The 2025, Fuller Dome, Center for Spirituality and Sustainability Awards, in Buckminster Fuller's miniature-earth dome on the SIUE campus.
Friday, September 12th from 5:30 - 7:30pm CDT. Doors open at 5pm.
The 22nd Annual, Center for Spirituality and Sustainability Leadership Awards
The Center for Spirituality and Sustainability is hosting its annual Leadership Awards on Friday, September 12th, at 5:30 p.m. in the Fuller Dome on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, IL. This year the Fuller Dome is proud to be honoring the leadership of Johnny Moses and Serdar Celik whose careers embody the excellence, passion, leadership, and service that theses awards were designed to recognize. The doors will open at 5:00 with hors d’oeuvres and live music.
Each year the Center bestows two awards, one for Spirituality Leadership and one for Leadership in Sustainability. These dual awards reflect the Center’s mission to “promote humanity’s sacred connection to the Earth and each other.” The Center for Spirituality and Sustainability is a multifaith home for spirituality and sustainability efforts housed in the Buckminster Fuller designed, miniature-earth, dome on the SIUE campus. This is an important annual fundraiser for our organization. It is open to the public and tickets are $50 each. Registration is required for this event, please register by 9/05/25.
The 2025 Spirituality and Sustainability Leadership Award recipients are:
Johnny Moses
2025 Spirituality Leadership Awardee
Whis-stem-men-knee – Walking Medicine Robe (Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish)
Johnny Moses is a traditionally trained Native American memorizer, singer, and master storyteller. He is a recipient of the Washington Governor’s Heritage Award. His collection of 80 songs from the Native Northwest was released in 2017 by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
Johnny has told stories, given presentations, and led song and prayer circles at the Fuller Dome every few years for three decades. Many individuals, of all ages, have learned from, and been uplifted by the words he has shared. In 1996, on his first visit, recordings were made that are included in his book, Sacred Breath: Pacific Northwest Medicine Teachings, Stories, and Epics, forthcoming in 2026 from the University of Nebraska Press.
Serdar Celik
2025 Sustainability Leadership Awardee
Dr. Serdar Celik is a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). Before his academic career, he has several years of experience in air-conditioning and refrigeration industries. His research fields include renewable energy, building energy efficiency, green roofs, HVAC, and alternative cooling technologies. Besides his publications and book chapters, he owns two patents on environmentally friendly refrigeration systems, for one of which he received Industrial Invention Award. In 2018, Prof. Celik was selected as the Paul Simon Outstanding Teacher-Scholar at SIUE. He is the Founding Chair of SIUE Energy Symposia. He is also the Chair of the Climate and Sustainability Advisory Board (CASAB) at SIUE. Celik is the author of “Sustainable Energy: Engineering Fundamentals and Applications” published in 2023 by Cambridge University Press.
Immediately following the awards event at 8:00pm, our 2025 Spirituality Awardee Johnny Moses will present: “Stories from the First People of the Pacific Northwest” award night guests are encouraged to stay but they need to register for this additional free event at.
The Fuller Dome is located on the SIUE campus just off of Circle Drive, next to Visitor Parking Lot B.