This is my personal appeal to readers to help get out the word about an important event this summer. Let a college student or grad student know about an opportunity they’ll never forget!

Discovery Institute’s Summer Seminar is now accepting applications for our July 2014 program. Teaching in the program, which includes two parallel tracks, is always a highlight of my year. The students are extremely bright and passionate about ID. They challenge our thinking just as the program challenges theirs. Many want to go on to do research on intelligent design — and some already have. So it’s always a blast to spend a week meeting the next generation of ID theorists.

For those who are not familiar with it, Discovery Institute’s Summer Seminar is a nine-day program giving students the opportunity to come to Seattle and learn about ID from top scholars and scientists in the field — including Richard Sternberg (above left), Stephen Meyer (right), and many more. The program runs from July 11-19. Lodging and meals are covered by Discovery Institute, and we have scholarships to cover travel. If students need help with travel, there’s a good chance we can provide it. You’ll find more information here.

The program is for junior and senior class undergrads, or graduate students. As I mentioned, there are two tracks: a science track (the “Seminar on Intelligent Design in the Natural Sciences“) and a humanities track (the “C.S. Lewis Fellows Program on Science and Society“). Both focus on scientific issues but the C.S. Lewis track also includes humanities, law, and social-science related issues. Most of my teaching in the program deals with law and policy in the C.S. Lewis Fellows program, but I do some teaching in the science track as well.

Students must apply to be accepted. More applications are submitted than there are spots available, so it’s best to apply as soon as possible. Applications are due by April 18 and (there is an online application here). It’s simple but you’ll need to include the following four items:

• 1. A resume
• 2. A letter of recommendation
• 3. A copy of your academic transcript
• 4. A short (one page) statement about your interest in ID in the context of your field of study.

We rely on the help of scientists, scholars, students, and others — meaning, you! — to tell people about this program. It’s no exaggeration to say the Summer Seminar is vital to the future of the ID movement, since it trains the next generation of scientists and scholars who will extend the ID research program into the future. Since 2007, we’ve graduated over 200 students from the program, a great many of whom represent future (or present) PhD’s in various fields. So I’m making this appeal to ENV readers to help us reach potential applicants.

Please forward this post to any friends, colleagues, or students who you think might be interested. The long-term success of ID may depend on it!

Photo credit: Janine Dixon.