TSC 2013 (March 3-9, 2013)

Twentieth Conference on
Toward a Science of Consciousness

The Twentieth Conference on Toward a Science of Consciousness (TSC 2013) was organized at Dayalbagh Educational Institute from March 3-9, 2013. The conference was shared between DEI Convocation Hall, Quantum-Nano Systems Centre and Centre for Consciousness Studies. Over 400 delegates from all over the world attended the conference. There were 22 Plenary Talks with 18 international speakers from USA, Canada, Belgium, Romania, Germany, Norway, Japan and Australia and 4 national speakers. The plenary talks covered various interdisciplinary aspects of consciousness. There were 24 concurrent sessions and 3 poster sessions in TSC 2013. The workshops offered during the event included those by DEI team (Basic Neuro and Cognitive Sciences), Prof. Stuart Hameroff (Review of Orch. OR Theory), Prof. Menas Kafatos (Self in Science) and Dr. Deepak Chopra (Healing, Transformation and Higher Consciousness).

The event was inaugurated on March 5 by Prof. James Barrell, University of West Georgia, with his talk entitled “Inner Experience and Neuroscience: Merging both Perspectives”. The Vision Talk was delivered by Revered Prof. P.S. Satsangi, Chairman Advisory Committee on Education, Dayalbagh Educational Institutions, entitled, “Towards Integrating Arts (First-Person Spiritual-Cognitive-Material Phenomenology) and Science (Third-Person Neuro-Physical Environmental-Cognitive Correlates) of Consciousness : The Dayalbagh Vision”. The Inaugural Function was transmitted to all the e-Satsang Branches and the Satsang Hall at Dayalbagh also. There was a lively Cultural Programme on the Inaugural Day for the delegates of TSC.

Panel Discussion was held on March 9, 2013 on the topic Inner Science and Natural Sciences, moderated by Mr. Prem Prashant. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for educational and scientific cooperation, between Dayalbagh Educational Institute and University of Waterloo, first signed in July 2008, was renewed for another term of five years on March 9, 2013 in the Closing Function of TSC 2013, in the presence of Prof. Peter Roe, Director, International Exchange Programmes, University of Waterloo. All contents of the original MoU signed in 2008 remain in effect, and an additional clause on undergraduate and graduate student exchange for research, internships has been added in the renewal agreement.

QANSAS 2012 (November 28 – December 2, 2012)

International School on Quantum and Nano Computing Systems and Applications

International School on Quantum and Nano Computing Systems (QANSAS 2012) was organized from November 28–December 2, 2012. A special forum on ‘Quantum Theory and Science of Consciousness’ was organized on November 28 with a Vision Talk entitled “Neuro-environmental Cognitive Spiritual Phenomenonology” delivered by Revered Prof. P.S. Satsangi, Chairman, Advisory Committee on Education, Dayalbagh Educational Institutions. The event was inaugurated on November 29 by Prof. Lajos Diosi, Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Budapest, Hungary with his talk entitled “Quantum Information viewed by a Theoretical Physicist”. In the ensuing sessions, there was active participation with 22 invited speakers from top academic and research institutes like University of Waterloo, National University of Singapore, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Rajasthan, IIT Patna, HCRI Allahabad, TIFR Mumbai, ISI Kolkata, IISER Kolkata, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and of course, DEI, Dayalbagh. There was a Panel Discussion on the concluding day on the topic “Consciousness, Decoherence and Measurement Problem in Quantum Theory” chaired by Prof. P.K. Kalra, Director, IIT Rajasthan. Mr. S.C. Chetal, Director, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam was the Chief Guest at the Valedictory Function. Over 200 delegates attended the School which was telecast in the adjoining Centre for Consciousness Studies also.

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