ICR Research Advances with the NCSF | The Institute for Creation Research

ICR Research Advances with the NCSF

The research wing of ICR has an impressive slate of research projects underway. As announced in October, ICR has launched a new foundation, the National Creation Science Foundation (NCSF), which will consider research proposals and fund those deemed beneficial. Already several projects have been accepted and funded. Some of these projects were already in progress, while others are new and innovative.

For instance, Dr. Steve Austin has commenced a project in response to the upcoming 150th anniversary of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, published in 1859. Evolutionists plan to make the occasion a major propaganda coup. Darwin started his voyage on the Beagle as a nominal Christian and creationist. But he took on board Charles Lyell's recently published book Principles of Geology, which espoused long ages of uniform processes. In Argentina, Darwin applied Lyell's thinking to a river gorge and concluded that it had taken long ages to form. (It is now known that this canyon was formed quickly by major Ice Age flooding.) Darwin applied this misinterpretation to his observations on the Galapagos Islands, and evolutionary uniformitarianism is the result. Dr. Austin proposes to show where Darwin went wrong, rightly interpret the evidence, and produce a short video for ICR that can be used in the ongoing battle for truth.

Dr. Austin will also continue his oversight of the Flood Activated Sedimentation and Tectonics (FAST) research project, which is investigating geologic evidences of the great Flood of Noah's day, mostly in the American Southwest. In November, the FAST scientists met in Nevada to report on progress. Of particular interest was a rather new idea in geology, that many deposits are the result of dynamic underwater mud flows. Dr. Austin recently studied evidence of this in Alaska, where a very thick sequence of exposed strata was formed by the collision of the North American Plate with the Pacific Plate during the Flood. The southerly expression of the collision can be seen in Nevada, the site of several research projects under FAST.

In a related project, geologists Roger Sigler and Van Wingerdon have been studying a major mud slide, embedded with large blocks of rock that reach up to 30 km in length! This slide likely occurred at the onset of the Flood, when "all the fountains of the great deep" broke open (Genesis 7:11).

Both Dr. John Baumgardner and Dr. Clarence Berg are conducting funded projects involving computer simulations of "superfaults." Dr. Baumgardner is examining the famous fault system that rapidly formed the mountains in Wyoming, including the enigmatic Heart Mountain, while Dr. Berg is preparing a numerical simulation of sub-aqueous debris flows. All numerical studies are being conducted on ICR's super computer "Epiphany" under Dr. Baumgardner's supervision. Geologist Dr. Tim Clarey will be looking at catastrophic gravity slides in the same area.

In the November meeting, Dr. Arthur Chadwick reported his studies on an extensive dinosaur fossil site. He sees little evidence of uniformitarian processes or vast spans of time. Rather, all the depositional markers speak of rapid catastrophic processes. Likewise, Dr. John Whitmore and Ray Strom are continuing their multi-year study of the Coconino Sandstone, prominent in Grand Canyon. Long thought to be a fossilized sand dune desert deposit, its formation is better interpreted as giant underwater sand ripples, requiring huge volumes of water flowing at great speeds.

In addition to these ongoing studies, ICR research also encompasses Dr. Dan Criswell's GENE project on genomics and Dr. Larry Vardiman's study of paleoclimates, including storm patterns during and after the Great Flood.

There have been numerous inquiries into the NCSF, and we are coaching new scientists through the process and evaluating their proposals. All-in-all, this is the beginning of a new and productive day in ICR research.

* Dr. Morris is President and Director of Research.

Cite this article: Morris, J. 2009. ICR Research Advances with the NCSF. Acts & Facts. 38 (1): 8.

The Latest
ACTS & FACTS
ICR 2025 Resource Catalog
At the Institute for Creation Research, our mission is not only to conduct research demonstrating how science confirms Scripture but also to share this...

NEWS
Show Your Love for the ICR Discovery Center on North Texas Giving...
Thursday, September 18, is North Texas Giving Day! We invite you to join others in supporting ICR’s unique ministry as well as our creation museum...

NEWS
Living Gyroscope in Flies
The lowly fruit fly (Drosophila) is the research biologist’s friend in fields such as biomedical science, genetics, and developmental biology....

NEWS
Turning Point Founder Charlie Kirk Is Now with the Lord
Courageous Christian and creation supporter Charlie Kirk was murdered on September 10, 2025, while speaking at a Turning Point USA event held at Utah...

NEWS
Deliverance from Fear
“I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4) There are many things in such a world as ours that...

CREATION PODCAST
Can We Build a REAL Jurassic Park?! | The Creation Podcast: Episode...
In 1993, the movie Jurassic Park took the world by storm with its compelling characters, excellent cinematography, industry-altering...

NEWS
Project Artifact: The Spear
DALLAS, TX, September 9, 2025 — It’s finally here! Today marks the official launch of the Institute for Creation Research’s highly...

NEWS
Flood Tsunamis Transported Trees and Amber
A recent study published in Scientific Reports found strange globs of tree resin (amber) mixed within claimed ancient (Cretaceous) deep-water sediments...

NEWS
Secular Paper Admits ''Unreasonable Likelihood'' of Abiogenesis
A recent popular science article begins with the words, “A new study published in July 2025 tackles one of science’s most profound mysteries...

NEWS
September 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What...