06 VO annual report FINAL - Vatican Observatory

(VOSS) at the Westin La Paloma. Speakers included VOSS participants Chris Impey and Miguel
Chavez. The memories of Thomas J. Bannan and Fred A. Lennon, founding donors of the VATT,
were honored. Ben Dalby, representing the Arline and Thomas J. Bannan Foundation, and Chris
Hitchcock of the Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust, recalled the enthusiasm and passion that these
friends brought to the VOF and to construction of the VATT.
Through the efforts of NANCY KNOCHE, Development Director, and JAMES McGEE, Chair of
the Development Committee, the Foundation continues the two giving plans announced in previous
Annual Reports: the Circles of Giving and "Reaching for the Heavens" Guild Memberships.
Once again through the efforts of BRENDAN D. THOMSON, Board Member, an official Vatican
Observatory calendar for the year 2007 was produced with the theme: Education.
Vatican Observatory Conferences
July 9-14 Stoeger participated in the “Creatio ex Nihilo Today” conference at the Vatican Observatory
in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, for which he was one of the organizers, along with Janet Martin
Soskice (Cambridge) and David Burrell (University Notre Dame). Stoeger presented a paper, “The
Big Bang, Quantum Cosmology and Creatio ex Nihilo.”
Presentations and Academic Activities
CARUANA • Presented the standard courses on metaphysics and philosophy of science at Heythrop
College, London University. • In January, published a short paper on the internet to respond to the
popular atheist-biologist R. Dawkins on his TV program The Root of all Evil. • Delivered a paper 30
March entitled “Falsification in Science and Theology: A Reappraisal” as the main address to the
Graduate Conference for doctoral students held in the Jesuit Faculty of Philosophy, Trnavska univerzita,
Kostolna 1, Bratislava, Slovakia; the same paper with further modifications was presented
and discussed at a conference in Granada, Spain, on “Belief and Metaphysics” held 15–18 September
and organized by the Nottingham University Centre of Theology and Philosophy, in partnership
with the Instituto de Filosofía Edith Stein de Granada. • Delivered a paper 26 May entitled “A Christian
Evaluation of Scientific Attitudes in Ethics and Economics” to the Heythrop Institute of Religion,
Ethics and Public Affairs.
CASANOVAS • Gave a seminar on the Gregorian Calendar, School of Philosophy, Cracow. October
5, 2005, a lecture on the teaching of astronomy in the XVIII century, University of Budapest.
November 30, a paper at the Symposium on Matteo Ricci: Alle origini del Missionerato, Scientifico
nell'Asia oritentale: Clavio e il Collegio Romano, Symposium on Matteo Ricci. March 2, a lecture
on Francesco de Vico, professor of astronomy in the Collegio Romano. A paper on the teaching of
astronomy after Galileo's condemnation, in the symposium on Faith and Science, La Palma (Canary
Islands) 12-16 September. A lecture on Copernicus at the Regina Apostolorum University (Rome)
31 October.
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A NNUAL REPORT 2006