🚀 go-pugleaf

TOUGH QUESTIONS - WINTER 1993

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EDUCATING FOR LEADERSHIP : OUR HOPE
BY RICHARD B. BRYANT, Jr.

     I sat on my sofa recently and watched `A   Place Called 
Hope` on Charles Kuralt`s Sunday Morning.  We had just elected a 
new president from Hope, Arkansas.  Speaking to the hearts of 
Americans, our new standard bearer campaigned for change and 
spoke of understanding the pains that many have felt and the 
gravity of the need to `turn this nation around.`  We can turn 
this nation around, but it will take more than just the adept 
efforts of policy-makers in Washington and state capitals.  It 
will take the willingness of each and every citizen of this 
country to consider different models by which we educate our 
young people - models that foster and stimulate new thinking.  
At visionary educational institutions throughout the land this 
important question is being addressed: How do we prepare our fu-
ture leaders  to think in new ways?

     In 1988 the first high school chapter of Student Pugwash 
USA was established at Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy 
(IMSA) to foster the intellectual and ethical developments of 
students.  The young people assembled in this dynamic educa-
tional community have embraced Student Pugwash as a forum for 
dialectic, for intellectual challenge and discussions centering 
on change essential for our survival and advancement within an 
interdependent world.  Albert Einstein`s charge to `learn to 
think in a new way` is, in many respects, being actualized at 
IMSA.  The Academy is developing decidedly different learners - 
students who think critically, conduct research, identify and 
solve problems, and see and understand the context of the whole 
picture rather than just part of a situation.

     This new way of thinking spells great hope for the futures 
of IMSA students as leaders. But how about change within educa-
tional systems throughout the United States?  Are there develop-
ments at IMSA which hold potential for influencing educational 
systems across America?  Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall, Executive 
Director of IMSA and President of the Association for 
Supervision and Curriculum Development, stated the following at 
the Wingspread Conference on Problem-Based Learning which was 
co-sponsored by IMSA, the Hitachi Foundation and the Johnson 
Foundation in May 1992:

`While we know there is no `magic bullet,` a growing number of 
educators believe that applying the concepts of problem-based 
learning (PBL) may indeed hold the key to real change in the way 
we enable students to learn.  Problem-based learning may well be 
the secret to enhancing our students` capacity for meaning, un-
der-standing, creativity, self-reflection, analysis and evalua-
tion.  It holds the promise of allowing all students to find 
relevance and excitement in learning, ultimately enabling them 
to confront complex, real-world problems in a thoughtful, re-
flective and ethical manner.` 

     This article examines how problem-based learning, one model 
currently being used at IMSA and at several other pilot loca-
tions throughout the United States, can contribute broadly to 
educational systems throughout the country.

Characteristics of Problem-Based Learning
     Problem-based learning, where exposure to a problem comes 
before anything else, is based on the use of ill-structured 
problems.  Ill-structured problems, because they are real-world 
problems, are characterized by the following:
* More information will be needed than is initially  available 
to understand what is occurring, and to decide what, if any, ac-
tions are required for resolution.
* Since every problem and problem solver is unique, there is no 
absolutely right way or fixed formula for conducting an investi-
gation.
* As new information is obtained, the problem changes.
* You can never be 100% sure you have made the `right` decision 
because important information may be lacking, data or values may 
be in conflict; but decisions have to be made.

     Initially, students receive very little information.  They 
are put in the role of professional problem solvers; instead of 
tidy case studies, students are confronted with undefined prob-
lems, incomplete information and unasked questions.  The situa-
tions demand problem solving: defining and detailing, creating 
hypotheses, searching for and scanning data, refining hypotheses 
with the help of the collected data, conducting empirical exper-
iments when appropriate, creating solutions that fit the condi-
tions of the problem, and then evaluating and/or justifying 
their solutions so there is reason to expect conditions will im-
prove.

Problem-Based Learning in Medical Education 
     Much of IMSA`s work in problem-based learning has been 
based on the work of Dr. Howard Barrows, Associate Dean of 
Educational Affairs and professor and Chair of the Department of 
Medical Education at Southern Illinois University.  His interest 
stems from earlier experiences in which he observed residents 
who could not apply what they supposedly learned in their 
coursework to real-world medicine.  Barrows went on to develop 
problem-based medical education programs, in which students 
could `practice and perfect their reasoning skills.`  Despite 
potential difficulties, Barrows supports experiments with prob-
lem-based learning for younger students stating, `if there is an 
expectation that knowledge acquired in schools should be useful 
and applied to life and career, and if there is an expectation 
that students should assume responsibility for self-education, 
then I really do feel that at the high school level problem-
based learning is probably an appropriate thing to use.`

An Ill-Structured Problem: Jane`s Baby
     One of the ill-structured problems investigated by students 
in IMSA`s award-winning Science, Society and the Future (SSF) 
course was the following:
     You are the head of pediatrics at a large city hospital.  
Jane Barton first came to you for help two weeks ago after she 
and her husband received the results of tests ordered by her 
family doctor.  The tests indicate that Jane and Ralph`s baby is 
anencephalic.  The couple is concerned about the fetus and won-
ders what to do if Jane cannot deliver a normal, healthy infant.  
Doctor, what will you do about Jane`s baby?

     Such a `problem` is complex to say the least.  Anencephaly 
is a congenital absence of all or a major part of the brain.  In 
investigating this problem, students had to research issues re-
lated to the accuracy of medical testing, nature of the disease, 
short- and long-term prognoses, abortion, laws regarding organ 
donations and fetal tissue research, legal issues for the hospi-
tal, religious views of the couple, etc.  Four questions drive 
the students` work: What`s going on?  What do we know?  What do 
we need to know?  What should we do?

