• Delivered a paper on “Evolutionary Ethics and Intentional Content” at the conference on Biological Explanations of Behavior: Philosophical Perspectives held from June 12-15 at Leibniz University, Hannover, Germany.

• Gave a talk prepared in collaboration with S. Maffeo, SJ, on the historical instruments in the Vatican Observatory at the XXVII Scientific Instrument Symposium, held in Lisbon from 16 to 21 September 2008.

• Spoke on “Meteorite Porosity and Asteroid Structure” to the physics department of Williams College, Massachusetts, on 13 February, and to the physics and astronomy department of the University of Louisville, Kentucky, on 16 April • Presented a seminar on “Meteorites, Asteroids, and the Structure of the Solar Nebula” at the headquarters of the European Southern Observatory in Garching, Germany, on 23 September, and at the department of physics and astronomy of Union College, Schenectady, New York, on 9 October.

• On 18 September gave a talk in the Astronomy Lecture Series at Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott Campus, Arizona. He spoke on “Rock Stars and the L & T Dwarfs.” • This was also the topic of his talk on 12 November at Pima Community College East Campus, Tucson, Arizona, in its Lecture Under the Stars series. • Participated regularly in the Star and Planet Formation Discussion Group at Steward Observatory, in which he led on 24 November the topic of “The Context of  Boötis Stars for HR 8799 and its Exoplanets.”

• Taught the general astronomy course, Natural Sciences 102, during the Spring semester at the University of Arizona, Tucson. • From 14 to 21 March served as JFK Russell Fellow at the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS), Berkeley, California. As Fellow, gave a talk on 15 March at the research conference of the CTNS on the topic “Twenty Years After the New View from Rome: Pope John Paul II on Science and Religion.” • Gave a keynote address to the XXII Congress of the National Astronomy Society of Mexico at the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, on 18 April. • Gave an invited lecture on “Emergence in Neo-Darwinian Evolution: A Basis for Ethics in Astrobiology,” at the Workshop Astrobiology: Expanding Our Views of Society and Self, held May 7-10 at Biosphere 2, near Oracle, Arizona. • Gave a lecture on “Determining the Age of the Universe” to the Villanova University Chapter of the Sigma XI Society on 5 September at Villanova University, Villanova (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania. • 18-19 September served on the International Selection Committee for the Bower Prize for Achievement in Science at the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia. • At the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, on 9 December he chaired a seminar on the traditions of the Church up to today regarding its relationship to science. He also gave a public lecture on “The Evolutionary Universe.”

• Taught a course on Cosmology during the fall semester in the School of Philosophy, Pontifical Gregorian University. • On 20 February gave a Colloquium on “Galaxy Evolution in the Local Universe” at the Department of Physics, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. • Gave a keynote address to the XXII Congress of the National Astronomy Society of Mexico at the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, on 18 April. • Gave a Magisterial Lecture for the opening of the academic year at the Istituto Superiore di Scienze Religiose San Metodio, Syracuse (Italy).

• Gave an interview to the Polish Science Voice on “The God Particle and the Scientific Universe.” • He made a press statement about our struggles with Chronos at the Templeton Prize News Conference on March 12. • He also gave addresses at Buckingham Palace on the occasion of the Templeton Prize Award and later at the Polish Club. • On May 7 at the Royal Society, London, he gave a paper on “The Existence of Singularities and the Origin of Space-Time” at the research symposium in his honor on the occasion of his receiving the 2008 Templeton Price. • On 19-20 May he participated in the 12th Cracow Methodological Conference, Science and Mass Culture. • On 3-4 October he gave a paper on “Homo Sapiens in the Copernican Universe” in Cracow at the conference organized by the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Informatics of the Jagiellonian University and Philosophical Faculty of the Pontifical Academy of Theology.

• Participated in the Physics of Fisher Information Workshop in the Department of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, from April 6-11. • Was a principal organizer and participant in the workshop “Astrobiology: Expanding Our Views of Society and Self,” held May 7-10 at Biosphere 2, near Oracle, Arizona. At the workshop, he delivered one of the invited presentations: “Astrobiology and Beyond.” • From May 29-June 1 he participated in the 3rd International Conference on Theological Aesthetics at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, California. He contributed a presentation on “Relationality and the Interplay of Unity and Diversity in Nature: Beauty, Mystery and Understanding.” • He convened and chaired the Theology and Natural Science Topic Area Program at the Annual Convention of the Catholic Theological Society of America, June 5-8, in Miami, Florida. • From June 12-15 he was the principal speaker at the annual Cosmos and Creation Workshop at Loyola College, Baltimore, Maryland. • On July 3 he lectured on “The Importance of Inhomogeneous Cosmologies” to the Astrophysics Group at the University of Rome La Sapienza. • He delivered a lecture on “Emergence, Top-Down Causality and their Implications for Theology” on July 8 to the philosophy and science research group at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. From August 6 to September 9 he worked with Ellis and Hellaby in the Cosmology Group, University of Cape Town, South Africa. While there he delivered a seminar on “The Evolution and Extent of Local Cosmic Domains.” • December 15-17 he participated in and served on the Scientific Organizing Committee for a workshop on “The Nature of the Laws of Physics,” held at the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.

• Attended the 46th annual summer meeting of the Clavius Group of Mathematicians, held at Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, from June 22 to July 19. The participants this summer consisted of five Jesuits priests, one religious sister, nine married couples, and four other lay persons. Various topics in mathematics were discussed.