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Dr. Matt McLain, associate professor of biological science and geoscience — and interim dean of TMU's science school — will be presenting at the International Conference on Creationism this year.

The ����aa���� will be well-represented at the International Conference on Creationism (ICC) this month in Ohio.

Drs. Matthew McLain and Joe Francis will be featured speakers at the prestigious event, taking place at Cedarville University on July 15-19.

Francis retired from TMU this May, having served as the dean of the School of Science, Mathematics, Technology & Health. McLain is an associate professor of biological science and geoscience at TMU, and he is currently serving as interim dean.

To be invited as a featured evening speaker at the ICC is a significant honor. The conference meets only once every five years and highlights top creationist scholars across a wide range of disciplines. Theologians, astronomers, and chemists, among others, present the latest research from their field and have it evaluated by fellow academics.

“A lot of the really, really important discoveries and models that have been built in young earth creationism have come out of the ICC,” McLain says. “A lot of times, you get really important, seminal papers out of these meetings.”

Francis will be presenting from his expertise on bacteria and viruses, while McLain will be speaking on the state of creationist education.

Dr. Joe Francis served as the dean of TMU’s science school until his retirement in May.

Says McLain, “I’ll be talking about what the last five years have been like for creationism across higher education institutions — what changes we’ve seen, both encouraging and discouraging.”

McLain will also be involved in presenting two papers and two abstracts on paleontology research conducted over the past few years with the help of TMU students.

“What I like about the ICC is that it’s always been about doing research as a creationist; it’s not just about trying to shoot down other people’s research,” McLain says. “A lot of creationism, historically, has been focused on being anti-evolutionism. And we need to be able to point out the flaws on the other side. But we also need to know how to present a positive answer to those flaws.

“So the ICC has always been about building models and trying to understand the world. Because if we really believe the Bible is true, then we don’t have to worry. We can go out and make discoveries on that foundation.”

Recordings of the talks by Francis and McLain will be available after the conference concludes.

Learn more about TMU’s School of Science, Mathematics, Technology & Health .