Among Christian scholars in academia, there are few honors higher than the Harvey Fellowship, a ministry of the Mustard Seed Foundation (MSF), an organization dedicated to, among other ministries, supporting Christians pursuing advanced educational degrees in preparation for leadership roles in society. Through its Harvey Fellows Program, the MSF provides financial support to Christian students pursuing graduate studies at premier universities in fields considered to be underrepresented by Christians. The Harvey Fellows Program seeks to mark, equip and encourage individuals to actively integrate their faith and vocation as leaders in strategic occupations, with expectation that such young scholars grow to become people of disproportionate influence in their fields, advancing God’s kingdom and Christ’s work in strategic areas. With awards to individual students of up to $48,000 over a three-year period, as well as the prestige that has come to be associated with it, the Harvey Fellowship is today one of the most competitive and esteemed awards that any graduate student can receive.
Knowing the high honor of a Harvey Fellowship and all it represents, we at Au Sable are delighted that a member of our own Board of Trustees, Ben Lowe, has been selected to receive the Fellowship in this year of 2020. Formerly a member of the Board from 2011-2016 and Chair of the Board of Trustees from 2012-2016, Ben’s youth has not disguised his leadership ability, recognized especially by all the trustees. Now back for a new term on the Board that began in 2019, Ben again is in a position of leadership in which his wisdom and insight can help guide and govern the Institute. As Executive Director Fred Van Dyke explained, “Ben has always been an exceptional and innovative leader, particularly in his many roles in ministry to this current generation. Ben never treats important problems as things that are somebody else’s fault. He invariably finds a way to translate concern into influence, and so has influenced many to solve problems that others would have abandoned.”
Ben is currently a PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Ecology at the University of Florida as a candidate for a PhD degree in Interdisciplinary Ecology. He has been recognized for his exemplary work and professional promise by the National Science Foundation, which awarded him its prestigious four-year National Graduate Fellowship award for 2018 through 2021. Today Ben’s scientific investigations of methods for assessing fish diversity for conservation planning in Lake Tanganyika are being recognized worldwide for their exceptional integration of science and faith in creation care. In September 2019, the journal Fish and Fisheries, the worlds’ premier publication in fisheries science, published Ben’s research on “The neglected role of religion in Fisheries Management” (Lowe et al.2019), in which Ben and other scientists examined the role of religious beliefs in mediating the effects of fishing behavior in small scale fishing operations. One of the founders of Young Evangelicals for Climate Action (see the recent story on Au Sable’s new collaboration with YECA!), Ben has also long combined Christian faith with effective response to climate change and other human-caused environmental effects worldwide. His studies on such effects are now also receiving international attention, evidenced by his recent publication in the journal, Regional Environmental Change with the paper “Adapting to change in inland fisheries: analysis from Lake Tanganyika, East Africa” (Lowe et al. 2019).
The mission of the Au Sable Institute deserves the very best leadership for engaging the complexity and diversity of problems that confront connections between Christian faith, creation care, and human-caused change in the world around us. At Au Sable, we’re glad that God has not failed to provide that for us in the person of Ben Lowe. Congratulations, Ben! You’re a deserving Harvey Fellow!