You may have seen posters around campus for the Bishop Trautman Lecture in Catholic Theology,  “God, Astronomy, and the Search for Elegance,” but did you realize exactly how awesome this opportunity is? The inaugural Bishop Trautman lecture will be given by Brother Guy Consolmango, S.J. of the Vatican Observatory, a well-renowned and published expert who even has an asteroid named after him: Asteroid 4597 Consolmango.

Consolmango often speaks about and stresses the importance of a coexistence between science and religion – two topics not generally associated with each other. One of his more well-known books, “Would You Baptize and Extra Terrestrial?” is a collection of musings and possible answers to some of the stranger questions about the places where science and religion meet.

Brother Consolmango holds his Ph.D. in planetary science from the University of Arizona. He currently serves in the Vatican Observatory as the Curator of the Vatican’s meteorite collection, one of the largest in the world. His research has very much focused on meteorites and asteroids and their evolution in our solar system and has written over 40 scientific papers, many of which are on this subject.

In 2014, Consolmango was awarded the Carl Sagan Award for excellence in communicating planetary science to the general public for his published works and many public appearances. As well as speaking at universities and conventions, he has made television appearances like his 2009 interview on Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report” and hosted a BBC radio series, “A Brief History of Everything.” He’s even made an appearance on Neil deGrasse Tyson’s radio show, Star Talk. 

The lecture is Wednesday, February 4 at 7 p.m. in the Yehl Alumni Ballroom and is open to the public.