Gerard Verschuuren
Gerard M. (N.) Verschuuren (born 1946 in The Netherlands; nicknames Gerry and Geert) is a writer, speaker, and consultant, working at the interface of science, philosophy, and religion. He is a human geneticist who also earned a doctorate in the philosophy of science, and studied and worked at universities in Europe and the United States. Currently, he lives with his wife, Trudy, in New Hampshire, USA.
Research and work
- He studied biology (in particular human genetics) at Leiden University and Utrecht University in the Netherlands, with a thesis on the statistical analysis of epigenetic variation in the Tellem skulls of Mali in comparison with the Kurumba tribe of Burkina Faso (former Upper Volta) (1972).
- He was a participant of the six-member Human Adaptability Project team (led by professor John Huizinga, M.D.) of the former Institute of Human Biology at Utrecht University Medical School, as part of the International Biological Program, studying the population genetics and adaptation of savannah populations in sub-saharan Africa based on research among the Fali in Cameroun, among the Dogon in Mali, and among the Fulbe in Chad.
- He also studied philosophy (specifically philosophy of science, and more in particular philosophy of biology) at Leiden University and the Free University in Amsterdam, with a doctoral thesis on the use of models in the sciences (1981).
- He taught biology, genetics, human genetics, statistics, philosophy, philosophy of biology, logic, and programming – in the Netherlands at Aloysius College, Utrecht University, Open University, and also in the United States, at Merrimack College and Boston College.
- During this time, he was the leader of a team of textbook writers that developed three consecutive series of biology textbooks for high-schools and colleges under the names Biosfeer (1975–1983), Oculair (1984–1994), and Grondslagen van de Biologie(Foundations of Biology; 1985–present).
- During the seventies, he wrote a weekly column on breaking biological topics in the Volkskrant, a leading national newspaper in the Netherlands.
- Together with the professors Cornelius Van Peursen and Cornelius Schuyt of Leiden University, he was a member of the editorial board overseeing the development of 25 books on the philosophy of science for 25 specific fields, written by experts in those fields (1986–present), Nijhoff, Leiden, Series Philosophy of the Sciences.
- He was also a member of the College Admission Test team for biology in the Netherlands (1976–1982).
- He wrote many books and articles in Dutch on biological and philosophical issues (listing).
- For years, he was a member of the editorial board of the Dutch philosophical magazine Wijsgerig Perspectief, and wrote several of its articles. In addition, he was a member of the editorial board of the Dutch-Flemish magazine Streven, for which he wrote many articles and book reviews as well (partial listing).
- In the eighties, he was an advisor to the Foundation Scientific Europe, which published a voluminous overview of research and technology in 20 European countries, entitled Scientific Europe and edited by Nigel Calder.
- From 1985 until 1994, he was the editor-in-chief of the Dutch magazine Natuurwetenschap en Techniek, a.k.a the "Dutch Scientific American," and publisher of the Dutch version of the Scientific American Library.
- In 1994, he moved permanently with his wife, Trudy, to the USA, and lives now in New Hampshire.
- He is a Microsoft Certified Professional and was an official adviser on Excel's latest statistical functions (2010).
- He also helps scientists and engineers in using computers for data analysis, statistical analysis, and regression analysis. He has been doing so for Abbott, AstraZeneca, Babson College, Bose, Boston Scientific, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Commerce, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Emerson, Harvard U., Intel Corporation, John Hancock, IBM, Keystone Trading, Lantheus Medical Imaging, Liberty Mutual, Pfizer, Mass. General Hospital, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, MIT, Rockwell Automation, Sepracor, Siemens, Staples, Teradyne, Wyeth, and others.
- On request of MrExcel, he has been developing a series of more than 10 interactive CDs and DVDs to help scientists and more general users to become familiar with programs such as Excel, Access, VBA, VB.NET and C#.NET. These products are great for visual learners - completely visualized, full-color, and with frequent self checks (listing).
- Since he is a former Jesuit and a practicing Catholic, he is still very much interested in his old passion, the relationship between science and religion, evolution and creation from a Catholic viewpoint - which is the very issue of his next upcoming book (Aug. 2012) (preview).
- Two more upcoming books are entitled Darwin's Legacy - The Good and the Not So Good and What Makes You Tick - the Metaphysics of Human Life.
- He also gives talks and leads conferences on the relationship between science and religion, evolution and creation[1].
Books and articles
A selection:
- Verschuuren, Geert (1971). Race and Races. In Heythrop Journal, 12, 164–174[1]
- Verschuuren, Geert M.N. (1981). Modelgebruik in the Wetenschappen. Kok, Kampen, Netherlands[2] ISBN 90-242-2161-7
- Verschuuren, G.M.N., Hans De Bruin, Manfred Halsema (1985, 2001). Grondslagen van de Biologie (3 volumes). Wolters Kluwer, Netherlands[3] ISBN 90-207-1372-8
- Marcum, James and G.M.N. Verschuuren (1986). Hemostatic Regulation and Whitehead’s Philosophy of Organism. In Acta Biotheoretica, 35, 123–133[4]
- Verschuuren, Gerard M. (1986), Investigating the Life Sciences: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. In the series Foundations & Philosophy of Science & Technology, Pergamon Press[5] ISBN 0-08-032031-7
- Verschuuren, Gerard M. (1995), Life Scientists: Their Convictions, Their Activities, and Their Values. Genesis Publishing Company, North Andover, MA[6] ISBN 1-886670-00-5
- Verschuuren, Gerard M. (1905–present), The Visual Learning Series (10 different titles published so far). Holy Macro! Books, Uniontown, OH[7]
- Verschuuren, Gerard M. (2007). From VBA to VSTO. Holy Macro! Books, Uniontown, OH[8] ISBN 1-932802-14-2
- Verschuuren, Gerard M. (2008). Excel 2007 for Scientists and Engineers. Holy Macro! Books, Uniontown, OH[9] ISBN 978-1-932802-35-1
- Verschuuren, Gerard M. (2012). God and evolution? - Science Meets Faith. Pauline Books & Media, Boston, MA[10]
References
- ^ Race and Races
- ^ The Use of Models
- ^ Foundations of Biology
- ^ Hemostatic Regulation
- ^ Investigating the Life Sciences
- ^ Life Scientists
- ^ Visual Learning Series
- ^ VSTO Programming
- ^ Excel for Scientists
- ^ Preview Upcoming Book
Extended links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Verschuuren, Gerard |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
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| Date of birth |
1946 |
| Place of birth |
the Netherlands |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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