     William Stepien, social science teacher and director of the 
Center for Problem-Based Learning at IMSA, said the goal of the 
SSF course is not to change a student`s opinion on a controver-
sial issue.  `We were concerned that the course stay away from 
indoctrination into a particular ethical stance,` he said.  `We 
do, however, want students to develop a broader set of reasons 
for why they believe what they do and to gain a broader perspec-
tive on the impact of their individual decisions.`

Problem-Based Science Units
     Stepien acknowledges that there are those who question if 
problem-based learning can work in traditional schools, with 
elementary and junior high students, and with high school stu-
dents of lower academic abilities.  Virginia teachers  Bill 
Orton, Becky Crossett, Kathy Morrison and Ira Rosenkrantz, at 
Rawls-Byrd, EXTEND Center, Chickahominy and DeWitt Clinton re-
spectively, hope their experiences with problem-based learning 
will help silence the critics.  All have seen firsthand its 
power in their classrooms.

     Orton, who teaches second grade at Rawls-Byrd, said prob-
lem-based learning was especially effective in teaching his stu-
dents about `systems.`  In trying to save their planet`s dying 
ecosystems, students learned about planetary systems, ecosys-
tems, political systems, and their classroom group as a system, 
Orton said.  `In the course of their research, they examined im-
portant concepts such as elements, boundaries and interdepen-
dence, all of which are key to understanding any system,` he 
said.

Leukemia, Nuclear Energy and HIV
     The EXTEND Center serves gifted and talented students in 
grades 3-8 from the York County, Virginia, public schools.  
Crossett, chairperson of the Center, teaches seventh and eighth 
graders.  Her students started with the `problem` of whether to 
tell a young leukemia patient that one of her friends with a 
similar condition had died.  The actual unit was not leukemia, 
but nuclear energy; initially students were not told this. 

     Their research, which began with examination of hospital 
records, eventually led to questions about the safety of a nu-
clear weapons station.  Students investigated reports of a leak-
age of radioactive waste into the water system.  `Through their 
research, students learned about the good and bad, pros and cons 
of nuclear energy,` Crossett said.  Their final task was to pre-
pare and present testimony to a panel of experts on whether to 
expand the weapons station.  The panel included real-life nu-
clear physicists, physicians and public health officials.  `The 
problem was relevant to the real world; students took responsi-
bility for their research,` Crossett said.  `They went more in-
depth and learned from each other.  Problem-based learning al-
lows you to take the students` thinking, come in from the back 
door, and help them get turned on,` she added.

     Morrison, who teaches life science to a group of mixed 
ability seventh graders, reports problem-based learning enabled 
her students to develop and show high level thinking skills that 
were not apparent when they began the problem.  In researching 
HIV, students learned a great deal about cell biology, microor-
ganisms and transmission of disease.  `By the end, they could do 
it, and they were turned on to science,` Morrison said.

PBL for Disenfranchised Students
     Rosenkrantz, Assistant Principal for Science and Health 
Careers at DeWitt Clinton High School, tried problem-based 
learning in his tenth grade human biology class.  His students 
were not known for their academic prowess.  In fact, they were 
considered the `slowest class`  because all had failed the 
state`s Regents Competency Test science exam.  Rosenkrantz, who 
himself once was skeptical about the use of problem-based learn-
ing for so-called `slow learners,` is no longer a doubter.  In 
researching one of their problemsQhow to prevent pneumonia, tu-
berculosis and diphtheriaQRosenkrantz`s students learned the 
difference between helpful and harmful bacteria, how to kill 
harmful bacteria and how helpful bacteria benefit the world.  `I 
tried it and I was shocked,` he said.  `I got great participa-
tion instead of listening to...silence.`

     It is in this potential to serve `disenfranchised students`  
that Felicia Lynch sees the greatest promise for problem-based 
learning.  Lynch, former Senior Vice President of the Hitachi 
Foundation which funded IMSA`s Science, Society and the Future 
course, offered a broad definition of `disenfranchised` which 
includes minority, economically disadvantaged, children of chil-
dren, and children with no parents.  For them, `the problem-
based learning model provides legitimacy to the learning.  It 
breaks down artificial barriers between what goes on in the 
classroom and what goes on in their communities.  It also en-
ables students to become bi-cultural, to deal with and live in 
two cultures,` she said.  And, Lynch added, problem-based learn-
ing enables teachers to communicate a powerful message to stu-
dents:  I respect you to solve this.
  
IMSA Research on Problem-Based Learning
     IMSA has conducted several studies on problem-based learn-
ing, with promising results.  The research shows that students 
in Science, Society and the Future become better problem-solvers 
than their peers who do not take the course.  Studies have shown 
that SSF students were significantly more likely than other IMSA 
students to include careful problem definition as a part of 
their problem-solving and to expand the number of ethical ap-
peals they consider when confronted with a moral dilemma.

     An important question is whether students will be penalized 
on standardized tests if teachers sacrifice volume of fact-based 
information in favor of in-depth discovery-based exploration of 
a limited number of topics.  For two years IMSA has conducted 
studies comparing its problem-based and content-based American 
History classes.  Students` performance on a standard American 
history test was examined, comparing those who took problem-
based American history with those who took a more traditional 
content-based class.  The results were encouraging: students in 
the problem-based class performed better on average than the 
other IMSA students on the standardized test.  Students appar-
ently learned the information on their own during individual and 
group research related to the problem being studied.  `One pos-
sible interpretation of our finding is that because they learned 
facts on their own instead of getting them from the teacher, the 
information had more meaning,` Stepien explained.  And, he 
added, the more meaningful information is, the more likely it 
will be remembered and used at a later time.

