Jörg Matthias Determann's Blog, page 11

Interview on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Astronomy for Baladi Magazine

I have run out of words to describe my gratitude to Layla Azmi Goushey for her constant interest in, and support of, my work. She generously interviewed me about my Springer book on “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Astronomy” for Baladi Magazine. I thank my colleagues Samar Mohamed and Lourdes Mangune for sending a copy of my volume to Layla with DHL. Layla and I recorded our conversation on Zoom, while my wife Jeanne kindly looked after our daughter Maria. Listen to the discussion between Layla and me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMgpH...

Journal of Arabian Studies volume 12.2 out

As Book Review Editor of the Journal of Arabian Studies, I would like to thank the contributors to our most recent issue (vol. 12, no. 2), which was published online on May 20, 2024. Haytham Althubaiti, Nele Lenze, Peter B. White, Mary Elston and Abdullah Hamidaddin all wrote insightful pieces. I also express my gratitude to Routledge, Stanford University Press, Oxford University Press and the Austrian Academy of Sciences for publishing valuable volumes and for providing review copies. Finally, I am indebted to my colleagues at our journal, including Gerd Nonneman, James Onley and Fatemeh Teimoorzadeh, for their essential work. An additional word of appreciation goes to my predecessor Suzi Mirgani for her dedicated service. You can read the reviews on the website of Taylor & Francis: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rjab2...

Steven Dick reviews Islamic Theology and Extraterrestrial Life

I would like to acknowledge once more my profound debt to Steven J. Dick for his continued support of, and engagement with, my work. After writing a blurb for Shoaib Ahmed Malik’s and my book, Islamic Theology and Extraterrestrial Life, the former NASA Chief Historian now provides an extended discussion of it. His review of our I.B. Tauris volume appeared in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage 27, no. 2 (June 2024), 444–47. I thank Cliff Cunningham very much for making this possible. Steve writes that “astronomers and historians of astronomy should be aware of the societal impact of their work. This volume goes a long way toward understanding that impact in an Islaic context, an understanding that has heretofore been lacking.” Open access to the journal is provided by the University of Science and Technology of China on SciEngine: https://www.sciengine.com/JAHH/doi/10...

Interview on Islamic Theology and Extraterrestial Life for Baladi Magazine

Many thanks or شكرًا كثيرًا to Layla Azmi Goushey for interviewing Shoaib Ahmed Malik and me on our edited volume Islamic Theology and Extraterrestrial Life: New Frontiers in Science and Religion (I.B. Tauris). Shoaib and I are both honored that Layla broadcast our conversation live via StreamYard on June 9, 2024. We are very grateful for her excellent questions and those by our audience members, including Seyfeddin Neslinebi, Muhammad Mizanur Shuvra and Shaik Afzal. You can watch the recording on the YouTube channel of Baladi Magazine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt1Ae...

Spaced Out episode on Islam, science and extraterrestrial life

Thank you, شكراً and gracias to Moe Abbas and Dulce Maria Pop-Bonini of New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) for interviewing me about Islam, science and extraterrestrial life for their podcast Spaced Out! Spaced Out is produced by NYUAD’s Center for Astrophysics and Space Science, which is directed by Andrea Macciò. I am further grateful to the organizers of the Arab Forum of Science Media and Communication at the University of Sharjah for the opportunity to meet Moe in person a year ago. You can listen to our episode on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/ae/podcast...) and Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Tkz...).

Maureen Nadin blogs about Islamic Theology and Extraterrestrial Life

My warmest thanks to Maureen Arges Nadin for blogging about Shoaib Ahmed Malik’s and my edited volume Islamic Theology and Extraterrestrial Life (I.B. Tauris). I am immensely grateful to her for reading the book and for interviewing me about it on Zoom. I also thank the Society for Social and Conceptual Issues in Astrobiology (SSoCIA) and the University of Texas at Austin for the electronic mailing list through which Maureen and I first connected. Maureen calls our book “fascinating and compelling.” She further writes: “It is detailed, dense and deep but it is worth it to take the dive and learn about the subject and start to ponder some of life’s bigger questions.” Read her blog post on her website, which is powered by Flow Media: https://www.maureenargesnadin.ca/isla...

Celebrating VCUarts Qatar's graduating class of 2024

Thank you very much and maraming salamat to Isabel Latayan for inviting me on behalf of Amir Berbić and the Commencement Committee to serve as Grand Marshall in the graduation ceremony of Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar on May 6, 2024. My deep appreciation goes to the entire Commencement Committee, and especially Lejla Niksic and Maya Röder, for nominating and supporting me. Isabel wrote to me back in January: “You have been nominated by the Committee in recognition of your invaluable support to the success of our students' academic journey and your promotion to Professor in the last academic year. The Committee finds that serving as Grand Marshal will serve as the university's way of appreciation and recognition for your great contribution.” This will be my eleventh commencement ceremony in Doha since I joined Virginia Commonwealth University in 2013. You can view the stunning art and design pieces of this year’s graduates in our campus building next week. You can also click here: https://qatar.vcu.edu/bfamfa-thesis-2...

The Peninsula picks up story on the Qatar Teaching and Learning Forum

Thank you kindly to The Peninsula for covering our Qatar Teaching and Learning Forum (QTLF) event Badir as well. I am especially happy that Dayna Balough, one of our hardworking students at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, is quoted alongside our QTLF chair Peter Martin. The article appeared on page 4 of the newspaper’s weekend print edition of April 26 and 27, 2024. It is also available online: https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article...

Marhaba covers Qatar Teaching and Learning Forum event Badir

My great appreciation and thanks to Marhaba for picking up the story about our Qatar Teaching and Learning Forum event Badir, which we held in February! I am thrilled to see several photographs splendid taken by Raviv Cohen republished on the website. They show many of our enthusiastic participants from across Qatar Foundation’s Education City, including my fellow QTLF member Mary Queen and our chair Peter Martin. https://www.marhaba.qa/vcuarts-qatar-...

Virginia Commonwealth University story about Qatar Teaching and Learning Forum event

A big thank you to my colleagues at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar for publishing a detailed story about our Qatar Teaching and Learning Forum event Badir! I am particularly indebted to Peter Martin and his talented graphic design students for their leadership in actualizing our Education City–wide gathering. I further gratefully acknowledge the essential support extended by Francisco Marmolejo and his team at Qatar Foundation. https://qatar.vcu.edu/news/faculty-an...