Press Released on : 05-Feb-2025

Theme: Consciousness through Science and Philosophy
February 7–9, 2025
Organized and sponsored by: Kuruom School of Advanced Sciences (KSAS), INDIA, and Institute of Advanced Sciences (INADS), USA

An International Symposium on Consciousness through Science and Philosophy

February 7, 2025

• 4:00 pm - Social
• 5:30 pm to 6:15 pm - A play by the students of Kuruom Vidyalaya, Sultanpur reflecting the vision and values of KSAS
• 6:15 pm to 7:15 pm - Symposium speech by Dr. Subhas Kak, Regents Professor at Oklahoma State University and a member of the Indian Prime Minister's Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council. Topic: New Scientific Results on the Nature of Consciousness.
• 7:15 pm to 7:45 pm - A special presentation by Dr. John Hagelin, World renowned particle physicist and international president of the Global Union of Scientists for Peace. Topic: Dark Matter, Subtle Bodies, and Rebirth.
• 8:00 pm - Dinner

February 8, 2025

• 9:00 am to 10:00 am - Registration, social, and breakfast
• 10:00 am to 10:45 am - Saraswati Vandana followed by former welcome and presentation by Dr. Raj Kumar, KSAS, India.

Session I

• 10:45 am to 11:45 am - Speech by Vishist Athiti followed by Keynote speech from Dr. Alex Hankey, a well-known Theoretical Physicist and professor of Philosophy of Science. Topic: The Physical Origins of the Self-Referral Nature of Consciousness and Some Consequences.
• 11:45 am to 12:00 pm - Break

Session II - Plant and Animal Consciousness

• 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm - Presentation I: Dr. Neeti Sanan Mishra, Professor and Group Leader, ICGEB, INDIA. Topic: Plant Consciousness: Exploring Mechanisms of Priming and Stress Memory.
• 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm - Presentation II: Dr. Nishkam Shanta, Sevaite-President-Acharya, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, West Bengal, India. Topic: A Comparative Analysis of Consciousness in Humans, Animals, Plants, and Unicellular Organisms.
• 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm - Presentation III: Dr. Bal Ram Singh, President, INADS, USA. Topic: Connections of Animal Consciousness with Evolutionary Advantage in Nature.
• 1:30 pm to  2:00 pm - Presentation IV: Dr. Baishnav Tripathi, Distinguished Professor, Biotechnology, Sharda University, NOIDA, INDIA. Topic: Plant Consciousness: A Perspective.
• 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm - Lunch Break

Session III - Can Consciousness be Quantized?

• 2:45 pm to 3:15 pm - Presentation I: Dr. David Scharf, Professor and Chair of Physics Department, Maharshi University, USA. Topic: Consciousness and Quantum Field Theory: Bridging Science, Philosophy and Vedic Perspectives.
• 3:15 pm to 3:45 pm - Presentation II: Dr. Vinod Deshmukh, M. D, PhD, D.Sc (H), Neurology. Topic: Turiya-like Conscious State: A Personal Experience.
• 3:45 pm to 4:15 pm - Presentation III: Dr. Mrityunjay Guha Majumdar, Adjunct Faculty, School of Natural Science and Engineering, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India. Topic: Is There a Quantum Path Cit Beyond Neuroscience?
• 4:15 pm to 4:45 pm - Presentation IV: Dr. Swasti Tiwari, Professor and Head of Department, Molecular Medicine and Biotechnology, SGPGI, Lucknow, INDIA. Topic: Consciousness: A Determinant of Scientific Research Outcomes.
• 4:45 pm to 5:00 pm - Break

Session IV - Panel Discussion

• 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm - Topic: Reality or Perception: How to Define Things Around Us?