     In considering learners within a life-long continuum of 
learning, it is imperative that we consider alternative curric-
ula and instructional methodologies which will promote the de-
velopment of students as leaders.  Problem-based learning is one 
alternative which holds great promise for the education of de-
cidedly different learners. As we welcome a new president, a 
president who envisions change as a constant rather than an ex-
ception, let`s consider the hope represented by changes within 
educational processes and systems, changes which are essential 
for `thinking in new ways.`


     Richard B. Bryant, Jr. serves as the Coordinator of College 
Counseling and Career Development at the Illinois Mathematics 
and Science Academy (IMSA).  Prior to coming to IMSA, Mr. Bryant 
worked with the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics 
and the North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education 
Network.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of the 
National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of 
Mathematics, Science and Technology.  With a particular interest 
in the intellectual and moral development of young people, he 
established the first high school chapter of Student Pugwash USA 
at IMSA in 1988 and has served as the chapter`s sponsor since 
that time.

TOUGH QUESTIONS - WINTER 1993
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FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

WELCOME TO WASHINGTON, PRESIDENT CLINTON!
BY BETSY FADER

`This is the first time in my voting history that I voted for a 
presidential candidate that won!`   `Finally I`m voting for a 
candidate rather than against an opponent!`  `This is the first 
time in a long time I actually feel excited about an election!`

     These were not uncommon phrases overheard on November 3, 
election day, 1992.  Well, at least not where I cast my ballot.  
(I vote in Baltimore, Maryland - 70% Democrat.)  As I stood in 
line at the polls for over 1-1/2 hours that Tuesday morning, and 
listened to the men and women around me commenting on the voter 
turnout (`Harry, can you believe this?  I haven`t seen a 
voter turnout like this in forty years!`), I was caught up in 
the collective feeling of enthusiasm of those around me, and 
overwhelmed by the potential for change.

     In these post-election months, many of us are now asking 
what the next four years will hold under a Clinton 
administration, and what changes are soon to be in store.  With 
transition teams in place and economic and science advisors in 
consultation, I wonder just how President-elect Clinton will go 
about solving the problems and challenges he has rather 
unluckily inherited.

     And yet, while the future is uncertain, I can still say I 
have never felt so inspired by a presidential election.  Beyond 
the possibilities afforded through a change in administration, I 
know that I, along with many in my peer group of students and 
young professionals, for the first time feel we have the ability 
to do something positive about the future, our  future.  Was 
this created by Clinton`s ethos of consensus-based decision 
making, or merely by the fact that a sense was instilled that 
positive change is in fact possible through both collaborative 
efforts and individual actions?  Perhaps it is a result of the 
collective perception that social problems will be addressed 
with renewed vigor and fresh ideas, if not increased budgets.

     From the perspective of a progressive, non-profit 
organization, the premise for optimism is equally great.  
Perhaps never before has the potential been so promising for 
collaboration between government and the not-for-profit sector.  
Given Mr. Clinton`s commitment to solving the country`s social 
ills, and Mrs. Clinton`s close association with the 
philanthropic world, opportunities for non-profit organizations 
to provide feedback to government leaders may present themselves 
more frequently and pervasively than ever.  It has been said 
that Mr. Clinton will look to the ideas and ideals of non-profit 
leaders and activists in addressing many of the country`s social 
problems left unattended in the previous administration (such as 
educational improvement, homelessness, health care reform, and 
urban renewal, among others).  That Mr. Clinton is likely to 
look outside of the traditional policy and decision-making 
circles for his answers to these problems, many of us would say, 
is a positive sign.  (I can certainly vouch for the excitement 
of this organization when we learned that a team of science 
advisors assembled for President-elect Clinton included several 
Student Pugwash USA and Pugwash Conference  leaders, including 
John Holdren, Jerome Wiesner, Herbert York, and Shirley Malcom.)

     Non-profit organizations, by their very nature, seek to 
illuminate and respond to social needs not adequately addressed 
by government, employing innovative, effective strategies to do 
so.  Government would be well-served to learn better how to do 
what we doQbe flexible, adaptive, creative and produce valuable 
services on a limited budget!  And, as government`s openness to 
philanthropic/non-profit perspectives is perceived by the 
public, it would not be unrealistic to look for an increase in 
citizen participation and activism in social causes.  Among 
other things, partnerships between the government and non-
profits will enable policy makers to better understand and more 
effectively serve the needs of the public.  

     A November 17, 1992 article in the Chronicle of 
Philanthropy noted, `People who have worked closely with Mr. 
Clinton say he will be most interested in non-profits that 
emphasize self-sufficiency and personal responsibility.` This 
interest, and President Clinton`s commitment to non-profit 
organizations,  may be realized through a variety of legislative 
and regulatory changes.  These include: tax-law changes aimed at 
helping charitable organizations, and a permanent tax break for 
individuals who donate appreciated property to such 
organizations; the creation of a trust fund from which students 
could borrow money for college that could be paid back through 
community service, including work at non-profits; and the 
creation of a White House office on social service organizations 
and volunteerism to coordinate the Administration`s efforts to 
work with the not-for-profit sector.  Such an office could 
address federal regulations governing non-profits and recommend 
tax policy revisions.  

