Contact Us - The Canadian Scientific and Christian Affiliation

Executive Council

President
Vice President
Past President
Executive Director
Secretary
Treasurer
Student and Early Career Representative

Other Staff

Digital Media and Communications Specialist
Local Chapter Contacts

Mailing Address

Canadian Scientific & Christian Affiliation
Post Office Box 63082. University Plaza
Dundas, Ontario L9H 6Y3
Phone: 905-297-5245

Specific Inquiries

CSCA in General: Executive Director
CSCA Executive Council Matters: President
CSCA Financial Matters: Treasurer
CSCA Initiatives for Students: Student & Early Career Representative
CSCA Membership Sign-Up, Renewal, Payments:
- Secretary
- copy Becky English <becky@asa3.org> (Director of Membership and Outreach).
CSCA Website, Social Media, & YouTube channel: Digital Media and Communications Specialist
Local Chapters:
- Find your chapter’s local contact below
- CSCA members can also access the ASA member directory to establish local connections.
- Event Promotion (online): Digital Media and Communications Specialist
- Chapter Expenses & Reimbursements: Treasurer
- Forming a Local Chapter:
  - Dana Oleskiewicz <asac@asa3.org> (ASA Director of Chapters and Affiliates).
  - See also: Start a Local Chapter
General ASA Contact Page
Profiles/Accounts at asa3.org: Becky English <becky@asa3.org> (ASA Director of Membership and Outreach)
Print-Journal Matters: Lyn Berg <lyn@asa3.org> (Managing Editor, Perspectives on Science and Faith)
ASA/CSCA Annual Meeting (the July conference): Becky English <becky@asa3.org> (ASA Director of Membership and Outreach)

Executive Council

The CSCA Executive Council (EC) consists entirely of unpaid volunteers. Under normal circumstances, the Council structure proceeds as follows: Every three years, the EC brings on a new vice president from among our membership. At that time, the existing vice president becomes president, the existing president becomes past president, and the existing past president retires from the EC. The positions of Secretary, Treasurer, and Student & Early Career Rep. are not limited to specific terms. The Executive Director serves at the pleasure of the EC, with a review every five years.

President

Patrick Franklin

Associate Professor of Theology, Tyndale Seminary

Patrick_Franklin (2016)
Patrick Franklin, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Theology at Tyndale Seminary (Toronto, Canada). He has been a CSCA/ASA member since 2008, he was invited to be a Fellow of the CSCA/ASA in 2017, and he is a former Book Review Editor for Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith. He is the author of Being Human, Being Church: The Significance of Theological Anthropology for Ecclesiology (Paternoster, 2016) and many academic articles and book chapters (including two articles and several reviews in PSFC). An experienced pastor, church leader, professor, and scholar, Patrick is passionate about encouraging and facilitating deeper dialogue between the scientific community and local churches and pastors. To this end, he is intentional about building relationships, networking, and providing opportunities to host genuine conversations and nurture ongoing friendships and partnerships.

Patrick serves as our Executive Council Liaison to our local chapters in Winnipeg and Toronto.

president@csca.ca

Vice President

Heather Prior

Bachelor of Religious Studies (Mennonite Brethren Bible College, Winnipeg)
B. Sc. & Ph.D. (Genetics, University of Alberta)

Associate Professor and Chair of Biology,
The King’s University, Edmonton, AB

Heather teaches and studies biology and its history as an associate professor at The King’s University in Edmonton. She has also studied in Winnipeg, Ohio, California, and China. Her research interests include ocular cataracts, honeybee diseases, and the intersection of faith and science, particularly in the area of reproductive technology and treatments for infertility. She delights in teaching, traveling, collaborating, and generally being amazed at the incredible universe God has created. She has experienced the CSCA as a gift of fellowship and an opportunity to nurture and deepen the dialogue between Christian faith and science.

Heather serves as our Executive Council Liaison to our local chapters in Edmonton and Saskatchewan.

vice.president@csca.ca

Past President

E. Janet Warren

BSC (MCMASTER UNIVERSITY)
MD (UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO)
MTS (TYNDALE SEMINARY)
PHD (UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM)

Family Physician/Independent scholar
Hamilton, Ontario

Janet has been practising Family Medicine for 20 years, with a special interest in mental health care and counselling. She recently attained her PhD in Theology and published her thesis as Cleansing the Cosmos: A Biblical Model for Conceptualizing and Counteracting Evil. Her current research interests include the integration of psychology/neuroscience and theology. Janet has been involved with CSCA since 2011 and is excited to be part of the executive council.

