Report on Alliance of Women Scientists, 2014
The Fourth International Conference of the Alliance of Women Scientists and Scholars for a Better World was held July 21-24, 2014. The theme of the conference was: The World is as We Are: Culturing the Inner and Outer Environment to Realize Our Full Human Potential. This theme so beautifully tied in to the mission of the Alliance – to unite women scientists and scholars of the world in an alliance that will be a powerful collective voice and instrument for implementing all that is good and beneficial for individuals and the environment.
Leading off the conference was Amy Hatkoff from USA, a child and family advocate, parenting educator, author, and filmmaker who gave a talk about the Science of Love and Raising Babies.
Three medical doctors shared beautiful knowledge about health:
- Dr. Sreekala NP, BAMS, Director of Research and Senior Medical Officer of Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital & Research Centre in Kerala, India who spoke about An Ayurvedic Approach for Prevention of Disease, Restoration of Balance, and Longevity of the Five Senses;
- Dr. Snehalatha SN Dornala, BAMS, MD, PhD, a specialist in Ayurvedic Pediatrics who has made a great contribution toward development of the Maharishi Ayur-Veda Health Series, Course One: Healthy, Happy Mother and Baby Program, shared Ayurvedic Guidelines for Each Stage of a Woman’s Life for Her Good Health and Happiness.
- Dr. Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP whose credentials include WebMD chief lifestyle expert and first senior research fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Alternative Medicine (USA). Dr. Peeke gave an inspiring and lively talk called Eat Your Greens, Mind Your Genes—New Science Empowers the Mind-Body to Navigate the Challenges of Our Addictive Lifestyles.
Dr. Amanda Weltman, PhD, senior lecturer at the Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Centre, Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town spoke about her work on string theory and cosmology.
A young scientist from Noida, India, Amrita Shrivastava, BSc, MSc with a degree in Molecular Biology spoke about her research: Stem Cells—The Physical Design of Our Consciousness, making beautiful connections to Maharishi Vedic Science of Consciousness.
Nan Bray, PhD, who is a successful wool producer from Tasmania, Australia shared her insightful observations of her sheep, which has led to ground-breaking new approaches to sustainable and profitable farming practices.
From the UK, Arabella Higgins, MPhil in the field of Social and Developmental Psychology and member of the Partners for World Peace, an organization dedicated to bringing opportunities for education and growth to girls and women around the world, expanded our horizons in her talk Redefining the Entrepreneur: Feminine Strength in a Buddhist Culture.
Our final speaker, in the field of Business, Dr. Martha Batorski, EdD, published author, speaker, educator and management consultant in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, presented her research on the Transcendental Meditation technique and Developing Capacity to Improve Executive Judgment and Decision Making Under Stress.
I was honored to be the Mistress of Ceremonies for the conference and was delighted by the profound expertise and remarks of our speakers and the relationship of their topics to the development of consciousness and our full potential. At the conclusion, I summed up the conference by saying, “With experts from so many countries and across so many disciplines, we were truly basking in the delight of exploring the synergies and connections among each person’s work, and the potential that exists for us to have a positive impact on our world.”
