled “God in Science”. The papers were published as a book “Kuradi tark Jumala loll” (editors Anne Kull and Enn Kasak, 2006).
Various elective courses have been organised by the Collegium or its members (Religion and Medicine (Kull et al.); The Origins and Ends (Kull et al.); Religious Aspects in Science (Kasak, Kull); and other one-day seminars for different occasions. Several visiting professors have also given lectures (Prof. Nancey Murphy (USA), Knut-Willy Saether (Norway) et al.)
Since 2004, the Collegium has organised an annual two-day interdisciplinary spring school where the main topics covered are nature, culture and religion.
Other large international conferences have included the Nordic Society of Philosophy of Religion Research Seminar – Science, Theology and Philosophy: Recent Challenges (8–11 November 2007) and European Society for the Study of Science and Theology XIV conference “What is Life?” in 2012 (main organiser Anne Kull).
Grants of the Collegium of Science and Religion:
The Metanexus Institute on Religion and Science, Local Societies Initiative grant 2004–2007;
The Metanexus Institute on Religion and Science: Metanexus Global Networks Initiative grant 2009–2011;
John Templeton Foundation Grant ID 15658: 2011–2013;
Base funding research: the dialogue of science and religion 2006–2007. Research led by Anne Kull.
The International Society of Science and Religion Library Project – a collection of 250 books for the Tartu University Library 2011–2012 (http://www.issrlibrary.org/)