Home Page of Keith B. Miller
PLEASE NOTE: as of Summer 2010, this
page is no longer being updated, due to the erratic nature of KSU
access. My website has been relocated to http://www.scifaithkansas.net
Please make any necessary changes to your bookmarks, or to any
links to my page.
Department of Geology
108 Thompson Hall
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506
e-mail kbmill@ksu.edu
office phone: (785) 532-2250
fax: (785) 532-5159
Lower Permian paleosols of Roca Shale
exposed in Manhattan, Kansas
Education
Geology Research
- Short-term cyclicity within cyclothems of the mid-continent
Pennsylvanian and Permian
- Environmental and climatic significance of Permian paleosols
- Models for sea level and climate change in the mid-continent
Pennsylvanian and Permian
- Impact of sedimentation events and short-term sea level
fluctuations on the development and morphology of chaetetid
mounds
- High resolution cyclic and event stratigraphy
- Taphonomy and paleoecology of benthic faunas
Spring '09 Courses
For the
course syllabus
Speaking Events '08 and '09
- Southern Nazarene University
- February 11-12, 2008
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Talk Title: "The Meaning of Fossils and the Discovery of Earth
History"
- Talk Title: "An Evolving Creation: Fossils and Faith"
- Talk Title: "The Fossil Record: Transitional Fossils and
the Tree of Life"
- Kansas Association of Teachers in Science (KATS KAMP)
- April 26, 2008
- Talk Title: "Geologic Record of Global Climate Change"
- American Scientific Affiliation Annual Meeting
- August 1-4, 2008
- George Fox University, Newberg, OR
- Talk Title: "Geologic Record of Global change: Context for
Modern Global Warming"
- Geologic Society of America Annual Meeting
- October 8, 2008
- Houston, TX
- Talk Title: "Patterns, Predictions, and the Fossil Record: Keys
to Public Understanding of Common Descent"
- Darwin's Reach: Celebrating Darwin's Legacy Across the Discplines
- March 12-14, 2009
- Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
- Talk Title: "Acceptance of Biological Evolution within the
Evangelical Christian Community"
- 2009 Emerson-Wier Symposium "The Promise of Science and the
Challenges of Science Education"
- March 26, 2009
- University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
- Talk Title: "Obstacles to Science Literacy"
- Shawnee State University
- April 17, 2009
- Portsmouth, Ohio
- Talk Title: "Darwin's Forgotten Defenders: Then and Now"
- North American Paleontological Convention
- June 21-26
- University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Symposium on "The Nature of Science and Public Science
Literacy"
- Talk Title: "The Meaning and Importance of Methodological
Naturalism"
Book Release
I have edited a book entitled "Perspectives on an Evolving
Creation" that has been published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co. This volume brings together a wide variety of specialists
who each address evolution from the perspective of his or her own
discipline.
There is a good balance between scientific and theological issues, with
multiple voices representing a range of Christian theological
traditions.
For more information about this book see my book
announcement.
Public Science Education and the Science/Faith Dialogue
I am very involved at both the state and national levels in the
advocacy for quality public science education and public science
literacy. Much of my efforts have focused on the historical
sciences and particularly evolutionary science. The public
"Creation/Evolution" debate has been destructive to both the public
understanding of science and to the discussion of important theological
issues within the Christian community. The widespread perception
of a "warfare of science and faith" is an historically false
caricature. Christian theologians and scientists, including
evangelicals, since the time of Darwin have seen no necessary conflict
between orthodox theology and an evolutionary understanding of the
history of life. Modern science is not a threat to Christian
faith, and people need not feel forced into a choice between evolution
and Creation.
Challenges to modern evolutionary science are often rooted in
fundamental misperceptions of the nature of science itself. There
is a widespread perception that the focus of science on natural
cause-and-effect explanations is a thinly disguised effort to promote a
godless worldview, rather than an inherent methodological limitation.
Furthermore, many people view "theories" as merely
unsubstantiated guesses, rather than as the unifying concepts that give
our observations coherence and meaning. Science for many is
simply an encyclopedic accumulation of unchanging observational
"facts." But science is a dynamic process with the continual
construction and revision of theories based on new discoveries.
It is that dynamic process which makes science so inherently
exciting. Lastly, much of the popular critique of evolutionary
theory is based on completely false views of its theoretical content
and
observational foundation. As educators we need to improve how we
teach both the content and methodological foundation of science.
I believe that it is critical that the science/faith dialogue be based
on a solid and accurate grasp of the conclusions of the historical
sciences and of the best theological scholarship.
For a brief discussion of the nature of science click here.
Selected Publications
To view an abbreviated bibliography of my publications
click here.
