On Friday, October 27, Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker, co-author with Brian Swimme of Journey of the Universe (Yale UP, 2011) will be visiting Gunston for the fall installment of the school’s In Celebration of Books program. Journey of the Universe was the 2017 Gunston community summer read and focuses on the story of the universe as seen through the multiple lenses of scientific discovery and human insight.
The book has already been incorporated into Gunston’s tenth grade curriculum as part of its innovative History of Ideas course. “We’re delighted to have Dr. Tucker join us for In Celebration of Books,” says Headmaster John Lewis. “Journey of the Universe asks us to consider questions about our identities as human beings and our relationship with each other. Beyond that, it also asks us to think about our collective role in the development of the universe, which is ever-evolving.”
Lewis says that the integrative approach of Journey of the Universe is reflective of Gunston’s overarching mission, which strives to educate “ethically and environmentally minded scholars, citizens, and leaders for our globalized society.” Tucker’s visit, he notes, “will be an opportunity for the community to engage in deeper conversation about issues that ultimately impact the ways in which we think about sustainability.”
Journey of the Universe is a multimedia project developed by Tucker and evolutionary philosopher Brian Swimme, with whom she has worked for some twenty-five years. In addition to the book, the project includes an Emmy award winning film, which was first broadcast on PBS and is now available on Amazon Prime. There is also a series of Journey Conversations that Tucker did with twenty scientists, historians, and environmentalists discussing the significance of this universe story, especially for ecological issues. For more information about the Journey of the Universe project, visit the website: www.journeyoftheuniverse.org
Dr. Tucker is a Senior Lecturer and Research Scholar at Yale University where she has appointments in the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies as well as the Divinity School and the Department of Religious Studies. She teaches in the joint MA program in religion and ecology and directs the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale with her husband, John Grim.
Her keynote speech will be begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, October 27. The public is welcome to attend. After the keynote, Tucker will visit with tenth grade students in their History of Ideas classes.
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