     Many people have asked me what impact the Clinton 
administration will have on Student Pugwash USA.  Well, it 
probably won`t mean increased funding for SPUSA, given that a 
federal deficit of some $4 trillion confronts the new president.  
What I feel the Clinton administration does mean, however, is 
that young people will increasingly be called upon to address 
and help find solutions to social problems, and to set the 
course for the future.  As this transpires, organizations like 
Student Pugwash will benefit from the sense of empowerment and 
responsibility instilled by the Clinton ethosQthat positive 
change is possible, that we can work together to achieve it, and 
that personal commitment will make it happen.   Such an ideology 
is invaluable, and one this country can ill afford to do 
without.  Speaking only for myself, but from the viewpoint of 
director of this non-profit, I`d like to say, `Mr. Clinton, 
welcome to the White House!`

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     Betsy Fader is a 1985 graduate of Vanderbilt University 
where she studied political science and communications.  While 
at Vanderbilt, she served two years in the Student Senate and 
was later elected to the University`s Board of Trustees upon her 
graduation from the University.  Prior to her arrival at SPUSA, 
Betsy served as Parliamentary Assistant to a member of the House 
of Commons in London, England, and then as Legislative Assistant 
in a D.C. law firm.  In both positions, Betsy tracked 
legislation and developments in alternative energy and clean 
energy technology policy.  Betsy then served as legislative 
assistant at the Association of American Universities where she 
followed a variety of science and research issues, with specific 
concentration in biomedical research policy and policies 
regarding ethical conduct in research.  She has served as 
Executive Director of Student Pugwash USA since 1989.

TOUGH QUESTIONS - WINTER 1993

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INCREASING STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN COLLEGE/COMMUNITY 
PARTNERSHIPS
BY SHIRLEY M. McBAY

INTRODUCTION
     Student Pugwash USA is committed to increasing the accessi-
bility of our Chapter network, New Careers projects, and other 
existing programs to all interested individuals, and to identi-
fying avenues for personal involvement and responsibility in the 
resolution of critical global and social problems.  The Personal 
Plan of Action, designed to assist participants of our 1992 
International Conference in extending the Conference dialogue to 
their local communities, embodies one of the principal functions 
of Student Pugwash USA - to serve as a link between education 
and individual action.  The following article represents the vi-
sion of the QEM Network, an organization with whom we have col-
laborated in the past, and illustrates one possible way in which 
Student Pugwash USA members can play an increasingly pronounced 
role in facilitating the progression from social awareness to 
positive social change.


     The United States is struggling to maintain its place in an 
increasingly competitive global community while facing a major 
shift in demographics and a number of social crises (in educa-
tion, health care, poverty, homelessness, substance abuse, and 
white collar as well as street crime). These crises are posing 
threats of overwhelming proportions in both urban and rural ar-
eas. 

     Our nation`s college students represent an important and 
largely untapped reservoir of good will and energy. Students en-
tering college today are well aware of the social problems fac-
ing our country and appear highly motivated to become involved 
in solutions.  Community service centers can facilitate a life-
long commitment to service by undergraduates, thereby providing 
important role models for our next generation of young people. 
Such role models will be of particular value to students who are 
considered likely to drop out of school for reasons related to 
socioeconomic status.

     Many leading American colleges and universities - Spelman 
College, Stanford University, and the Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology (MIT) among them - support well-established community 
service centers as a primary means to achieve the goals of stu-
dent involvement in the local community and leadership develop-
ment. Such centers provide a focal point for volunteerism, as 
well as a nexus through which an institution and its students, 
faculty, and staff interact with organizations and people in the 
surrounding community. Through such centers, students, faculty, 
and staff not only provide time and services to help underserved 
community residents, but often develop deep involvement and a 
lifelong commitment to volunteering in such areas as education 
and literacy, health and medicine, and environmental and social 
issues.

     Community service centers can significantly increase the 
efficacy of community and student organizations as well as sig-
nal to the community that educational institutions have commu-
nity service as a priority.  Since a community service center on 
a college campus serves as a vital clearinghouse through which 
organizations can share information and enlist help, a center 
can sponsor and lend support to a whole gamut of organizations 
and interest groups. Community organizations can approach the 
university for help through the center where staff have the ex-
perience and student contacts.  The center, in effect, acts as a 
`marriage broker,` matching up students with community service 
opportunities that they otherwise might not find.  Through these 
services, centers eliminate duplication of efforts by student 
volunteer groups who might offer assistance to the same commu-
nity agencies.  They also improve access to information about 
opportunities for volunteers and provide a consistent quality of 
leadership that transcends the fluctuations of individual stu-
dents` interests and energy levels from year to year.  And most 
importantly, they increase the actual number of student volun-
teers. At MIT, for example, establishing the Public Service 
Center as the contact point for Cambridge School Volunteers 
helped increase student tutoring volunteers 200 percent Q MIT 
students have served as tutors for this organization for 23 
years.

The Need For Community Service Centers On Minority Campuses

     The Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network is seek-
ing to establish a network of community service centers at 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other 
Predominantly Minority Institutions (PMIs).  It is essential 
that minority students be provided opportunities and experiences 
that will prepare them for leadership roles in several arenas 
because (1) minority communities are disproportionately affected 
by the current crises, including the education crises, facing 
the country; (2) changing demographics affect the entire educa-
tional and economic systems of the country; and (3) such respon-
sibilities are integral to strong leadership and good citizen-
ship. 

     Establishing a network of community service centers on cam-
puses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and at in-
stitutions with predominantly Alaska Native, American Indian, 
Mexican American, and Puerto Rican student bodies will provide 
an important educational incentive that can serve to galvanize 
student energy into involvement in public service.  Through 
these centers, college and university students, faculty, and 
staff will be able to provide enriching and reinforcing educa-
tional support to low-income and minority children and youth in 
the local community. In many cases, centers will focus their ef-
forts on public housing in close proximity to the college or 
university. In particular, the centers will provide a structured 
mechanism through which students attending HBCUs and PMIs can 
respond to the call for public service and individual involve-
ment being heard across the country. Community service is an el-
igible activity for college work-study and some community ser-
vice centers are able to offer public service internships and 
fellowships, thus making it possible for students who have to 
work to also participate. Such centers help mobilize student 
commitment to community service while simultaneously helping to 
meet their financial needs. This is particularly necessary at 
predominantly minority colleges and universities where the over-
whelming majority of students must work or secure loans to help 
finance their college education.

