STARS eNewsletter    Volume 1, Issue 4

All eNewsletters are available online at www.ctnsstars.org/enews
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Thank you for your interest in our program. The purpose of the enews is to keep you informed on events and happenings of the STARS program. A new letter will be available periodically with updated information on conferences, grants, and the latest news brought to you by the STARS team.

• More conference focal themes questions have been added to each conference page. Look for new focal theme questions in each STARS eNewsletter. View conference index and information.

• Bring your family. You are welcome to bring additional guests along with you while you attend the conferences. Additional costs for family members per person, per day during the conference are:

• Adults: $255 (double occupancy)
• Adults: $249 (triple occupancy)
• Kids: $63
• Maximum occupancy per room is as follows: 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children

*note* These rates apply only during the scheduled conference dates

• Conference Registration refund date has changed. The registration fee will be fully refundable until November 1, 2006

• We have updated our conference application. You can now submit Conference Applications online . Remember the application due date is June 15th, 2006.

• Incentives Offered for Early Conference Registration. Register early! The first 300 applicants will receive a free one-year subscription to Science and Theology News, a monthly international newspaper reporting the latest research findings, funding opportunities and discussions on the relationship among religion, science and health. In addition, the first 50 applicants will receive a free book by internationally recognized astrophysicist and author, STARS advisor and lecturer, and the most recent Templeton prize winner John Barrow.

• Research Planning Grant Applications and criteria available online .

• FAQ section coming soon to the website!

• Our partner, Tierra Maya Tours, located in Playa del Carmen, Mexico is able to offer a variety of options for early or late vacationers. These options include discounted all-inclusive room & board rates at the Iberostar Paraiso Maya resort and other Iberostar Paraiso resorts adjacent to and in walking distance of the Iberostar Maya. Tierra Maya Tours can provide alternative options that are more economical, but still have excellent quality and service. They can also assist with airport transfers to and from the Cancun International Airport.

Contact:

Hanspeter Walliser, Operations Manager
Tierra Maya Tours
5th Ave x Calle 4 y 6
Playa del Carmen
Phone: 011-52-984 87 313 85
Fax: (011)-52-984 87 313 86
Email: hwalliser@tierramayatours.com

• This issue's Featured Conference Speaker is Chris McKay.

Dr. Christopher P. McKay, Planetary Scientist with the Space Science Division of NASA Ames. Chris received his Ph.D. in AstroGeophysics from the University of Colorado in 1982 and has been a research scientist with the NASA Ames Research Center since that time. His current research focuses on the evolution of the solar system and the origin of life. He is also actively involved in planning for future Mars missions including human settlements. Chris has been involved with polar research since 1980, traveling to the Antarctic dry valleys and more recently to the Siberian and Canadian Arctic to conduct research in these Mars-like environments. Dr. McKay is a recipient of the prestigious Kuiper Award from the Division of Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society for his contributions.

Chris McKay will be speaking at the second STARS conferences. view conference information

• On the night of April 20th through April 21st the webserver hosting ctnsstars.org and our email server went down. If you tried sending an email to anyone at the ctns.org domain, emailed a conference application, or tried signing up for the eNewsletter, we might not have gotten your information. If you believe this to be the case please resend any emails or conference applications, and re sign-up for the eNewsletter if you did not receive your copy.

STARS will convene a series of three interdisciplinary conferences in the Mexican Riviera, on the Yucatan Peninsula in January 2007. The conferences will showcase an aspect of how current scientific discoveries and theories relate to our understanding of ultimate reality. Each conference will be led by an eminent scientific figure in the field, and will allow ample time for lectures as well as formal and informal discussions. Conference attendance is by application only. STARS conferences are designed to assist scholars in formulating their planning & research grant proposals.

All "on the ground costs" will be covered by CTNS, including: lodging, meals, and local transportation. Airfare assistance is available for qualified applicants, and may be requested during the application process (See online application for more details). If selected to attend a STARS Conference, conference participants will be expected to pay the conference registration fee when notified of acceptance.

Conference registration fees are:
  • $125 for CTNS members
  (for CTNS membership details, please go to: http://www.ctns.org/membership.html)
  • $175 for non-members

View conference topics & speakers

Conference criteria and application available .

Research grants will be awarded to inter-disciplinary teams consisting of at least one scientist and one philosopher and/or theologian. Teams may also be larger than this minimum size. The first grant opportunity consists of a planning grant of $20,000. Twenty grants at this level will be awarded, and are to assist teams in the formation of their full research proposal for the $100K grants and/or to provide modest support for research by the teams even if this does not lead to a full research proposal. Next, five grants of $100,000 each will be awarded on a highly competitive basis. Although to win a $100,000 grant a research team need not have received a $20,000 planning grant, it is presumed that the reception of a $20,000 grant will better equip a research team to successfully compete for one of the five $100,000 grants. Finally, two research grant renewals of $200,000 will be awarded on a highly competitive basis from among the five winners of the $100,000 grants.

View Grant Information

• Grant Applications available online .

The goal of STARS is to sponsor research by small teams of scientists and humanities scholars on the ways science, in light of philosophical and religious reflection, points towards the nature, character and meaning of ultimate reality. Priority will be given to young scientists with outstanding potential who are relatively new to interdisciplinary research. Admission to preparatory conferences and the awarding of STARS research grants will be on a highly competitive basis.

Meet the STARS advisors and staff.

For contact info please visit us on the web at www.ctnsstars.org/contactus

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Appreciation is expressed to the John Templeton Foundation for support of this program.