Example Conference Grants
1. “62nd Session of the Commission of the Status of Women” (United Nations)
“As a Sorin Fellow, I have been able to attend numerous on-campus events, as well as a conference at the Vatican on disability and now... a conference at the United Nations, where the Center’s own Dr. Mary O’Callaghan gave a moving and particularly impactful address. It is difficult to express my gratitude for these experiences, or how much they have influenced my future interests in philosophy, medical ethics, and health care for people with Down syndrome. I can only hope that, when words fail, gratitude can be expressed by action. As I sat in that coffee shop with Dr. O’Callaghan, as I listened on the UN floor to a series of tremendous and moving talks, and as I looked out the window of the plane that night, flying back to campus on the edge of a storm, a thought kept echoing in my head: this is what I am called to do with my life.”
2. Conference: “Happiness and Ethics in the Aristotelian Tradition” (Providence College)
“What is happiness? What is the good life? For Aristotle, these questions are intimately connected. Happiness is the goal of all human action, and for this reason our actions are measured and ruled by this last end. In the Aristotelian tradition, defining happiness is the first step in defining a rational ethical system. This central Aristotelian doctrine was explored in depth over the course of the 2018 Aristotelian conference hosted at Providence College. Due to generous support from the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, I was able to explore this teaching with many bright scholars in the Aristotelian tradition.
As I continue my research into how political theory (and theories of justice in particular) necessarily reflect ethical theory, I am grateful to have had this opportunity to explore the role of happiness in the Aristotelian tradition as a concept which bridges the ethical and the political, with important ramifications for both fields of thought.”
3. Catholic Medical Association: MEDCON 2018 (Indianapolis, Indiana)
“Becoming a doctor is a very long and stressful path, but ultimately a rewarding journey. Lately, I have been so caught up in thinking about the medical school admissions process that I have not thought as much about what it means to actually be a doctor ‘down the line.’ This conference was a wonderful opportunity to connect with physicians while hearing about various issues in medicine. Attending MEDCON not only gave me time to reflect on what it means to be a doctor, but also what it means to incorporate my Catholic faith into my practice as a physician.”
Other Projects Funded by Conference Grants
1. Intercollegiate Studies Institute, “How Markets Work”
2. Thomistic Institute: "Christianity and Liberalism"
3. UNIV 2018: “Rethinking the Future”
4. FOCUS: “SEEK 2019 - Encounter Something More”
5. FemCatholic Conference: “For Women, For the Church”