Burgin Selected for Sinai and Synapses Fellowship

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Associate professor Stephen Burgin (fourth from left) met with his Sinai and Synapses Fellowship cohort for the first time last week in New York City.

Stephen Burgin, an associate professor of secondary science education at the U of A, was recently named a Sinai and Synapses Fellow.

The Sinai and Synapses Fellowship is a small interfaith group of clergy, scientists and writers "committed to elevating the discourse surrounding religion and science." Burgin is part of the fifth cohort, and there are around 70 fellows past and present. He's excited to exchange ideas with the other 16 Fellows, whom he met for the first time on Feb. 10 in New York City.

"We're of all different faiths and from different scientific backgrounds," he said. "In my cohort, there are religion professors, psychologists, a biologist, science educators and a community organizer, among others. I'm looking forward to all the lessons to be learned."

The Fellowship provides funds for the group to meet six times over the next two years. While most conferences focus on presentations, the cohort will use these meet-ups to explore ideas. They'll focus on constructive conversations around religion and science and produce scholarly work together.

"We'll find out where our interests overlap and see where the synergy lies," Burgin said. "We all have different spheres of influence."

The Sinai and Synapses website notes: "We believe that in order to enhance ourselves and our world, we need both religion and science as sources of wisdom, as the spark for new questions, and as inspiration and motivation."

Burgin joined the College of Education and Health Professions faculty in 2015. He earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in science education from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 2012. Before making Fayetteville his home, Burgin taught high school chemistry for six years and was an assistant professor of science education at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Burgin's research centers around authentic scientific practices and the outcomes exhibited by science learners who engage in those practices. He teaches U of A students who plan to be secondary science educators.