A celebration of research
Faculty recognized for the "other" part of their work
3 min. read
August 26, 2014

Especially as the academic year begins, many people think of faculty as teachers. And while that it is an important part of their work at Redeemer, their work outside of the class – researching, writing, performing and exploring all parts of creation – is equally important to their calling to be part of the Christian academy. Just before the return of students, the Redeemer community gathered in the Art Gallery to celebrate the many and varied research accomplishments of its faculty. At the celebration, Dr. Kevin Flatt, Director of Research, said “Carrying out scholarship and creative work is an integral part of Redeemer’s mission and a key way that we serve the larger community. All of the books, journal articles, book chapters and the like displayed here is the fruit of hard-working days spent in the lab or studio, or at the library, or poring over survey results. ” The range and depth of the research undertaken by Redeemer’s faculty is astonishing. Here is just a partial list of what was noted at the celebration. Grants: Darren Brouwer – continued NSERC Discovery Grant funding for his project “New methods for structure determination of materials by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy” ($35,000/year); Kevin Vander Meulen – continued NSERC Discovery Grant funding on “Combinatorial and spectral analysis of matrix patterns” ($10,000/year); Craig Bartholomew was awarded $25,000 from a private donor to carry out his research entitled “Contours of the Kuyperian Tradition”; Gary Chiang received a donation from a private donor for his work on “Urdu edition of Rescuing Science from Preconceived Beliefs”; Rob Joustra received $3,500 from the Priscilla and Stanford Reid Trust for a book project; Darren Brouwer was awarded $20,000 from a private donor to purchase a bench top Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer. Books Published: David Koyzis: We Answer to Another: Authority, Office, and the Image of God; John Byl and Bettie VanGils Kloet: Physical Education for Homeschool, Classroom, and Recreational Settings; Al Wolters: Zechariah: Historical Commentary on the Old Testament; John Van Rys, VanderMey, Meyer, and Sebranek: Writing Life: A Canadian Student’s Guide to Thinking, Writing, and Researching; Jim Payton, Jr.: A Patristic Treasury: Early Church Wisdom for Today (Edited); John Byl: Organizing Successful Tournaments (4th Edition). Book Chapters: Jim Payton, Jr.: Becoming “Like God” and Monastic Dialogue, in Ines Angeli Murzaku’s Monastic Tradition in Eastern Christianity and the Outside World: A Call for Dialogue; Gene Haas: The Trinitarian Shape of God’s Calvin’s Theology and Exegesis of Scripture, in Michael Parsons’ Aspects of Reforming: Theology and Practice in Sixteenth Century Europe; John Van Rys: Narrative Truth in Canadian Historical Fiction: In Between Veracity and Imagination, in Zuidervaart et al’s Truth Matters: Knowledge, Politics, Ethics, Religion. Redeemer faculty this past year have also contributed articles in journals from across scores of academic disciplines, presented papers at conferences around the world, and collaborated on various projects with faculty and researchers from Christian and secular universities. And some research takes a more creative approach — Ray Louter, Professor of Theatre Arts and Communications, used his sabbatical this past year to bring to the stage an adaptation of the book of Ecclesiastes. Faculty research activity often benefits students as well. Many faculty involve students in their research projects. Some are paid for their work, and some are formally recognized for their contributions (by being cited in journal articles, or co-presenting papers at conferences, for example). Having direct experience with research can also be incredibly valuable for students applying for graduate schools. “Sometimes we can be shy about celebrating the fruits of research and creative work,” concluded Dr. Flatt. “But like every good gift, those fruits come to us from God and should be celebrated with thanksgiving.”

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