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2026 CES/ACMS Joint Conference
2026 CES/ACMS Joint Conference
We had a great time in Michigan at the 2026 CES/ACMS Conference! This year’s conference was unique in that it was the first that was co-hosted by both the Christian Engineering Society (CES) and the Association for Christians in the Mathematical Sciences (ACMS). Calvin University in Grand Rapids provided a beautiful setting for the conference and was also a very appropriate site for a joint conference, as Calvin has had a number of faculty involved with both groups over the years. Keynote speakers included Emily Wenger (Duke University), Tai-Danae Bradley (SandboxAQ, the Master’s University, link to a similar talk here), Matt Heun (Calvin University), and Randy Prium (Calvin University). The CES portion of the program included paper sessions that ran concurrently throughout the conference and featured close to 30 papers from a variety of authors at many different institutions. Several ACMS sessions also ran concurrently with many more papers and authors. And as is so often the case at these conferences, the times of worship, fellowship, meals, and breaks provided rich opportunities for connection and reflection.
Thank you to everyone who attended and to many who helped out in a variety of ways to make the conference successful! Thank you especially to those folks at Calvin who put in so much time planning and then helping out in real time to give us such a rewarding experience. In particular, thanks to Cory Hixson (Colorado Christian) and Steve VanderLeest who split the CES program chair duties and Gayle Ermer (Calvin University) who served as the CES general chair; much appreciated!
2028 CES Conference: June 14-16 at Messiah University
2028 CES Conference: June 14-16 at Messiah University
We are excited to announce that our next national conference will be in the summer of 2028 and will take place at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Stephen Frezza (Franciscan University-Steubenville) will serve as the program chair, Brian Swartz (Messiah University) will serve as the general chair, and we look forward to adding more individuals to the planning team in the months ahead. This conference will immediately follow the 2028 ASEE Annual Conference in Pittsburgh from June 11-14; ground transportation from Pittsburgh to Mechanicsburg will be available for those who are interested in attending both. We encourage you to mark your calendars! Feel free to let us know if you have any suggestions as we begin the planning process in the months ahead.
CES Teaching Workshop
CES Teaching Workshop
Just prior to the 2026 conference, we hosted our first ever CES Teaching Workshop aimed at supporting young educators who are growing skills to deliver strong engineering education through a Christian worldview lens. Four workshop facilitators, six pod leaders, and 22 participants from 10 different institutions spent two encouraging days together. We dug into purpose, faith integration, course learning outcomes, backward design, navigating and using AI in the classroom, and philosophy of assessment and assignments, among other pedagogical techniques and approaches. We tentatively plan to host a similar workshop prior to the 2028 conference; program leaders, please consider sponsoring young faculty to attend.
Past conference proceedings now more easily accessible
Past conference proceedings now more easily accessible
With gratitude to David Dittenber (Cedarville University) and his many hours of work in bringing this to fruition, we now have the proceedings from all our past conferences available in a searchable digital format. The collection of CES Conference Proceedings can be accessed with this link. This collection can be searched by keyword, title, author, institution, etc. and should make it much simpler for future authors to research what has already been written. In addition, we are excited that this resource will also allow others unfamiliar with our work to discover it and reference it and come alongside us in this important work of discerning what it means to serve as disciples of Christ in engineering-related areas. Feel free to use this resource and spread the word!
Gathering in Charlotte at the ASEE Conference
Gathering in Charlotte at the ASEE Conference
A small group of CES members and participants gathered for a casual dinner at the 2026 ASEE conference in Charlotte. It was a nice time of fellowship and connection! In addition, we were happy to promote the annual ASEE Prayer Breakfast that also took place at the ASEE conference and featured speaker Dr. Abiodun (Abi) Ilumoka. If you know of events throughout the year where other CES folks might be present, feel free to share it with us so we can get the word out and stay connected!
Opportunities to Serve in CES
Opportunities to Serve in CES
Thank you to a number of you who responded to our conference follow-up survey with interest in helping out with CES! If you did respond, expect to hear back from us soon (if you haven’t already) as we work through current opportunities and form groups around current initiatives. If you have an interest in getting involved with CES but did not fill out the follow-up survey, feel free to do so by clicking this link!
Election just around the corner
Election just around the corner
If you are a member of CES, expect to receive an email soon related to our next board member election. The email will include more detailed information related to the candidates and process.
Upcoming conferences that may be of interest to CES members:
Upcoming conferences that may be of interest to CES members:
ASA Annual Conference; July 24-27, 2026, Wenham, MA. (Science Faith Synergy: Glorifying God and Serving the World.) More info here: https://network.asa3.org/mpage/ASA2026
CRS Conference; July 30-August 1, 2026, Pensacola, FL. (Includes a workshop geared specifically toward engineers.) More info here: https://www.creationresearch.org/conferences/conference-2026
At Work in the Garden: Creativity, Cultivation, and Care; September 17-19, 2026, Sioux Center, IA. (Celebrating work and reclaiming a robust theology of work as God’s good design.) More info here: https://www.dordt.edu/events/at-work-in-the-garden
Wisdom in the Age of AI; October 8-10, 2026, Grand Rapids, MI. (Discerning faithful and responsible use of AI in education, church, business, health care, STEM, and the arts.) More info here: https://calvin.edu/faith-and-technology/faith-and-ai-conference
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