Steve: Emily, thanks for agreeing to chat with me. So, you are a scientist and you are also a Christian. Tell me a bit about your background and the science work that you’re involved in?
Emily: Sure. When I was in high school, I developed a strong interest in science. At first I thought it was more to mathematics and physics, but once I started my undergrad degree, I did a cell biology course that really opened my eyes to the beauty of the molecular world of DNA and proteins and things like that, which really grabbed me.
I did a biotechnology diploma program at Holland College in Prince Edward Island that also incorporated practical laboratory skills from different areas of science, including chemistry, biology, proteins, biochemistry, and that gave me a lot of bench skills for working in the lab doing different kinds of research. After that I worked in an analytical chemistry lab for a while.
Steve: Sounds like lots of hands-on bench work in the lab?
Emily: Yeah, a lot bench work. We did soil and feed testing for samples that farmers brought in from their fields. Basically to tell them they need to fertilize more and give advice. So it was a good job, but I felt that there was something lacking, because it was sort of repetitive, and I wanted to learn and discover more.
At that time I was also reading some books that really opened my eyes to see that science and scientific evidence make a case for the existence of a designer of all of it. So after a few years I ended up going to the University of Prince Edward Island to do a Bachelor of Science in biotechnology. From there I transitioned into a master’s program.
Steve: What area is your masters work in?
Emily: It’s a Master of Science specializing in bacteriology. It’s very cool! My project focuses on antibiotic resistance in bacteria found in poultry farms. I liked this area of research because antibiotic resistance is a major problem in the world, and there’s evidence to show that antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria can be shared and spread from animals to humans, potentially through the food chain. My research is looking at resistance in poultry farms in Atlantic Canada, and also testing for resistant genes in these bacteria that are present on chicken meat that you just buy at the store.
Steve: That’s great, such practical application that we can all benefit from. I love that about science.
Emily: Exactly. I’m trying to give us more detailed information about the kinds of resistance genes that are in these environments, possibilities of transmission between animals and humans, which is a really big problem, and just looking at the different mechanisms that can be used for transmission of resistance genes. There are a lot of different molecular mechanisms that bacteria use to share genetic information, including resistance genes.
Steve: So that’s a bit on the science side. Another aspects to your life is your Christian faith. Tell me a bit about that: how did you become a Christian?
Emily: I grew up in a Christian home, going to church, and so I don’t have a specific memory of the exact day I decided for myself, but my parents always encouraged us to not just believe these things about God just because that’s what they believe. They taught us to pursue our relationship with God for ourselves, and think about it for ourselves too.
Steve: So it sounds like they were open to questions and investigation?
Emily: Yeah, even something like simply reading the Bible for ourselves, instead of just listening in church. My dad would read the Bible to us, and I remember my dad had a tradition that as soon as we learned how to read well enough, he would give us our first ‘real’ Bible, after having one of those kids ones. I remember getting my first Bible – I was so excited and so pumped to read it!
As I grew up, that kept going, I worked on my own relationship with God, and so basically I feel that I’ve been a Christian my whole life in a way. But it was as I got older my relationship with God grew and grew and now it’s stronger, along with the fact that I’ve been a scientist for a long time.
Steve: It really stands out to me that it’s your own faith, not something forced on you, as is often the accusation from sceptics. It sounds like it’s meaningful to you and you’re committed to it…and you’re also a scientist.
Emily: Absolutely!
Steve: You’ve been a Christian in the sciences for several years. Have you ever experienced any sort of antagonism because of that?
Emily: Nothing very intense like I’ve heard others have had. I think that’s maybe just something to do with where I’m based.
I’m always ready and willing to talk to anybody about my faith, however, I always find that God has sort of just presented me with opportunities for good conversations that come up naturally. Because I’m open about my faith I think it attracts some curiosity, and that starts conversations.
There was an experience at one of my jobs where I had asked for a reference from a superior for my masters application, and he gave it to me. But later he found out I was a Christian and told one of my coworkers that he wished he had known that before, because he if he had known that he might not have given me a reference as he didn’t want to be associated with a Christian. He was a very committed atheist. It didn’t really bother me though.
On another occasion I had a coworker ask me about my faith. She said: “So you are a Christian, but you’re also a scientist. So like, how do you reconcile those two things?”
Steve: That was going to be one of my next questions, because that’s really where the rubber hits the road isn’t it?
Emily: Exactly! I started talking to her about how when you look into scientific evidence for various things, I actually find that science provides stronger evidence for the theistic worldview than it does for an atheistic or materialistic worldview. Especially in the world of DNA which is something I can talk to colleagues about. No materialistic process has been shown to be able to generate the information carrying capacity that we find in DNA and the information content within DNA.
The only explanation that sufficiently explains it, that we know of, is intelligence. And so I laid out a little bit of that argument as an example for her, and it sparked a great conversation. And another, and another. We ended up having lots of conversations about God and she started going to church and reading the Bible and trying to pray. It’s really cool.
Steve: That’s great. What started of as a question led to a relationship and you were able to direct her to God.
Emily: Yeah. I always think that it starts with a relationship, a friendship, and you build that trust with somebody, and they see that you are a Christian you don’t hide that, and you just live your faith, and they can see that there is something different in your life.
Steve: Just one last question. What would you say to someone younger who is looking to go into the sciences. What would you encourage them with?
Emily: Firstly, there is no conflict between God and science – that’s the main thing. In the book of Romans, in chapter one, Paul says that God’s invisible attributes, His eternal power, His divine nature, are clearly perceived by the things that he has made. That verse is one of my favourite verses because I think all of us, even if we’re not Christian, even people who are atheists, do perceive the beauty of the world around us. They can see the complexity, the intricacy, and the design. What differs is how we interpret it. Do we try to explain it away? Or do we look at that and say, this looks so beautifully designed – I can make the hypothesis that there was a Designer.
Johannes Kepler is credited with saying that the study of science, how the universe works and all that, is a way of ‘thinking God’s thoughts after Him’. And if that’s the case, then studying this creation is going to be studying how the God of the universe designed it, and He created us in His image, meaning that our minds are capable of understanding His creation. He made the creation intelligible for us.
And so if you have an interest in science, I think that is a God given gift, and that you should pursue that and see where God takes you with it, no matter what happens.
Steve: Thank you so much for that encouragement – I can’t agree more! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat to me.
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Emily Wainwright is currently a full-time graduate student in the MSc in Veterinary Medicine program at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island, Canada. During her undergraduate studies, she obtained a BSc in Biotechnology and is now specializing in Bacteriology. Her research focuses on antibiotic resistance in the Canadian poultry industry. When not studying, she enjoys reading books on far ranging topics from many areas of science and philosophy. When not doing science, she enjoys training in the martial art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
