Student Pugwash USA
| Founded | 1979 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Jeffrey Leifer |
| Type | Public charity in the United States of America |
| Focus | Ethics; STEM; Social responsibility |
| Location | |
| Origins | Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs |
|
Area served
|
United States of America |
| Product | Workshops, Conferences, Student Chapters, Multimedia, Fellowships |
| Method | Student involvement |
|
Key people
|
Jeffrey Leifer, Founder; Alan McGowan, Emeritus Board Chair; Sharlissa Moore, Board Chair; Kyle Gracey, President |
| Slogan | "Learn to think in a new way." |
| Website | http://www.spusa.org/ |
Student Pugwash USA engages students to promote the socially responsible use of science and technology in the 21st century. The organization uses a chapter-based model on U.S. college campuses, in addition to other student-focused events run by the national Board of Directors. The student members discuss the ethical, social and global implications of advances in these fields and explore the pursuit of socially responsible careers involving science and technology. SPUSA is the U.S. affiliate of International Student/Young Pugwash and the US student affiliate of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, recipients of the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize.
As an educational nonprofit organization, SPUSA does not adopt advocacy positions on policy or political issues or candidates. The organization posits that, in order to create effective social change, students must first understand the issues at stake, then contemplate their ethical and moral responsibility to themselves and to society as a whole. Its stated purpose is not to advance a particular ethical viewpoint regarding scientific and technological issues, but rather to encourage students to consider ethics when thinking about the role of science and technology in society.
SPUSA was founded in 1979 by UC San Diego student Jeffrey Leifer, with the fundamental belief that young people play a vital role in determining the socially responsible application of science and technology. In 1955 Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, and other eminent scientists issued a manifesto urging scientists to "think in a new way" about their moral responsibilities in the nuclear age. In 1957, the first Pugwash Conference was held in Pugwash, Nova Scotia, bringing together some of the greatest scientific minds to address nuclear weapons issues and the social responsibility of scientists. SPUSA strives to convene the next generation of scientists around today's parallel issues.
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