AUSN was one of the co-organisers of the 14th Asian Bioethics Conference – The 14th conference of the Asian Bioethics Association, 19-23 November 2013 in Chennai, India. After organizing 14 Asian Bioethics Conferences since 1995, and as secretary of the Asian Bioethics Association, this was special to bring such an international bioethics conference to India.

There were over 100 experts in bioethics from over 20 countries who spent 5 days together in intense dialogue. Much appreciation to Dr. Selvanayagam the conference Chair for the preparations, and for all who came. AUSN will also co-organise the 15th Asian Bioethics Conference to be held in November 2014 in Beppu and Kumamoto, Japan. The photos show me lighting the opening flame, and some of the participants inside the venue.

Collaborative agreement between AUSN and Loyola-ICAM College of Engineering & Technology (LICET), Loyola College, Chennai, India

AUSN is proud to sign an Academic Cooperation Agreement with Loyola College and Loyola-ICAM College of Engineering and Technology (LICET). Loyola College (founded in 1925 in Chennai, India) and ICAM (Institut Catholique d’Arts et Métiers, founded in 1898 in Lille, France), founded LICET, an engineering college which would be a unique model not only in forming engineers with social responsibility but also serving as a melting pot of Indian and French cultures preparing Indian students to serve in European industries and European students to work in Indian industries.

Signing of MOU with Loyola College, Chennai, India



 

Plenary lecture by skype to Kazakhstan for the Second Central Asian Symposium on Bioethics, 3 December 2013. Being unable to join the Central Asian Bioethics Association (CABA) for the Second Conference, after being in person at the inaugural launch of the CABA, the technology served us well to allow me to be virtually there. My lecture was on implementation of bioethics education, a topic that is globally relevant. I would recommend Kazakhstan and Central Asian Republics to everyone, though Astana is actually the world’s coldest capital city.

I also gave an invited lecture on Bioethics Includes Ethics of Food and Agriculture at APSAFE1- The First International Conference of the Asia-Pacific Society for Agricultural and Food Ethics: “Food Safety and Security for the Twenty-first Century”, 28-30 November 2013. Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. Along with the Manager of Eubios Ethics Institute we also talked on planting trees for peace: Establishment of the International Peace Park@Kaeng Krachan: Ethics of Planting Trees for Peace, Ananya Trithipthumrongchok and Darryl Macer.

Greetings from AUSN campus, hope to see more visitors here very soon! We are getting ready for our expected approval to start our 4 Masters and 5 Postgraduate Certificate Courses in early 2014. We cannot wait to start! A few snaphots…

It was a pleasure to see so many former students, friends, colleagues and make new ones, in 2013. Thanks to all of you for your support and collaboration. More news to come in January 2014.



Collaborative agreement between AUSN and United Nations University (UNU) – Institute of Advanced Studies, Yokohama, Japan

AUSN is proud to sign a 5 year Academic Cooperation Agreement with United Nations University (UNU) – Institute of Advanced Studies. UNU-IAS is part of the United Nations University (UNU) system, comprised of a network of Research and Training Centres and Programmes (RTC/Ps) which are assisted by associated and cooperating institutions and scholars from around the globe. UNU-IAS’s mission is to “advance knowledge and promote learning for policy-making to meet the challenges of sustainable development.” 
UNU uses advanced research methodologies and approaches to challenge conventional thinking and contribute creative solutions to key emerging issues of global concern. In particular, with a focus on issues that are high on the United Nations agenda. AUSN and UNU have collaborated in joint workshops in 2013 and will do more in 2014.

Joint UNU-Kumamoto University Bioethics Roundtable: International Dialogue and the Future of Asian Bioethics, KBRT7, 7-9 December, 2013, Kumamoto, Japan.

I co-organised the Seventh Kumamoto University Bioethics Roundtable with Professor Takao Takahashi, at the conclusion of a three year research grant to map Asian Bioethics. Funding has been secured for the coming five years to continue the international collaboration, which will see students and staff from Kumamoto University coming to AUSN in September 2014, along with the Eighth Roundtable in November 2014 in Japan. Scholars from 15 countries joined the 3 day conference, which also included the 6th International Seminar on Biocosmology: Perspectives of the Integration between Biocosmology and Asian Bioethics. This conference was organised with the joint cooperation of United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), Kumamoto University, American University of Sovereign Nations (AUSN) and Eubios Ethics Institute.



As we approach Christmas there are still some cotton balls left on the fields in the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) lands. The AUSN is located behind the trees, and Scottsdale city of Phoenix lies before the hill in this picture.

AUSN is looking forward to hosting Research Fellows in 2014, and the application form is on the website (on the Contact Us) for those who would like to join us on site in Arizona in the inaugural year of research in the University, we warmly welcome you.