Why Establish a Formal Network of College and University 
Community Service Centers?

     A formal network of centers can provide the coordination 
and the links necessary to bring students, faculty, staff and 
community organizations together on campuses throughout the 
country. Such a network at predominantly minority institutions 
will be a clear, visible demonstration of leadership by these 
institutions and their students in directly addressing the needs 
of their communities. A formal network of community service cen-
ters will enable the various institutions to share their re-
sources, organization, and successful project models. These cen-
ters can serve as models for other college campuses, minority 
and non-minority alike, that may be considering establishing 
public service centers.

     Many students are already involved in a number of estab-
lished centers on campuses around the country, as well as in 
high schools, churches, and other community-based organizations 
that support community service projects. In one such community, 
a college varsity basketball player volunteers at a neighborhood 
recreation center to coach an elementary school student team 
after school, while a varsity tennis player volunteers at a sum-
mer camp for local youngsters. During the same semester, members 
of a college fraternity `adopt` a local elementary school where 
the college students work individually with students as mentors 
and tutors. Other students volunteer with a local organization 
that provides food and shelter to homeless men and women.  The 
students provide major assistance in cooking, preparing thou-
sands of sandwiches, and helping on the trucks that drive 
through the city during the early evening hours to distribute 
the food.

     In each case of community service, the benefit is twofold: 
the student volunteers learn about their responsibility in the 
community and the recipients of service benefit from both the 
services given and the relationships established. When the ser-
vice involves undergraduates reaching out to elementary and sec-
ondary students, the impact on education is also twofold: fur-
thering the education of the students giving and the students 
receiving service.

     Most colleges and universities have student organizations 
that work with community groups and students who are already in-
volved in individual volunteer opportunities. By establishing a 
formal community service center, an institution strengthens its 
already established relationships between the campus and the 
surrounding community, develops new ties, and offers a visible 
forum and channel through which many students can become in-
volved in community service for the first time.


     Dr. Shirley M. McBay is President of the Quality Education 
for Minorities (QEM) Network. Prior to joining QEM, Dr. McBay 
served as Dean for Student Affairs at the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology (MIT) and as a member of the Spelman 
College faculty. The QEM Network is a non-profit, national orga-
nization based in Washington, D.C. that works to improve the ed-
ucation of minorities throughout the nation by serving as a fo-
cal point for the implementation of the recommendations outlined 
in the 1990 QEM Project Report, Education That Works: An Action 
Plan for the Education of Minorities. This Report, issued by the 
MIT-based Quality Education for Minorities Project, culminated a 
three-year effort to develop a comprehensive plan of effective 
strategies for delivering quality education to minorities. 
Copies of the Report and more information on the QEM Network can 
be obtained by calling 202/659-1818.

TOUGH QUESTIONS - WINTER 1993

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EDUCATING FOR THE WHOLE : MIND, BODY, AND SOUL
BY JOSE CAMBEROS

     Despite efforts at reform, modern society  remains a frag-
mented structure with deep social, political, and economic divi-
sions.  Because of its important role as a conduit for intellec-
tual, social and cultural values, educational reform is often 
considered a means for addressing these divisions.  As a result, 
we are presently focusing a great deal of attention on the need 
for education reform and improvement, usually by proposing spe-
cific changes in curricula, particular educational strategies, 
or various models for teacher-student interaction.  However, 
without the proper foundation, these reforms will not resolve 
the social crisis.

     A fundamental flaw of our educational system is the perva-
sive utilitarian (and materialistic) view that education is the 
means to a specific end, namely, the production of individuals 
capable of holding a career or profession that will provide eco-
nomic and material security.  Instead, a proper educational 
foundation ought to be concerned with cultivation of complete, 
whole human beings capable of productive, creative, and respon-
sible action within society.  In order to cultivate such indi-
viduals it will be necessary to adopt a categorical model for a 
holistic education which aims directly at the spiritual ideal of 
a unified mind and body.

     When refering to holism in education, the multi-talented 
individual or the Renaissance ideal of a talented polyglot is 
often evoked.  However, the essential features of these views 
reflect a hidden, special kind of humanity in which all our men-
tal, spiritual, and physical capacities are developed to func-
tion as a dynamic whole.  Thus, the foundations for an holistic 
education are built upon three unifying principles that are im-
plicit in all humanity regardless of race, gender, or culture.  
They are mind, body, and soul.  Therefore, the model for a 
holistic education contains three essential components, aesthet-
ics, athletics, and apologetics,  which aim at developing the 
capacities of the mind, body, and soul, respectively.

     Aesthetics is a form or rubric for intellectual activity 
designed to develop fully the formal and creative capacities of 
the mind.  It emphasizes unleashing fully the imaginative, cre-
ative, and intuitive powers of humanity through the cultivation 
of the capacities of the intellect.  This includes the tradi-
tional academic disciplines, with one fundamental and crucial 
distinction - all disciplines should be taught within their 
proper contextual, formal, and creative dimensions.  Hence, the 
history, philosophy, and technical mastery of the discipline 
should be included as part of the normal curriculum.  
Development of critical reasoning abilities and an interdisci-
plinary approach are an integral component of these ideals.