Chair: Dr. Alex Hankey

Panelist: Dr. David Schraf, Dr. Neeti Sanan Mishra, Dr. Sampadanand Mishra

• 6:15 pm to 6:45 pm - A drama by the students of Kuruom Vidyalaya, Sultanpur, and a folk song by Mr. Harsh Pandey, a student at JNU, India.
• 7:00 pm - Dinner

February 9, 2025

• 8:00 am to 9:00 am - Breakfast and Social

Session V

• 9:00 am to 10:00 am - Keynote speech by Dr. Manogna Sastry, Infinity Foundation, India. Topic: Selfhood and Consciousness in The Age of AI.
• 10:00 am to 10:15 am - Break

Session VI - Science of Consciousness

• 10:15 am to 10:45 am - Presentation I: Dr. Raju Chidambram. Topic: Vedanta Answer to Chalmer’s Hard Problem of Consciousness.
• 10:45 am to 11:15 am - Presentation II: Dr. Sukalyan SenGupta, Professor, UMASS, Dartmouth, USA. Topic: Pure Consciousness, Borrowed Consciousness, and Artificial Consciousness: The Vedantic Framework.
• 11:15 am to 11:45 am - Presentation III: Dr. Fred Travis, Director Brain Center, Maharshi University, USA. Topic: Consciousness Through the Lens of Modern Science and Maharishi Vedic Science: The Map and The Territory.
• 11:45 am to 12:15 pm - Presentation IV: Dr. Vijana Muni, Ph.D. President, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Institute, West Bengal, India. Topic: Understanding the Stepwise Development of Human Consciousness from Vedanta.
• 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm - Presentation V: Dr. Sushil K Jha, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, JNU, India. Topic: The Conscious Mind of Rodents: Behavioral and Neural Perspectives.
• 12:45 pm to 1:30 pm - Lunch

Session VII - The Philosophical Concept of Consciousness

• 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm - Presentation I: Dr. R. S. Kaushal, Former UGC Research Professor, Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, INDIA. Topic: From Atom to Atma: Exploring a Model of Human Consciousness.
• 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm - Presentation II: Dr. Sampadanand Mishra, Director Center of Human Science, Rishihood University, INDIA. Topic: The Four-Fold of Consciousness: Insight from Aitareya Upanishad.
• 2:30 pm to 3:00 pm - Presentation III: Dr. R. P. Singh, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Religious Studies, Guru Nanak Dev University, INDIA. Topic: Philosophical Perspectives of Consciousness.
• 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm - Presentation IV: Dr. K. Gopinath Pillai, Fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, INDIA. Topic: Consciousness: An Experience Reality – Approached through Santhigiri Text.
• 3:30 pm to 4:00 pm - Presentation V: Dr. J. S. Rajpurohit, National Convenor at UGC-NET and Consultant, Ministry of Education, Govt. of INDIA. Topic: Unconsciously Conscious Matrix of Happiness.
• 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm - Break

Session VIII - Panel Discussion

• 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm - Topic: The Truth about Truth

Chair: Dr. R. P. Singh
Proposed Panelists: Dr. R. S. Kaushal, Dr. Fred Travis, Dr. Amit Kumar, Dr. Manogna Sastry

• 5:30 pm to 5:40 pm - Vote of Thanks and Conclusion
• 6:00 pm - Evening Snacks/Dinner

Venue: KSAS, Narayan Kheda, Near Madapur Mandir, Mohanlalganj, Lucknow – 226302

Zoom Links: Zoom links will be open throughout the symposium program.

February 7, 2025
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6977021728?pwd=NlZWQ1p5d3BXQTdKWDhHUC95L3UxZz09&omn=857
09155583
Meeting ID: 697 702 1728
Passcode: 130612

February 8, 2025
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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6977021728?pwd=NlZWQ1p5d3BXQTdKWDhHUC95L3UxZz09&omn=817
57933461
Meeting ID: 697 702 1728
Passcode: 130612

February 9, 2025
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6977021728?pwd=NlZWQ1p5d3BXQTdKWDhHUC95L3UxZz09&omn=841
70431890
Meeting ID: 697 702 1728
Passcode: 130612