^{Date
August
08
Aug
13
13
2021

Time
18:00:00

Locale
Seattle, WA

Venue
Hyatt Regency - Lake Washington}

17th Annual Insiders Briefing on Intelligent Design

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Center for Science & Culture and what better way to mark the milestone than by gathering to celebrate at the 17th Annual Insiders Briefing: Advancing the Case for A Creator?

The event will begin on Friday August 13, at the Hyatt Regency – Lake Washington, with an opening dinner on the Olympic Terrace. The dinner will feature Stephen C. Meyer, John West, and other leaders of Discovery Institute celebrating our 25th Anniversary.

On Saturday, August 14, sessions will run from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, and will include presentations by Associate Director Casey Luskin, ID 3.0 researchers Joseph DeWeese and Richard Gunasekera, and agnostic professor and author Neil Thomas who will be joining us virtually from England. Once the schedule is confirmed, it will be posted on this site.

Of course, throughout the weekend there will be updates on our major initiatives, sneak peeks at upcoming books and video projects, and lots of time for Q&A. The event will conclude with an Argosy boat cruise on Lake Washington aboard the Goodtime II.

This is an invitation-only event for members of the Discovery Society and the cost for the in-person event is $405 per person.

DISCOUNTS: Discount codes were mailed and emailed to Discovery Society members and special guests. If you have lost your code, please contact Andrea Ueland (206-292-0401 x1060, aueland@discovery.org).

HOTEL & TRANSPORTATION

Attendees are responsible for booking a room at our conference hotel and for arranging transportation to/from the airport.

HOTEL: We have reserved a block of rooms at the Hyatt-Regency – Lake Washington. Room rates range from $184 to $234 per night.

In order to guarantee this price range, you must book your room by July 10, 2021. You can book online or call 425 203 1234. Mention our group code G-TUTE when booking your room by phone so you can be included in our room block.

TRANSPORTATION: The hotel is located approximately 10 miles from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. All events will take place at the hotel, so it is recommended that you use public transportation or airport shuttles to get to/from the hotel.

When

Friday, August 13, 2021
starting at 6:00 PM

Saturday, August 14, 2021
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Where

Hyatt Regency – Lake Washington
1053 Lake Washington Blvd N
Renton, WA 98056

Registration has now closed.

Questions?

Contact Andrea Ueland at 206-292-0401 x1060 or aueland@discovery.org

Speakers

Joe Deweese

Joe Deweese received his BS in Biochemistry from Freed-Hardeman University and his PhD in Biochemistry from Vanderbilt University. For twelve years, he taught in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Lipscomb University. His teaching included biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, anticancer pharmacology, and cellular physiology. Deweese is starting a new role in August, 2021 as Professor of Biochemistry and Director of Undergraduate Research at Freed-Hardeman University. His research interests include characterizing the mechanism of anti-cancer agents, especially those that target topoisomerase II. Recent studies from his lab have focused on etoposide metabolites, thiosemicarbazones, and natural product derivatives. Currently, his work is focused on examining the differences between the two versions of topoisomerase II found in humans. He and his wife, Liz, have two children.

Richard Gunasekera

_{Senior Fellow, Center for Science and Culture}

Richard Gunasekera is Research Professor of Science, Technology and Health at Biola University, and holds professorships in Biological Sciences and Biochemistry. He has enjoyed a 20-year career in higher education as Professor and a scientist in the field of Biochemical Genetics and Forensic Science. He earned his bachelor’s in biochemistry at Baylor University, a master’s degree in bio-organic chemistry from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, a master’s in molecular genetics and a doctorate in Biomedical Sciences at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. He has held faculty and research positions at Rice University in Houston, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, and the University of Houston-Victoria. His research now spans several interdisciplinary fields such as biochemical genetics, nanomedicine, forensic science, and cancer biology. Gunasekera's work is focused on using nanomedicine to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria and viruses which he conducts with collaborators such as Dr. James Tour and others at his home institution. He has recently published molecular findings regarding the SARS CoV-2 virus and potential prevention methodologies of COVID-19 that were cited by WHO-related investigators early in the pandemic. Richard and his wife Nisha have two children.

Casey Luskin

_{Associate Director, Center for Science and Culture}

Casey Luskin is a geologist and an attorney with graduate degrees in science and law, giving him expertise in both the scientific and legal dimensions of the debate over evolution. He earned his PhD in Geology from the University of Johannesburg, and BS and MS degrees in Earth Sciences from the University of California, San Diego, where he studied evolution extensively at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. His law degree is from the University of San Diego, where he focused his studies on First Amendment law, education law, and environmental law.

Stephen C. Meyer

_{Director, Center for Science and Culture}

Dr. Stephen C. Meyer received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in the philosophy of science. A former geophysicist and college professor, he now directs the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute in Seattle. He is author of the New York Times-bestseller Darwin’s Doubt (2013) as well as the book Signature in the Cell (2009) and Return of the God Hypothesis (2021). In 2004, Meyer ignited a firestorm of media and scientific controversy when a biology journal at the Smithsonian Institution published his peer-reviewed scientific article advancing intelligent design. Meyer has been featured on national television and radio programs, including The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, CBS's Sunday Morning, NBC's Nightly News, ABC's World News, Good Morning America, Nightline, FOX News Live, and the Tavis Smiley show on PBS. He has also been featured in two New York Times front-page stories and has garnered attention in other top-national media.

Neil Thomas

Neil Thomas is a Reader Emeritus in the University of Durham, England and a longtime member of the British Rationalist Association. He studied Classical Studies and European Languages at the universities of Oxford, Munich and Cardiff before taking up his post in the German section of the School of European Languages and Literatures at Durham University in 1976. There his teaching involved a broad spectrum of specialisms including Germanic philology, medieval literature, the literature and philosophy of the Enlightenment and modern German history and literature. He also taught modules on the propagandist use of the German language used both by the Nazis and by the functionaries of the old German Democratic Republic. He published over 40 articles in a number of refereed journals and a half dozen single-authored books, the last of which were Reading the Nibelungenlied (1995), Diu Crone and the Medieval Arthurian Cycle (2002) and Wirnt von Gravenberg's 'Wigalois'. Intertextuality and Interpretation (2005). He also edited a number of volumes including Myth and its Legacy in European Literature (1996) and German Studies at the Millennium (1999). He was the British Brach President of the International Arthurian Society (2002-5) and remains a member of a number of learned societies.

John G. West

_{Senior Fellow, Managing Director, and Vice President of Discovery Institute}

Dr. John G. West is Vice President of the Seattle-based Discovery Institute and Managing Director of the Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. Formerly the Chair of the Department of Political Science and Geography at Seattle Pacific University, West is an award-winning author and documentary filmmaker who has written or edited 12 books, including Darwin Day in America: How Our Politics and Culture Have Been Dehumanized in the Name of Science, The Magician’s Twin: C. S. Lewis on Science, Scientism, and Society, and Walt Disney and Live Action: The Disney Studio’s Live-Action Features of the 1950s and 60s. His documentary films include Fire-Maker, Revolutionary, The War on Humans, and (most recently) Human Zoos. West holds a PhD in Government from Claremont Graduate University, and he has been interviewed by media outlets such as CNN, Fox News, Reuters, Time magazine, The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post.