     Athletics refers to conditioning of the body.  It requires 
an understanding of its anatomy, capacities, and fundamental 
needs.  This component should promote an appreciation  and re-
spect for the beauty of the human body through physical condi-
tioning, current knowledge about health, nutrition, biological 
reproduction, and human sexuality.  Today, this important cate-
gory is not taken seriously enough and is lumped together with 
other extracurricular activities instead of being given its 
rightful position on par with the aesthetic category.  Simply 
put, a healthy body is a healthy mind and attitude.  
Appreciation and respect for the unique beauty of the human body 
increases the potential for the appreciation and respect for hu-
man diversity.

     Apologetics is a special category which seeks to address 
the need for communication, which lies at the heart of our spir-
itual needs.  We come to know our own soul only through the re-
flection we see in others.  This is only possible if we can com-
municate with them.  It seems that our present age has confused 
communication (verbal or otherwise) with the intellectual equiv-
alent of war.  Everything from intellectual discussions to ev-
eryday social discourse tends to become battlefields of argumen-
tation as if we were bent on humiliating our peers or loved ones 
by proving them wrong.  This is an extremely destructive pro-
cess.  Respect for an opposing view is the beginning of mutual 
understanding and true community.

     Education is capable of setting people free to enjoy life 
as well as derive a feeling of personal satisfaction by con-
tributing to the social whole.  Because holistic education is 
not a means to an end, but rather a dynamic process of lifelong 
growth, it promotes the ideal of continued cultivation and devo-
tion to the learning process.  Such devotion to the ideals of 
holistic education and constant critical concern for their prac-
tical implementation provides the necessary disciplined frame of 
mind to maintain unity of self and society.  Only when we under-
stand that society needs and values us do we impose the neces-
sary personal constraints to function properly within a commu-
nity.  Hence, a holistic education satisfies our spiritual need 
for individual integrity by imparting on us devotion to the 
unity achieved, of both self and society.

     Vocation provides us with the proper selfless nonmaterial-
istic motivation for a personal contribution to human survival, 
growth, and maturation.  When we undertake a particular journey 
of life, we manifest our creative and imaginative potential to 
their greatest extent when we feel that we are called to such a 
journey, which appeals to our power of volition.  Vocation does 
not tell us what we must do for materialistic survival as indi-
viduals.  Rather it grants us a more noble role in the survival 
of our species and hence satisfies our spiritual need to feel 
valuable within social communities.

     The model for a holistic education originates from the uni-
versal constituents of humanity:  mind, body, and soul.  The in-
tent is not engineering particular human products for the pur-
pose of material progress or worldly utility, but instead to 
catalyze what can only be called an awakening of the human 
spirit.  The message here is that we need to transform the way 
we think and feel about ourselves and the world from utilitar-
ian, materialistic, selfish concerns to a foundation of love--
love for life, for ourselves as part of the greater whole, and 
for the world.  The mind and body are one spirit.  We are nature 
and nature is us.  The next step in our evolutionary development 
must constitute such a transformation and fundamental change.  
Consciousness is both a great and terrible gift.  What we do 
with this gift is entirely a matter of our own choosing.  Let us 
choose with hope, honor, and dignity in our hearts.


     Jose Camberos received his Bachelor of Science degree in 
Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science and Engineering from 
the University of California, Berkeley, his Master of Science in 
Aeronautical Engineering and Master of Arts in the History and 
Philosophy of Science from Stanford University, and is currently 
a Doctoral candidate in Aeronautical and Astronautical 
Engineering at Stanford.  As a participant in SPUSA`s Seventh 
International Conference, Visions for a Sustainable World, Jose 
attended the working group on Educating for the Socially 
Responsible Use of Technology, contributing a research paper en-
titled `Implicit Gender Bias and Discrimination in the 
Intellectual Socialization of 20th Century Scientists and 
Engineers.`

TOUGH QUESTIONS - WINTER 1993

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National Student/Young Pugwash groups across the world vary in 
scope, ranging from full-time staffed organizations with various 
programs and chapter support services (such as Canadian Student 
Pugwash and Student Pugwash USA) to an informal core of students 
and young professionals who independently organize seminars and 
attend international conferences (such as Finnish Young 
Pugwash).  National S/Y Pugwash groups are encouraged to orga-
nize frequent local events, such as roundtable discussions, lec-
ture series, conferences, recycling programs, and other activi-
ties which address critical global issues.  The S/Y Pugwash 
movement and network aims to stimulate dialogue and promote edu-
cation and awareness on issues at the juncture of science, tech-
nology and society.  Activities should be carried out in the 
spirit of Einstein and Russel`s Pugwash Manifesto and the 
Dagomys Declaration.  The following updates provide a sampling 
of issues and activities currently being addressed by National 
Student/Young Pugwash groups across the world.
****************************************************************

RUSSIAN YOUNG PUGWASH
RYP is attempting to initiate an exciting new project, Three 
Worlds in Transition:  Quest for New Leaders. Produced in con-
junction with International Student/Young Pugwash coordinators, 
the plan calls for a joint education and training project that 
will provide talented young professionals from different coun-
tries with opportunities to collaborate on interdisciplinary 
projects in Russian communities.  Projects will focus on a range 
of issues including urban/rural planning, technology transfer, 
public health, and environmental assessment.  By the end of 
November, RYP anticipated formalizing an initial list of short-
term projects and professional requirements.  Project topics for 
the first phase include `Field Monitoring of Critical 
Environmental Zones with Radiological Pollution in the Urals, 
Kazakhstan, and Siberia` and `New Economic, Legal, and Public 
Framework for the Establishment of the Pereslavsky National Park 
in North-Central Russia`.

EGYPTIAN STUDENT PUGWASH
Formed in 1988, Egyptian Student Pugwash is a small chapter com-
posed of post-graduate students who meet bi-annually to share 
ideas about various STS topics.  Presently, a group of Egyptian 
Puggers now living in Germany is extending the Egyptian Pugwash 
activities to Berlin, where they recently held a conference on 
the Values and Benefits of Our New Medical Technology for Egypt 
and the Third World.

