About Me

I am an experimental particle physicist currently doing research on the ATLAS detector, one of the two multi-purpose particle detectors located on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland. I have been a professor at the University of Oklahoma in Norman since 1995. I am also a Christian and this web-site and blog are a result of the many discussions I have had, and questions I receive about the relationship between science, rational thinking, objective evidence, and Christian faith. As such, it is my personal web site and the views and opinions expressed are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Oklahoma or CERN.

I received my undergraduate degree in Physical Science from Biola University and my Masters degree and Ph. D. in experimental particle physics from the University of California, Los Angeles. I have done research at the Stanford Linear Accelerator, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and now at CERN. Through much of my career I have studied the interaction between quarks and gluons and the theory of Quantum Chromodynamics. More recently I am studying the properties of the Higgs Boson and the heaviest known fundamental particle, the top quark.

The purpose of this web-site and the reason I started it are described in more detail in my first blog post. I believe that as a practicing scientist and as a Christian I may have something to offer in the discussion concerning the relationship between Christianity, science, and objective thought. I hope that you will find some of what I write to be enjoyable and thought-provoking. I have a strong motivation to discover truth in both the physical world and in the spiritual world. Maybe my contribution will help us all in such a noble journey.

December 2016



12 comments:

  1. I share his point of view on the BigBang, Dr. Strauss and I'm working on a new cosmological theory based on this view. My mail is sidmk78@gmail.com Have a nice day

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  2. Hello, Dr. Strauss!
    I need help on my research paper, and I'm writing it on you, I prayed about it, but I'm a little stuck with what I got. It needs to be a 7 page paper, and this is what I have so far. P.S, any information you give me, I will site it in your name, and in favor of your blog.

    Title: The Scientific Evidence for the existence of God: Michael Strauss/ The Idea of a Creator for Creation.

    There are many ideas when it comes to the idea of a God who created the entire vast expanse of the Universe. Michael Strauss is a physics professor at the University of Oklahoma, where he stated to students and piers that "observable and testable scientific evidence points to a 'designer who cares about humanity.'" The Universe is seemingly endless with a vast expanse of mystery and winder. There is an extreme amount of information that we may never know about our Universe, but what Strauss has been lecturing at many universities, is a lecture called "Scientific Evidence for the Existence of God." (Article 1, Reed, Michelle). While he was teaching at the University of Missouri-Columbia, he said that there is a designer who cares about humanity".

    This is only the first paragraph, but I'm stuck.
    would you be willing to give me some articles, or books you have written to help?

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    1. Hi Annabell,
      I'd be happy to discuss more about what could be in your article. I don't have any books but I do have some articles I could send you. Why don't you email me at drmichaelgstrauss@gmail.com and we'll discuss this over email.

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  3. What books have you written Mr. Strauss?
    -Annabell Montoya
    -a curious enthusiast + Christian

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  4. Dear Dr. Strauss,
    My name is Roberta Rio. I’m an Austrian historian and a member of the German Federation of Historians - main focus: new Physics.
    I recently published a book about Ettore Majorana, a brilliant theoretical physicist, an incomparable genius for his era.
    One of his theories presents the so-called General Theory of the Exponents: the first scientific theory that, de facto, presupposes the existence of God. In it, Ettore, we guess, describing the birth of the Universe, imagines that, before time, there was an absolute nothingness, held together by a “force” called “power 0”.
    Then a being intervened, a Creator, God, call It what you like, to impose a principle of creative force.

    Here the Webpage http://www.thirdmillenniumphysics.world/en/

    Let me know if the book interests you: I will send it for free.

    As I know and appreciate your work, I would be happy to receive your feedback.

    Thank you in advance

    Greetings

    Dr. Roberta Rio (Please use this address for your answer: info@riobeyondborders.org)

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  5. Dear Dr. Strauss,

    I am doing a study of Colossians at Hosanna! Lutheran Church in St. Charles, IL.

    I would love some docs/video links that would help my group wrap their heads around quantum theory as it relates to Colossians 1. Better yet, are you still in the Fox Valley? would love to have you speak to us!

    David Schoenknecht (pastor.nlmc@gmail.com)

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    1. Hi David. Certainly there is a lot of discussion about how Colossians 1:17 relates to physics, particularly quantum mechanics. I tend to believe that the usual method for God to show his character in the universe is through the physical working of the universe. Consider Psalm 19:1-6 where God's glory is declared by the way the sun makes its route through the sky. This is not a miraculous intervention, but a perfectly ordered and executed natural phenomena. Consequently, I take the physical nature of Colossians 1 in the sense that Christ holds things together by the laws of physics. After all, I study the laws of physics that hold the nucleus together in my research. Of course God can, and does, intervene through miracles, but I believe that Scripture teaches the major way God is seen in nature is through the usual working of nature. (See my blog post on "Looking for God in Nature" from March 2017, http://www.michaelgstrauss.com/2017/03/looking-for-god-in-nature.html).

      However, there is a more important way in which Christ holds all things together as declared in the context. All the fulness of God dwells in him and he has reconciled us to God through his death. That message is the core message proclaimed in the universe from its creation to its completion. That message is the common thread holding the past and future together in our universe.

      I did a quick Google search and found an article here http://www.dartmouth.edu/~apologia/ApologiaW11.pdf which gives some reasonable thoughts on the subject of quantum mechanics and Colossians, though I'm not sure I hold any of the possible views promoted in the article.

      Unfortunately, I seldom get up to Fox Valley anymore since my research is focused at CERN in Switzerland rather than at Fermilab.

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  6. Let me begin with a logical exercise...

    Definition: The world's processes = processes within the world that are dictated by fundamental laws of physics and nature.

    P1: A moral agent must have the capacity to influence the world or it’s processes.

    P2: Any entity completely originating from world and it’s processes is completely an effect of the world and it’s processes.

    P3: Effects cannot influence their causes.

    It follows that a moral agent cannot completely originate from the world and it’s processes.

    Another possible conclusion: If P2 applies to humans, then humans only believe they can act as moral agents. Moral agency is itself a conceptual illusion of humans, making P1 nonsensical. Thus humans don't really influence anything as an originating cause, they just function within nature as nature dictates they do. It is this conclusion, I believe, that materialist-reductionist must concede if they want to hold to their worldview

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  8. Hello Dr. Strauss, my name is Juan Luis Pinedo and I´m from PerĂº. grettings from PerĂº

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  9. Several of the questions posed here are dealt with by the late R.C. Sproul in his primer of apologetics, "Defending Your Faith". Sproul chose to defend the existence of God and the reliability of the Bible as major themes. Sproul was well qualified as a theologian and philosopher to deliver the quite convincing arguments and evidences to support his claims. I recommend either the print or online presentations.

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