Latest update: March 4, 2008 Third Advanced International Colloquium on Building the Scientific Mind (BtSM2009) In search of a home in the universe Egypt - May 2009   organized by the Learning Development Institute     This is a preliminary announcement. In due course we will announce further details about this colloquium, which follows in the footsteps of the Second Advanced International Colloquium on Building the Scientific Mind (BtSM2007), held in May 2007, and its predecessor two years earlier, BtSM2005. Plans are to hold this third colloquium in Egypt so as to favor participation from the Mediterranean Basin, Africa and the Middle East, while continuing the practice of the past colloquia to discuss issues regarding the scientific mind in a global perspective. In other words, participation from all parts of the world will be most welcome and we hope to see many familiar faces from the past colloquia. Tentatively, the meeting will take place in May or early June 2009. Specific dates are still to be determined. Check the above links to find out more about the past colloquia to have an idea of what to expect in 2009.   BtSM2009 takes place in the framework of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). Through the sub-theme defined for the colloquium, we pay special attention to the universe as a source of inspiration for a mind that searches to understand itself and its place in the universe. It is an interesting coincidence that 2009 also marks the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin as well as the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's The Origin of Species. The search for our home in the universe is not unrelated to questions about our own emergence and evolution.What does that mean in terms of our expectations regarding the invited intellectual contributions to the dialogue? Following are a few thoughts that may clarify our intentions.   The theme--In search of a home in the universe--should not be interpreted merely in the narrow astronomical sense of the phrase but rather be taken more generally. We have in mind a focus on humans' eternal quest for understanding their place in a more inclusive concept of universe, inspired by the questions “Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?” that are the theme of Paul Gauguin's contemplation of life and death in his well-known 1887 painting inscribed with those same words in French: "D'où venons-nous? Que sommes-nous? Où allons-nous?" represented below. We encourage participants and authors of papers, roundtables, panels and workshops to think of the scientific mind as that dimension of human intellectual behavior that thrives on disciplined inquiry and the rigorous pursuit of knowledge but that at the same time is fully conscious of its own limitations and of the need to transcend disciplinary boundaries as well as rise above them. Says Christian de Duve, 1974 Nobel laureate for biology or medicine, while referring in his Vital dust: Life as a cosmic imperative (Basic Books, New York, 1995) to the limitation we all have to master much more than just one or at most two disciplines: "Though no exception to such limitation, I have ventured beyond the boundaries of my competence because I feel that the attempt must be made if we are to understand the universe and our place in it." Indeed, while adhering to scientific rigor we should also continually challenge the boundaries of our capacity to know if we are to continue to play a role in the universe. Ultimately, "we are made of star stuff," as Carl Sagan used to say. We thus have a profound connection to our evolutionary past, present and future, giving us a sense of humility on the one hand and deep responsibility on the other. Shepherding planet Earth and its ecology are definitely, if not dominantly, among the things we want to promote. The premise of the colloquium is that doing so requires the right mindset, the scientific mind being a dominant dimension of it.   The universe and the scientific mind: For you to discover and to explore.   Those interested in participating in BtSM2009 can make their interest known by writing to ldi@learndev.org with the subject line BtSM2009 expression of interest.