Student Pugwash USA
An interesting conference announcement turned up in my email late last week, from Student Pugwash USA announcing its 14th National Conference on Science and Social Responsibility: Promoting the Integrity of Science.
Its web site states:
Student Pugwash USA (SPUSA) is an educational, nonprofit organization that strives to add a dimension to scientific study that goes beyond formulas and figures. Activities encourage young people to probe the reasons for scientific advancement and the implications of technology on citizens' everyday lives.
While examining all sides of an issue, SPUSA increases students' ability to think independently about the issues that affect society -- issues that range from international conflict to environmental protection, from genetics research to civil rights. SPUSA focuses on the interplay that lies at the juncture of science, technology, and public policy.
The 14th National Conference celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. The Pugwash Conferences were prominent in the 1950s and 1960s, at the height of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear warfare. According to Wikipedia,
The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs is an international organization that brings together scholars and public figures to work towards reducing the danger of armed conflict and to seek solutions to global security threats. It was founded in 1957 by Joseph Rotblat and Bertrand Russell in Pugwash, Nova Scotia following the release of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto in 1955. Pugwash and Rotblat jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995 for efforts on nuclear disarmament. International Student/Young Pugwash groups have existed since 1979.
The Pugwash Conferences, and the bridge between contending world powers that they represented, were an important part of the scientific-political landscape when I was a student and young faculty member. I'm delighted to learn that the tradition is being vigorously carried on by today's generation of students. I was particularly impressed by the SPUSA Pledge
I promise to work for a better world, where science and technology are used in socially responsible ways. I will not use my education for any purpose intended to harm human beings or the environment. Throughout my career, I will consider the ethical implications of my work before I take action. While the demands placed upon me may be great, I sign this declaration because I recognize that individual responsibility is the first step on the path to peace.
This is the kind of engagement between academic and public issues that our contemporary world needs so badly.