49th ABS Annual Conference: Full Schedule

9:00am MDT

Illuminating Technological Choices: Insights from the ABS Technology Working Group

Saturday August 2, 2025 9:00am - 10:15am MDT

As humanity moves beyond its adolescence, technology raises profound ethical and societal questions. This panel shares insights from the ABS Technology Working Group’s two-year effort to build capacity for contributing to this discourse. Panelists will discuss initiatives like reading groups, seminars, and materials development, efforts to identify gaps and assumptions, and aspirations to align professional pursuits with community building. Exploring technology’s relationship to purpose, values, and social actors, the session connects thought to action. A Q&A will invite collaboration and further learning.

Speakers

Mark Dittmer

Mark is a professional software developer and Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo.

Quddus George

Quddús George is a software consultant at ridvan.org and has supported the technological needs of various local, regional, and International Baha’i Institutions. His interest lies in grappling with the Baha’i conceptual framework as it relates to the advancement of technology... Read More →

Sami Joubert

Sami's background is in computer information systems, software development, and software support. His interest is in engaging in social action and discourse related to technology from a Baha’i perspective.

Janice Ndegwa

Janice Ndegwa is a PhD candidate researching the history of technology and the environment in 19th century East Africa. Her interest is in exploring how to contribute to technology discourse to the advancement of society.

Saturday August 2, 2025 9:00am - 10:15am MDT
TBA

Science & Technology, Breakout

10:30am MDT

Preserving Human Agency over Artificial Intelligence

Saturday August 2, 2025 10:30am - 11:45am MDT

TBA

Many have expressed ethical concerns surrounding AI-based technologies, but few have suggested concrete steps to be taken in order to address these concerns. Developments often outpace the ability of institutions, communities and individuals to participate effectively and ensure trustworthy outcomes. We should not sacrifice moral/ethical principles in service of efficiency, and we should not allow technology to shape us or the direction of our efforts. In this session, drawing on literature from business, ethics, and the Baha’i Faith, we will propose ideas for the protection of integrity and morality so that communities have agency and remain in charge of the machines.

Speakers

Farzin Aghdasi

Senior Manager, Nvidia Corporation

Farzin Aghdasi was a Bahá’í pioneer in Africa much of his adult life and intimately involved in the development of the Training Institute in Southern Africa and North America. He served as a Continental Counselor for the Americas, and is currently the secretary of the Regional... Read More →

Doug Allen

Doug Allen is Associate Professor of Management and former Director of the International MBA program at the University of Denver Daniels College of Business. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School and his PhD from the University of Michigan Business School. He has published... Read More →

Cindi Fukami

Cindi Fukami is Professor of Management at the University of Denver. Along with her disciplinary work, Cindi has been a prominent contributor to the literature on Management Education. She serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Management Education and is a Fellow of the Carnegie... Read More →

Dennis Wittmer

Professor of Management, Daniels College of Business

Dennis Wittmer is professor emeritus in the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, where he taught for 34 years. He teaches a course on organizational ethics for the Executive PhD program. His research and teaching interests include business ethics, public policy... Read More →

Saturday August 2, 2025 10:30am - 11:45am MDT
TBA

Science & Technology, Breakout

2:00pm MDT

Abdu'l-Bahá and Evolution: Bringing 21st Century Evolutionary Biology into the Discourse

Saturday August 2, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT

TBA

The harmony between science and religion is central to the Bahá'í Faith, especially concerning human evolution. 'Abdu'l-Bahá's statements on evolution have inspired reflection for over a century but this discourse remains rooted in 19th-century Darwinian concepts, reflecting the scientific understanding of His time. To engage meaningfully with contemporary, science-literate thinkers, the subject must be framed within the context of current science. This presentation seeks to bridge the latest advancements in evolutionary biology with 'Abdu'l-Bahá's relevant statements—not to reinterpret them, but to demonstrate that modern evolutionary biology aligns with His comments.

Speakers

Douglas Perry

Core Faculty, Wilmette Institute

I have been a Bahá’í since 1968. I was born and raised in California but largely educated in New York, and now reside in the Midwest. Retired now after a 40-year career in higher education, I was a cell biologist, professor, and eventually a senior academic leader (dean and provost... Read More →

'Abdu'l Bahá and Evolution (ABS) Slide Deck ppsx

Overview of Evolution Britannica pdf

SAQ Excerpts on Evolution pdf

Religion and Evolution Reconciled pdf

Saturday August 2, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT
TBA

Science & Technology, Breakout

2:00pm MDT

Using Knowledge of Science and Religion to Transform Our Lives

Saturday August 2, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT

TBA

‘Abdu’l-Bahá teaches that “the reality of man is his thought,” and that the purpose of the Manifestations is to transform humanity. Science supports this, showing that our thoughts shape reality and that transformation is possible. Recent discoveries of neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to form new neural pathways—demonstrate that individuals can rewire their brains to change their thinking. By integrating the wisdom of the Baha’i Writings with modern science, a methodology is presented for memorizing the Writings to harness the brain's neuroplasticity and to create new pathways to foster personal transformation.

Speakers

Kurt Kreuger

Dr. Larry Kurt Kreuger is a researcher, consultant, and educator in the area of complex systems and public health. He works with government agencies, universities, and other organizations on topics related to suicidal behavior, obesity, homelessness, and health care. He holds a PhD... Read More →

Amelia Villagomez

Dr. Amelia Villagomez is Associate Program Director of the Integrative Psychiatry Program at the University of Arizona and adjunct faculty in the Psychiatry Department at UT Southwestern. She has published on nonpharmacologic approaches for mental disorders and is a child/adult psychiatrist... Read More →

Jesse Villagomez

Jesse Villagomez worked in Process Improvement at Verizon and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and has served on various Baha’i institutions and committees. Jesse, who is of Hispanic backgroud, is presenting at the ABS Conference for the first time.

Saturday August 2, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT
TBA

Science & Technology, Breakout

3:30pm MDT

Understanding Neuroscience in an Age of Transition

Saturday August 2, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm MDT

TBA

Neuroscience findings shape society’s understanding of human nature. Studies linking prejudice, violence, and rebellious behavior to brain function are often accepted as evidence that our lower nature is hard-wired and inescapable. However, the conceptual framework of the Bahá’í community situates humanity in an age of transition, emerging out of adolescence and advancing towards collective maturity. In this light, neuroscientific findings can be viewed as snapshots in time, and reflections of current culture, rather than immutable features of brain function. This presentation explores how neuroscience can be aligned with our framework, deepening our understanding of human potential.

Speakers

Tara Raam

Tara Raam is a neuroscientist and postdoctoral research fellow at UCLA. Her research examines how social groups coordinate their behavior together to respond to environmental challenges, as a model to understand the relationship between the individual and the collective. She is broadly... Read More →

Saturday August 2, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm MDT
TBA

Science & Technology, Breakout