Previous Fora / 2007 / Programme

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• Opening Ceremony
• Science and Innovation as a Global Enterprise
• Investing in Future Generations
• Plenary Session II.
• The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation in the Achievement of The Millennium Development Goal
• Investing in Knowledge for Peace IPSO (Israeli-Palestine Science Organisation) Panel
• Plenary Session III. - Panel: Reviews of Representatives of Global Fora
• Investing in Knowledge for Sustainability I. - The Best Science-Based Governance Initiatives
• Investing in Knowledge for Sustainability II. - Paradigm Change for Sustainability - Sine Qua Nons
• Investing in Knowledge for Sustainability III. - Science-Based Politics towards a Paradigm Change
• Investing in Knowledge for Sustainability IV. - Moral Imperatives for Europe and the World
• Special Session on "Investing in STI: Challenges and Opportunities for Parliaments" I.
• Special Session on "Investing in STI: Challenges and Opportunities for Parliaments" II.
• Plenary Session IV.
• Parliament Plenary Session and Closing Plenary Session

Dr. Ravinder S. Bhatia

Director, The Scholar Ship Research Institute

Dr. Bhatia graduated with honors from Imperial College in London with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering, then worked as an aerospace engineer on aircraft fuel management systems and on spacecraft cryogenic systems. He returned to London to pursue his doctoral studies in a joint aerospace/physics program at Queen Mary College, optimizing the integration of infrared detectors with cryogenic systems for astronomical studies in cosmology, and for Earth atmospheric observations to understand better the mechanisms of ozone depletion. During this time, he also participated in the summer session of the International Space University. Dr. Bhatia subsequently pursued postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology before working as a Senior Engineer for The European Space Agency. In this capacity, he was responsible for the management of space technology development contracts, and for providing support to upcoming space missions including the Planck space telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope (the successor to Hubble).

In addition, Dr. Bhatia promoted the application of technologies for humanitarian purposes. He instigated a program for the simultaneous integration of satellite cartography, GSP tracking, telecommunications and telemedicine to support the logistical management of delivering antiretrovirals for HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. He participated in a research program looking at the application of terahertz imaging for detection of anti-personnel landmines for humanitarian demining. He pursued a Masters degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge, where he researched the uses of information technologies by transnational social movements to advance the recognition of human rights in the global South.

Dr. Bhatia has volunteered for many years with a number of non-governmental organizations, including the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network and Amnesty International. He also set up educational outreach projects at the California Institute of Technology. At Cambridge University he organized the local chapter of the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots & Shoots program.

Dr. Bhatia joined The Scholar Ship in 2006. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He lives in London in the company of his daughter Giulia and wife Laura.