Seeking Sacred Understanding - Don't miss! Tuesday, December 16 6 -7:30 pm MT on Zoom

This month's Seeking Sacred Understanding with Rabbi Joe Charnes will explore nothing less than the universe and its origins; the place of the Divine in science; and other philosophical and scientific concepts that will not likely fit into an hour and a quarter, but we'll do our best! Our guests will be Dr. Richard J. Joseph, who served as the Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force from 2018-2021, and Mario Serna, PhD, Colonel United States Air Force.

All are welcome to join what is sure to be a fascinating discussion. Use this zoom link to join us at 6 pm MT.

About our guests:

Dr. Richard J. Joseph served as the Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force from 2018-2021. He was the senior-most scientific adviser to the Air Force Chief of Staff and to the Chief of US Space Force. He provided assessments on a wide range of scientific and technical issues affecting the Air Force mission. He also advised the Office of the Secretary of Defense on issues affecting the broader national security technical enterprise. He served on the Executive Committee of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and as a government advisor to the Defense Science Board. He was the principal science and technology representative of the Air Force to the civilian scientific and engineering community, and to the public at large. 

Dr.Joseph has more than 40 years of experience as a physicist, senior program manager/developer, national security advisor and executive. In his current position, he is the Chief Executive Officer for Earthstar LLC, a small consulting firm he founded in 1998. He and his wife have five children. 

Mario Serna, PhD earned undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Physics from the United States Air Force Academy in 1997. He earned Master’s Degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering from MIT and University of New Mexico in 1999 and 2003. He earned his PhD in Theoretical Physics from Oxford University in 2008. He is a retiring Colonel this year, and he has spent his career leading scientific efforts in the areas of Electronics, Space, Nuclear Exploration, and Special Forces. In the Pentagon he served as Military Assistant to Dr. Richard J. Joseph, Former Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force. 

Dr. Serna’s specialty is in Particle Physics and Cosmology, exploring the large scale structure and origin of the universe. He is a member of Society of Catholic Scientists, and has spoken to numerous groups about the limits of what science can say about the meaning of life, ultimate or religious truth, determinism, free-will, and the existence or nonexistence of God. He and his family were born and raised Roman Catholic, but have recently shifted away from the Roman rite to being catholic in a more universal sense. He and his wife have three children.