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Student Pugwash USA
Home of Student Pugwash and the Rotblat Society
  • Who We Are
    • Student Pugwash
    • The Rotblat Society
    • The Pugwash Movement
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    • The Pugwash Approach

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  1. Home
  2. Who We Are
  3. The Pugwash Movement

The Pugwash Movement

Pugwash consists broadly of two networks run by Student Pugwash USA, plus programs and events run by three more sibling Pugwash organizations:

  • Student Pugwash: our flagship program of student members, generally but not always organized in chapters, holding events and taking action at their schools and universities, and on a larger interchapter scale in regional and national programs and projects.
  • The Rotblat Society: our general membership program for "post-educational" members (we don't like to say "older") and Student Pugwash alumni who wish to support student programs or get involved in similar activities. In order to promote mentorship and useful networking, all Student Pugwash members are automatically members of the The Rotblat Society.

    Student Pugwash and Rotblat programs are grassroots and membership-driven, decided by the interests of our members and the chapters and ad-hoc groups they organize.

  • There are other organizations in the Pugwash Movement: 
     
    • The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, also known as "Senior Pugwash" (within Student Pugwash, anyway), is dedicated to issues of international security, especially existential and genocidal threats to humanity. We were founded to replicate their model at the student level, although in the years since we've taken on a somewhat broader topical area and operate very differently. The Pugwash Conferences manage an ongoing conference series and workshops, and maintain an international network of national Groups operating in many countries. In 1995, Senior Pugwash shared the Nobel Peace Prize with one of their co-founders and long-term President, Joseph Rotblat. Our general membership program is named in his honor and memory (and with his permission).
    • International Student/Young Pugwash (IS/YP) is the umbrella organization for all Student Pugwash groups around the world, including us. Each national group has its own character, interests, and methods of operation. 
    • The Thinkers Lodge in Pugwash, Nova Scotia is the site of the first meeting of the Pugwash Conferences, and obviously the name of the town was subsequently adopted as the name of the Conferences and all later Pugwash organizations. It is now a Canadian National Historical Site, in use as a conference venue (as well as weddings and bar mitzvahs). It hosts an excellent museum of Pugwash artifacts, including the Nobel Peace Prize medallion won by the Pugwash Conferences and Joseph Rotblat.

For historical reasons, "Student Pugwash USA" is the legal name of our 501(c)3 nonprofit, but our Student Pugwash and Rotblat Society programs are not limited to US borders. Our members outside the US are encouraged to also become involved with their local national groups and IS/YP, and all IS/YP students and alumni are welcome as members here. Our Rotblat network operates internationally wherever there is interest. If you're a citizen outside the US or living abroad, we'll connect you to IS/YP and other activities in your region.

It should be noted that colloquially, we in Student Pugwash USA frequently call ourselves "Student Pugwash" or just "Pugwash." This should not be taken to mean that we speak for any other Pugwash group, or that we coordinate them; it's just shorthand. When we're working with other Pugwash groups or otherwise in a situation where there might be confusion, we use the full name. We know this is confusing—if it's not clear which Pugwash someone is referencing, just ask.

Take Action

  • Become a Member
  • Member Login

News and Updates

  • Members-only blog posts and updates on our discussion site
    4 months 1 week ago
  • Where to find older posts
    4 months 3 weeks ago
  • Information for new members
    4 months 3 weeks ago
  • Welcome to the website
    4 months 3 weeks ago

Upcoming Events

Events listings: coming soon, examples follow

  • Vaccine Release or Newly Competent Public Health Governance Day, hopefully soonish
  • Frolicking in the Streets Day, immediately thereafter
  • Pugwash debates on the ethics of vaccine distribution and/or frolicking, the following week

Contact Us

700 12th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20005 USA

+1 (202) 794-6928

spusa@spusa.org

Student Pugwash USA is a 501(c)3 organization registered in Washington, DC, USA.

© 2020 Student Pugwash USA. Explicitly named authors of contributed portions of the site retain copyright to their work. All rights reserved.

Beta Notice

The Student Pugwash and Rotblat Society membership programs, and this website, were launched in Summer 2020, and both are still "in beta" while we figure out what works best for our membership, and how to leverage this site for those programs.

Like everyone else, we're determining how to respond to COVID-19 and how it is impacting campus life, extracurriculars, and the best ways we can bring programs to our members and have them come to us with their ideas.

We welcome questions and constructive criticism, as well as requests for help and support from our membership. 

Privacy Notice and Help

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If you have questions about our organization, policies, or programs, drop a line to contact@spusa.org.

If you find an issue with the website or need help navigating it, get in touch with webadmin@spusa.org.