ABOUT
Dr. Jonathan Banks, aka Pracaranada das, is a geo-scientist, educator, aspiring bhakta and fledgling karateka. He has a B.A. and an M.S.T (Masters of Science Teaching) from the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Florida. Subsequently, he received a Doctorate in Natural Sciences (Dr. rer nat) from the Freie Universität Berlin in Berlin, Germany. Pracarananda is currently employed as the Director of Geothermal Energy Research at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta; Canada. In 2019, he accepted the service of Director of Operations and Editor-in-Chief for the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies in Gainesville, FL.
SEMINAR
The Bhaktivedanta Institute for the 21st Century
This seminar discusses the Bhaktivedanta Institute’s role in ISKCON in the 21st Century. We will present our recent work creating active sanga among scientific-minded devotees and our long-term vision for enabling scientists and other academics to appreciate Krishna Consciousness. Front-line preachers, devotees generally interested in modern science, and devotees who want to learn about the scientific basis of Krishna Consciousness will benefit from this seminar. We will review and provide fresh insights into Srila Prabhupada’s desires for the Bhaktivedanta Institute and how these desires intersect cutting-edge issues in modern science. We will discuss strategies for meaningful dialogue with the scientific community and empower attendees with tools for engaging in their own preaching work. There will be ample time for group discussion with our devotee-scientists.