Personal Web Resources
Audio/Video Presentations
Professional Memberships
Science/Theology Annotated Bibliography
Annotated
Bibliography: I maintain a sporadically updated list of some
of my often recommended readings on science and Christianity. If
you have any suggestions for adding to this list please send me an
e-mail message.
Other Links
- IPCC Reports: The
reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change can be
accessed here.
- Climate
Change: A Christian Challenge and Opportunity: A presentation
by John Houghton to the National Association of Evangelicals in 2005.
- The Great Warming:
information on documentary narrated by Keanu Reeves and Alanis
Morissette, with footage from around the world that illustrates the
societal impact of climate change on politics, religion, science,
education, energy and economics.
- World Wildlife Fund:
WWF is the world's largest privately funded conservation organization.
Dedicated to the preservation of endangered species and to wisely
addressing global environmental threats.
- Konza Prairie Homepage
learn about one of the last remaining areas of virgin tall grass
prairie. Owned by the Nature Conservancy and managed by Kansas State
University.
- Environmental
Ethics: web server providing access to internet resources on
environmental
ethics and philosophy
- Evangelicals for Social
Action: links to various evangelical activist organisations.
- US Evangelical
Environmental Network: initiated by World Vision and ESA to respond
faithfully to the biblical mandate for caring stewardship of God's
creation.
- InterVarsity
Christian Fellowship:
includes resources for Christian graduate students and faculty.
- Pew:
links to many Christian academic societies. A great place to begin
networking with other Christian scholars - particularly designed for
graduate students.
- Templeton Foundation:
information on lectures and conferences on religion and science
supported by the
foundation.
- Center for Theology and the
Natural Sciences: based in Berkeley, and directed by
physicist/theologian Robert Russell.
- Dialogue
on Science, Ethics, and Religion: part of AAAS effort to
promote communicatrion between the scientific and religious
communities.
See especially link to "Van Till and Dembski on Intelligent
Design."
- National
Science Teachers Association: evolution resources for
teachers.
- National Center for Science
Education: advocate for the teaching of evolution in public
schools.
- Kansas Citizens for Science:
an organization of scientists, educators and citizens committed to
working for quality science education in the Kansas public schools.
- TalkOrigins Archive:
a source of many useful FAQs and references on evolution, and an
archive of posts to an open forum on creation and evolution.
- TalkDesign: an open forum
and resource on Intelligent Design.
- Berkeley
Evolution website: resources and links on evolution.
- Understanding
Science: a new educational resource from the University of
California at Berkeley.
- Coalition on the Public
Understanding of Science: COPUS brings together scientific and
educational organizations with a common purpose to improve public
science literacy.
- Darwin Exhibit:
American Museum of Natural History website for Darwin exhibit.
Includes video featuring scientists from a wide range of fields
explaining the role of evolutionary theory.
- Paleontology Portal:
Outreach tool for educators, the general public and the media.
Includes a variety of resources including "PaleoPeople" which is
interviews with paleontologists.
-
ASA's Creation-Evolution
resources page gives links to articles published in the ASA's
journal, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, relevant
to the subject.
- Berea
Science and Christianity website: includes an extended essay on
science and the Bible as it relates to the Creation accounts, and
several links to other resources. Written by Dr. Robert Schneider
at Berea College, KY.
- Science & Theology:
Exploring the Nexus: This site by David Vinson, a clinical
researcher in medicine, provides a good source for thoughtful resources
in both Christian theology and evolutionary science.
- Evangelicals,
Evolution, and Academics: A blog series from Steve Martin's
blog Evangelical Dialogue on Evolution.
- An Evolving Creation:
A website by high school biology teacher Jeremy Mohn.
Includes links and a blog on teaching evolution.
- The Great
Story: website for the ministry of Michael Dowd and Connie
Barlow.
Seeks to present evolution in a way that enriches and deepens
Christian faith.
- PBS
Evolution series:
educational resources for the EVOLUTION video seires, includes
discussion on theology and evolution.
- CounterBalance Website:
a very extensive website covering a wide range of issues at the
science/religion interface from a wide range of perspectives.
- Clergy
Letter Project: clergy representing a wide range of Christian
traditions and denominations who see God's hand in the process of
evolution. Site includes links, resources and reference material.
- Catechism of
Creation: Episcopal catechism focusing on the theology
of Creation, Creation and science, and Creation care, with Bible
studies
and additional resources.
- Evolution
on the Web: reference material for a biology course on
Evolution at Indiana University of PA.
For something completely different you can link to my wife's home page:
Ruth Douglas
Miller, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
My 12 year old son Ian
Miller also has a webpage on global warming.