GERMAN STUDENT PUGWASH (BdSP)
At the 42nd Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs in 
Berlin, the BdSP presented the Declaration of the German Student 
Pugwash Group on Sustainability.  The Declaration suggests that 
global sustainability demands a greater commitment from the in-
dustrialized countries than from the Third World.  According to 
the Declaration, the industrialized nations` attempts to re-
structure international development fail to question the root of 
the problem and only provide symptomatic solutions. Instead, 
sustainability requires an approach to encourage new, less-con-
sumptive social behavior, and restructuring of the international 
political and economic structures to reflect global interdepen-
dency.  Copies of the Declaration may be obtained from the BdSP 
c/o IANUS, Institut fur Kernphysik, Schlobgartenstr.  9, D-6100 
Darmstadt, Germany.

UK STUDENT PUGWASH
UK Student Pugwash held two meetings this fall, both at the 
University of London.  Dr. Joseph Rotblat, President of the 
Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, discussed the 
Cold War and gave personal accounts of individuals involved in 
the nuclear weapons field. Dr. Rotblat pointed out the tendency 
of individuals who have grown up during the nuclear age to as-
sume nuclear weapons are a permanent threat to society.  As an 
alternative viewpoint, he introduced the `Senior` Pugwash pro-
ject examining the elimination of nuclear arsenals worldwide.  
The second meeting, led by Frank Blackaby, addressed European 
security issues.  Blackaby argued that current European armed 
forces remain unnecessarily large despite the dramatic changes 
in East-West relations.  In particular, he stressed the futility 
of Britain buying and developing new nuclear weapons.  

CANADIAN STUDENT PUGWASH
Canadian Student Pugwash hosted the 3rd International 
Student/Young Pugwash Conference, `Redefining Security in the 
Global Village,` in Pugwash, Nova Scotia, August 23-30.  
Students from all over the world gathered to focus on the  secu-
rity of the globe.  Participants concentrated on one of the fol-
lowing working groups: Meeting Basic Needs: Health, Nutrition, 
and Shelter; Violence and Human Rights; Assuming Responsibility 
for Education; Technology for Community Development; Managing 
the Global Commons; and After the Cold War: Regional Security 
and the Arms Race.

GHANAIAN STUDENT PUGWASH
As a result of a student from Ghana attending the 1992 
International Conference in Atlanta,  Ghana Student Pugwash is 
off and running at the University of Cape Coast!

STUDENT PUGWASH USA RESOURCE PACKET FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
In response to the many  inquiries and information requests from 
students around the world, which have arrived in Washington over 
the past year, Student Pugwash USA has developed the ISYP 
Resource Packet for interested individuals, containing materials 
designed to facilitate their introduction to and involvement 
with the International Student/Young Pugwash Network.  The ISYP 
Network is an informal relationship of the national S/Y Pugwash 
groups,  which aims to improve communication between groups 
around the world.  At present, the Network has no central base 
of operation, although many groups have discussed initiating an 
ISYP Network newsletter to promote regular and on-going communi-
cations.  Although Student Pugwash USA is not able to provide 
financial assistance to other national groups, the Resource 
Packet can help new S/Y Pugwash groups with many of the  topi-
cal, organizational and networking challenges they will face as 
they establish a new group.  The Resource Packet includes a sum-
mary of the ISYP Network, a Network contact list, a copy of the 
Pugwash Manifesto and the Dagomys Declaration, a country-spe-
cific contact list of individuals who are involved or have ex-
pressed interest in becoming involved in the ISYP Network, and 
much more!

TOUGH QUESTIONS - WINTER 1993

****************************************************************

PUGWASH CONFERENCES ON SCIENCE AND WORLD AFFAIRS UPDATE

     The first Pugwash Workshop on `Social Tensions and Armed 
Conflicts:  Ethnic and Other Aspects`  was held in Pugwash, Nova 
Scotia, Canada, August 20-22, 1992.  Twenty specialists from 
nine countries met  to examine the new global threats posed by 
ethnic conflicts in the aftermath of the Cold War.  This is 
especially evident in the former Soviet Union and Yugoslav 
Republic where, as new states emerge and struggle to acquire au-
tonomy after years of oppression, violence threatens to under-
mine any hopes for peace and democracy. The participants con-
cluded that in order to reduce the global threats of ethnic con-
flict it will be necessary first to prevent the conflicts from 
erupting into violence.  Second, the new international dimen-
sions of ethnic and cultural conflicts may require a new defini-
tion of the concept of sove

     Nearly 300 renowned scientists, diplomats, and academicians 
from around the world came together in Berlin, Germany, for the 
42nd Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs.  The 
Conference, entitled Shaping Our Common Future:  Dangers and 
Opportunities, was held during the week of September 11-17, 
1992, and represented a significant departure from previous 
Pugwash Conferences.  In addition to the `traditional` Pugwash 
objectives of nuclear disarmament, worldwide restructuring of 
the military, and global arms transfers, Conference working 
groups also addressed other, less conventional threats to inter-
national security, including population and migration, economic 
disparity, and environmental degradation.
reignty and a consequent reformation of the UN.  Finally, in a 
world where the traditional nation-state is caught between the 
conflicting forces of global integration and ethnic separatism, 
it is important to foster a new global consciousness among peo-
ple. 

