On March 4, 1969, scientists engaged in military research at the University of Washington and other campuses strike or hold meetings to discuss the uses and misuses of scientific knowledge. Some 200 faculty members from science and engineering departments at the University of Washington take part.
The UW faculty members declared "an examination of the alternatives to the present applications of science and technology." The full day of discussions were part of a nationwide movement called "the Declaration of March 4," which began at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The declaration sought to determine the political implications of science and technology research, to turn research away from military technology and toward the environment and social progress, to oppose ill-advised and hazardous projects, and to organize scientists into an effective political action group. The UW declaration expressed alarm at the possibility of a nuclear arms race escalation.
Sources:
Walt Crowley, Rites of Passage: A Memoir of the Sixties in Seattle (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1995), 266; Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 5, 1969, p. 2, 13.
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