4th Annual SPUK Conference
29 April to 2 May 2005, Imperial College, London
'Lessons from the Bomb:
Can science provide a secure and sustainable world?'
Student Pugwash UK (SPUK) will host the 4th Annual SPUK Conference from 29 April to 2 May
2005 at Imperial College, London. 2005 is the World Year of Physics, but it is also the 60th
commemoration of the explosions of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombs, the 50th
anniversary of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto and 10 years since Pugwash received the Nobel
Peace Prize along with Sir Joseph Rotblat for work in nuclear disarmament. This Conference
aims to take stock of the role of science in the quest for sustainability and security, and to trace
possible trajectories that current policies hold for the future. We are saluting the work of the past,
but rolling up our sleeves as the next generation.
The conference will consist of plenary sessions where invited speakers will address the conference
and answer questions from participants. There will also be working group sessions where
participants split into smaller groups to discuss one of 5 working group topics (see below). You
will be asked on the registration form to indicate your preference of working group participation.
A working group rapporteur reports back to the conference in the second last plenary session and
this is followed by a discussion of his/her report.
The conference is open for all students and young professionals interested in science, ethics and
world affairs.
The Committee and delegates wish to thank the sponsors for their continuing support for the
Student Pugwash UK conferences:
The British Pugwash Trust
NEXUS / Institute of Physics
Imperial College Union
Friday, 29 April
Attend British Pugwash public event with guest speaker:
Ana Maria Cetto, Deputy Director General and Head of Department of Technical Co-Operation,
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Discussions with British Pugwash members and
Prof. Cetto afterwards. (confirmed)
Venue will be confirmed
Followed by social event at Imperial College Union
Saturday, 30 April
8:00
8:30
8:40-10:00
Coffee/Tea
Welcome
Plenary session 1: “Reflecting on the Role of Science: 60, 50, 10 Years later”, Prof.
Sir Joseph Rotblat, Honorary President, Pugwash Conferences on Sciences and
World Affairs, Nobel Laureate (confirmed)
10:30-12:30 Plenary session 2: Science, Policy and Sustainability (Panel)
Dr. Glen Kendal, Science Policy Consultant, White House Official for Nixon
Administration, Environmental Protection Agency (confirmed)
Speaker on International Tokamak Experimental Reactor (Iter) (tbc)
12:30-14:00 Lunch
14:00-16:00 Working groups
16:15-17:45 Plenary session 3: Ms. Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty “Civil liberties and
human rights in a techno/terrorist world”
18:00-19:00 Mayors for Peace DVD / Working groups
19:00
Dinner
Sunday, 1 May
8:00
9:00-10:45
11:00-13:00
13:00-14:00
14:00-16:00
16:00-17:30
17:30-19:00
19:30
Coffee/Breakfast
Working groups / finalise reports
Panel session 4: Technology, Policy and Security (Panel)
Prof. John Naughton, academic and journalist. He is a Senior Lecturer in Systems
at the Open University, and since 1987 has written a weekly column for the Observer
which has won him several major awards including three nominations as Critic of the
Year. He is also a Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge and the Director of the
College's Press Fellowship Programme (Bio from:
http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/5627-0/author-John-Naughton.htm) (tbc)
Dr. Susan Martin, Department of War Studies, King's College London
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/wsg/prospectus/staff/sm.html (confirmed)
Lunch
Plenary session 5: Working Group Reports
Nuclear Weapons Awareness Programme; S/Y Pugwash UK Matters / Campus
reports / Election of new SPUK coordinator / Next Conference
Film: The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. MacNamara
Conference dinner
Monday 2 May
Visit to British Museum, Imperial War Museum / ISYP Board meeting
Working Group Topics
1. Nuclear Terrorism: Real Threat or Bogyman?
2. The Ethical Considerations of Biomedical Science in the 21st Century
3. Intellectual Property Rights and its impact on poor/developing countries
4. ID cards: Neutral technology, security imperative or Big Brother’s clasp?
5. Peak Oil Supplies: Are we running out?
Where?
We will be hosting the conference in the Imperial College Union building, with ample space in the
plenary hall, and well-equipped seminar rooms for the workshop discussions. Getting there:
Imperial College is situated in West London, in South Kensington. The Union building is on
Prince Consort Road, and details can be found on www.union.ic.ac.uk. A map can be seen on
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=526599&Y=179403&A=Y&Z=1
The nearest tube is South Kensington, and the bus routes of interest are: 14, 49, 74 and 345 (to S.
Ken) and 9, 10, 52 (to the Royal Albert Hall). There is covered cycle parking at the venue.
Accommodation:
Participants are required to make their own accommodation arrangements. Cheap accommodation
in London is very difficult to find. We are currently applying for sponsorships. This may allow
us to offer accommodation subsidies of up to 20 pounds per night for students not resident in
London. If you want to apply for such a subsidy, please indicate it on the registration form.
We advise that you research accommodation in the list below, starting with the first. We have not
vetted these locations, merely selected them based on proximity to the conference venue and the
respective cost. If you all choose to go to similar places, there will be colleagues to walk to and
from the conference with, etc etc, creating a sense of community.
Baden-Powell House Hostel
£32 per night
Breakfast included
Opposite Natural History
Museum
2 minutes walk from college
Holland House (Youth
Hostel)
£21.60 per night
Breakfast included
Holland Park
20 minutes walk from college
Earl's Court (Youth Hostel)
£19.50 per night
Breakfast available
38 Bolton Gardens, Earl's
Court
20 minutes walk from college
Those are the nearest Youth Hostels. If they fall through for any reason we could look at
inexpensive local hotels such as Eden Plaza and the Stuart Hotel, £32.50 and £35 per night
respectively.
Meals:
Most meals will be provided by the organisers (see conference programme).
Registration fee:
If you register before 15 April £10
If you register after 15 April: £20
Conference fees are welcome by cheque, payable to Imperial College Union, or you can pay with
cash at Registration, provided you are prepared to pay £20.
Deadline:
The last day for registration is: 20 April 2005
We will meet on Friday afternoon, 29 April at the Pugwash meeting. Venue and time will be
confirmed.
We regret that we cannot provide any letters to UK High Commissions for visa purposes for
participants outside the UK to enter the UK unless they are members of a national
Student/Young Pugwash group.
You can also access this info on Imperial Student Pugwash website:
http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/scc/pugwash/4thSPUK.html
Info for convenors: http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/scc/pugwash/pdfs/Convenor.doc
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------REGISTRATION FORM
Please copy and paste the registration form into an email message, complete the form and return to
Tom Tibbits (thomas.tibbits@imperial.ac.uk)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name:
Institution/University/Profession/Interest:
Tel. No. (in case of emergency):
Email address:
Indicate any food preferences (e.g. vegan or vegetarian):
Choice of working group (Please indicate with 1 to 5 in order of preference with 1 being first choice
and 5 being your last choice)
Working group topic
Preference
Nuclear Terrorism: Real Threat or Bogyman?
The Ethical Considerations of Biomedical Science in the 21st Century
Intellectual Property Rights and its impact on poor/developing countries
ID cards: Neutral technology, security imperative or Big Brother’s clasp?
Peak Oil Supplies: Are we running out?
Do you want to be considered for an accommodation subsidy? Yes/No
Do you want to be considered for the position of rapporteur in your chosen working group? Yes/No