Janet serves as our Executive Council Liaison to our local chapters in Hamilton and Nova Scotia.

past.president@csca.ca

Executive Director

Arnold E. Sikkema

B.SC. (UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO), PH.D. (UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA)

Professor of Physics
Chair, Mathematical Sciences Department
Trinity Western University, Langley, BC

Arnold is a theoretical physicist, with background in general relativity and condensed matter theory. His current research interests are in theoretical biophysics and in the Christian philosophy of science, particularly in the relationship between physics and biology. Since 1997 he has been involved in Christian higher education, and joined the executive council of the CSCA in 2011. On November 9th, 2018, he became the Executive Director of CSCA, now serving at the pleasure of the council. Originally from Ontario, he and his wife Valerie (a professional horticulturist) have been happy to call BC home since 1991. They have three adult children, all of whom have studied at TWU.

Arnold serves as our Executive Council Liaison to our local chapters in Vancouver and Calgary.

www.twu.ca/directory/faculty/arnold-e-sikkema.html

executive.director@csca.ca

Secretary

Bob Geddes

B.Sc., M.Sc. (University of Western Ontario),
M.Div. (Knox College, University of Toronto)
The Presbyterian Church in Canada, Retired

Bob Geddes Bob’s first calling was as a geologist, working for 15 years in mineral exploration in northern Canada and then with the Ontario Geological Survey. He then became a Presbyterian minister, pastoring a congregation on the Hamilton mountain for nearly twenty years. He enjoys exploring science and faith issues by way of 19^th century Christian geologists such as Canada’s Sir J. William Dawson, and also as manifested in the new science of astrobiology.

Bob serves as our Executive Council Liaison to our local chapters in Ottawa and Montréal.

secretary@csca.ca

Treasurer

Michael Werth

Mike studied science at the University of British Columbia before completing a BFA in film production. He worked in film and television for several years, earning an Emmy and some Academy Awards before moving to the west coast. Mike offers computer, technical and moral support at Comox Valley Presbyterian Church, and enjoys travelling, the arts, and reading.

treasurer@csca.ca

Student and Early Career Representative

Nyasha Gondora

B.Sc. (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology), Trinity University
Ph.D. (Neuroscience), University of Waterloo

Nyasha Gondora was born and raised in Zimbabwe, where she developed a passion for science through observing the impact of science and medicine on her community. In 2013, Nyasha completed a BSc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas where she was the recipient of a $92,000 academic scholarship. It is during her undergraduate years that Nyasha discovered her passion for research. In 2020, Nyasha completed a Ph.D. in Neuroscience (with a focus in neuro-pharmacology) at the University of Waterloo. During her graduate studies, Nyasha was the recipient of numerous local and national level competitive awards and scholarships, including a scholarship for admission into the prestigious Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Drug Safety-Training Program, which tremendously impacted the trajectory of her career. Currently, Nyasha is a postdoctoral research fellow; her research is focused on pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety. Nyasha is also currently an Ontario Pharmacy Evidence Network (OPEN) scientist, an Academic Consultant with BeMo Academic Consulting and the co-founder of As a Matter of Science, a scientific communications platform. Last but definitely not least, Nyasha is a proud member of the CSCA, where she currently serves as the Waterloo contact.

Nyasha serves as our Executive Council Liaison to our local chapter in Waterloo.

student.rep@csca.ca

Other CSCA Staff

Digital Media and Communications Specialist

Mark McEwan

B.Ed. (University of Alberta)
M. Theological studies (cand.) (ACTS seminaries, Trinity Western University)

Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Mark and his wife live in the Lower Mainland, BC. Mark studies at ACTS Seminaries on the campus of Trinity Western University, where he has occasionally lectured on apologetics, science-and-faith, and Christianity-and-culture. In addition to being a certified Electrician, Mark is qualified to teach physical sciences and mathematics at the secondary level. His academic interests include epistemology, languages, apologetics, and the fruitful interaction of science and theology. He also has experience with webpages, video editing, and volunteer youth ministry. He feels specifically called to serve Christ by encouraging responsible thinking in matters of theology, science, and especially with respect to interactions between the two.

As CSCA’s Project Development Officer, Mark worked full-time for our 2016-2018 “Local Chapters Project,” which was funded by a three-year grant from the Temple Word Charity Foundation, Inc. During that time, he worked closely with Project Leader Arnold Sikkema on creating new local chapters around the country, a more robust online presence for CSCA, and organizing our first national CSCA conference. You can read about the project’s outcome in our December 2018 newsletter.

Under the title of Digital Media and Communications Specialist, Mark continues to help CSCA with our website, YouTube Channel, and various social media. In 2020, he also joined ASA’s team as Digital Content Specialist.

pdo@csca.ca