Just before yesterday’s deadline, we had a rush of applications for Discovery Institute’s Summer Seminars on intelligent design. Inference to the best explanation? Awareness of this fantastic opportunity was cresting as we were preparing to close the application process.

Being sticklers about the cutoff date would likely mean arbitrarily excluding some interesting students. Our students in previous years have been very interesting, and this year’s look to be no less so. This is where the next generation of ID scientists and scholars will emerge, as our experience with past graduates has already confirmed in numerous cases.

So fine: We’ll give you another week, through April 14. But after that — no more! And we’re serious this time.

Running on two tracks simultaneously, the seminars are designed for current undergraduates and graduate students, with a smattering of professionals also included in the mix. The dates are July 8-16, here in Seattle.

Applying is not burdensome, but it is selective. Find an overview here. And look here for specific information on the seminar on Intelligent Design in the Natural Sciences, and the C.S. Lewis Fellows Program on Science and Society.

Instructors are drawn from the firmament of ID’s top scientists and scholars, including Michael Behe, Stephen Meyer, Richard Sternberg, Jonathan Wells, John West, Paul Nelson, Winston Ewert, Jay Richards, Ann Gauger, Douglas Axe, Bruce Gordon, Jonathan Witt, and others.

The theory of ID, as science and in its implications for other fields, is a deep subject. In grasping it, there’s no substitute for intensive discussion and interaction with scholars. Here’s what graduates of last year’s program had to say about the experience:

This was a unique opportunity to hear from the major proponents of ID theory. I had been to conferences at which ID proponents spoke, and watched ID documentaries, but these lectures helped me to understand the arguments and evidence at a much deeper level. There were many invigorating discussions with fellow students and speakers around the lunch or dinner table.

Says another student:

Discovery institute’s Summer Seminar on ID is a one-of-a-kind program… that brings together ID proponents from around the world. Of particular relevance is the fact that most participants are graduate students in the sciences or undergrads planning to go on to grad school. Therefore, there is no doubt that this program will have a lasting impact on academia.

And yes, it happens at all, including scholarships as needed, only through the beneficence of our supporters:

Thank you so, so much for this gift. I could have never afforded to take the time off from work to do the kind of intensive study on this important issue if you had not paid for my meals, lodging, and materials. This kind of philanthropy is best seen as providing infrastructure. You have provided a graduate student with tools for an entire career. The well has been dug. I assure you that your investment will not be wasted. I will draw on my contacts, materials, and memories of this week for a lifetime.

Please assist us in getting out the word about the Summer Seminars. And if you can help equip a rising generation through your own generous gift, please do so by going here. Thank you!

Photos: Michael Behe, Jonathan Wells, Stephen Meyer, Jonathan Witt, Douglas Axe, Ann Gauger, and Bruce Gordon, by Janine Solfelt.