On April 24 and 25, 2025, Dr. Noemí Durán, a Spanish scientist responsible for the Geoscience Research Institute (GRI), visited the Adventist school in Linz, Austria.
The GRI is a scientific institution of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that deals with the study of the natural world in harmony with the biblical creation account. Dr. Duran knew how to present her expertise in this area brilliantly and in a way that was appropriate for the age group.
In the elementary school, Dr. Durán first used her own research on sea turtles to vividly demonstrate how scientists work and what steps they go through in the process. She also emphasized the importance of science, especially from the perspective of a Christian worldview. At appropriate points, she skillfully incorporated experiments that illustrated the content of her lecture.
She continued by speaking about some biblical figures who had already applied some of these research steps in their time. The next day, she proceeded with the biblical creation account. Dr. Durán went through the individual days of creation with the children and, through experiments, vividly showed how wonderfully everything is coordinated, thoughtfully created by God, and how we can recognize Him in the brilliance of nature.
In the middle school, she used many vivid examples to show students the difference between data, facts, and their interpretation. In a group activity, the students then had the opportunity to try interpreting some facts (fragments of an object) themselves. This also clearly demonstrated the difficulties one can encounter in the process.
On the second day, she dealt with findings from paleontology, particularly on the topics of dinosaurs and human fossils.
The event concluded with some exciting experiments that also taught students something about God and His nature.
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