TOUGH QUESTIONS - WINTER 1993

****************************************************************

STAFF NOTES

Marjo Curgus, Program Assistant
Joining the SPUSA staff in early October, Marjo came to D.C. 
from the sunny Southwest where she recently graduated from the 
University of New Mexico with a bachelor`s degree in Political 
Science and Art Studio.  Marjo has been a mentor for a high 
school government class, a tutor for junior high students, a 
volunteer with an environmental organization, and co-producer of 
a weekly New Mexican public affairs program.  Marjo has enjoyed 
her stay in the nation`s capital despite the fact she has been 
unable to locate any good green chile.

Evelyne Delori, National Chapter Coordinator
Evelyne joined the SPUSA staff in early June to coordinate the 
SPUSA Chapter Program.  Before coming to Student Pugwash USA, 
she was a student of cultural anthropology at Barnard College of 
Columbia University.  Evelyne spent five summers working with an 
organization called Amigos de las Americas, which gives young 
people the opportunity to work on public health projects in 
Latin America.  She spent two summers in Ecuador, two in 
Paraguay, and one in Mexico contributing to different aspects of 
community sanitation, dental education, and environmental educa-
tion initiatives.  She loves to travel, cook, and be outdoors!

Timothy Larson, Program & Development Coordinator
Before joining SPUSA, Tim worked for several years with World 
Game Institute and a private consulting firm focusing on energy 
conservation and defense conversion.  Tim joined the staff in 
August  1991, after graduating from the University of 
Pennsylvania where he had been an active member of the UPENN 
Chapter.  While in Africa in 1990, Tim organized a conference on 
international development in Senegal with fellow Pugger Dann 
Sklarew.  After organizing the 1992 International Conference in 
Atlanta, Tim has returned to Washington to develop new SPUSA 
programs and to help advise the new president.

Barry Lasky, Program Czar
Barry joined SPUSA right before the International Conference in 
June.  He graduated from Hampshire College in the Spring of 
1991, after completing his senior thesis, `Ice Capades:  The 
Political Geography of the Antarctic Treaty System`.  Barry 
edited the Conference issue of TQ, is currently Editor for the 
fourth edittion of the New Careers Directory, and, most re-
cently, changed his title to Program Czar because he thought it 
made him look taller.

Mike Smith, Management Director
Mike, who joined the National Office in August of 1991, gradu-
ated from Yale University with a bachelor`s degree in Chemical 
Engineering.  Mike has been abroad almost as much as he has been 
in the states, having spent time studying in both France and 
Switzerland.  Most recently, he spent a year in Thailand, where 
he worked in community and business development with Thailand`s 
largest non-profit organization.  In between, Mike gave the req-
uisite two years to the corporate sector, serving in the con-
sulting practice of Price Waterhouse in Washington, D.C. and 
Dallas.  Mike does a little of everything at SPUSA, from coordi-
nating Professional Pugwash and New Careers activities to help-
ing out with fundraising and financial management.

TOUGH QUESTIONS - WINTER 1993

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STUDENT PUGWASH USA NATIONAL UPDATES

1992 CHAPTER ORGANIZING WORKSHOP
     Between August 6-9, forty-one student leaders from twenty-
four schools met in New Windsor, Maryland, for the 1992 Chapter 
Organizing Workshop:  Leadership for a Sustainable Future.  
Students attended chapter development workshops, discussed is-
sues, and exchanged ideas on how to make the 1992-1993 school 
year an exciting one for Student Pugwash USA!   Student-run 
workshops focusing on how to run chapters more efficiently high-
lighted the expertise of veteran chapter members.  Students new 
to the Student Pugwash Chapter network contributed endless en-
ergy and enthusiasm.  In addition, Puggers  immensely  enjoyed 
an evening discussion led by Jane Fullarton, of the Institute of 
Medicine, on the ethical dimensions of the Human Genome Project.  
Students spent much of their informal time comparing strategies 
for chapter organizing.  Since the workshop this summer, partic-
ipants have effectively led their chapters in providing educa-
tional opportunities for students all over the country.

FALL 1992 PUGWASHington SEMINAR
Captalizing on its proximity to November 3, the 1992 
PUGWASHington Seminar provided seventeen students from around 
the country with the opportunity to jointly envision the world 
of the next four years.  The students joined government offi-
cials, lobbyists, public policy experts, and other professionals 
in Washington, DC, from October 14-17, to analyze The 1992 
Election and the Global Agenda. PUGWASHington participants ex-
plored a number of issues crucial to national and global sus-
tainability, from domestic problems such as `The Deterioration 
of our Urban Centers` and `The Education Crisis`, to the inter-
national challenge of identifying `The Critical Path to Global 
Security`.  Other highlights of the Seminar included: a visit to 
the Embassy of Mexico for a discussion of the economic and envi-
ronmental implications of a tri-lateral Free Trade Zone; a fol-
low-up debate with the USTR`s Deputy Assistant Trade 
Representative for the Environment and one of Governor Clinton`s 
chief environmental advisors;  examination of trends in defense 
spending and subsequent strategies for military conversion; and 
an analysis of the Earth Summit and some possible follow-up 
steps, including an innovative theory of environmental privati-
zation.

PROFESSIONAL PUGWASH
Professional Pugwash, our newest program for Student Pugwash USA 
alumni and `non-students` of all ages, offers individuals who 
have completed their formal academic training the opportunity to 
organize, together with other socially-committed professionals, 
a variety of local interdisciplinary activities and events.  A 
national Professional Pugwash network is currently developing, 
with several chapters already underway.  The Research Triangle 
(NC) and Washington, DC, chapters have organized a number of 
roundtable and dinner discussions focusing on such issues as the 
Human Genome Project, the global population crisis, telecommuni-
cations and national sovereignty, and the social impacts of eco-
nomic development in Africa.  For more information, or to ex-
press your interest in participating, please contact the Student 
Pugwash USA National Office.  We look forward to working with 
you on the expansion of this exciting program!