Brother Guy Consolmagno speaks in Markel Auditorium April 13 on “Does Science Need God?” Consolmagno is the spring semester’s convocation speaker, scheduled for April 14.
Anders Kiledal | Collegian
Brother Guy Consolmagno addressed the student body during Hillsdale’s biannual convocation ceremony Thursday.
Consolmagno is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and earned his undergraduate and master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his doctorate in planetary science from the University of Arizona. He served in the Peace Corps in Kenya and taught physics at Lafayette College before becoming a Jesuit in 1989.
In 2015, Pope Francis appointed him Director of the Vatican Observatory, where he conducts research exploring the origin and structure of asteroids. His research has taken him to every continent on Earth and has led him to publish more than 200 scientific publications.
In 2014, he received the Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences for excellence in public communication in planetary sciences.
Hillsdale College chose Consolmagno as this semester’s convocation speaker because of his harmony with the college’s mission.
“I first heard about Brother Guy when I gave a speech at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition,” President Larry Arnn said in an email. “The founder, Ken Ford, knows Brother Guy well and praised him as a learned and interesting man.”
Consolmagno’s reputation preceeded him, and it was apparent to Hillsdale’s leadership that he is sympathetic with the school’s purpose, Arnn said.
“He is a very distinguished academic and an important figure in the Christian faith,” Arnn said.
