Consciousness and its Measures

The conference Consciousness and its Measures took place at St. Raphael Hotel in Limassol, Cyprus from the 29th of November to 1st of December, 2009. The conference was made up by the joint workshop for COST actions Neuromath (BM601) headed by Prof. Fabio Babiloni and Consciousness (BM605) headed by Prof. Axel Cleeremans. The local organizers were Prof. Andreas A. Ioannides (AAI Scientific Cultural Services Ltd.) and Prof. Fofi Constantinidou (University of Cyprus).

The conference brought together over 100 delegates from almost every EU country and some from as far away as North America, Japan and Australia. The represented scientific disciplines included philosophy and psychology, medicine, physics, engineering and mathematics. Many delegates represented internationally recognized universities, research institutes and private enterprises.

The six keynote speakers were world authorities in their fields and together with the 20 oral presentations and 40 posters provided an overview of a very active research field and valuable insights across the different disciplines. There was also a great deal of original research material presented at the conference that sparked debates about the working definitions for consciousness and its usage in medicine and the law. The conference therefore reflected the latest trends in the consciousness research at the interface of neuroscience, medicine and philosophy, and included didactic insights about what the array of non-invasive imaging technologies can and cannot tell us about the working brain. 

Equally memorable was the social constituent of the event, with the cultural field excursion to the spectacular ancient Roman City Kingdom of Curium and the amazing performances by the actor Michalis Koromias and Prof. John G. Taylor in the ancient amphitheatre. The conference Gala dinner in the tavern, were the participants enjoyed traditional Greek meze and home-made wine, was accompanied with live traditional music and dances.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The effort of the distinguished keynote speakers and lecturers and all delegates who contributed to the success of the conference is greatly appreciated. Special thanks are also due to the conference sponsors who made services and cultural special events possible contributing to the excitement and unique atmosphere that characterized each one of the three days of the conference.