Twenty-Five Years of Scientific Research Sponsored by the Joint Services Electronics Program at Harvard University
N. Bloembergen, J. A. Pierce, R. W. P. King · 1973
Military researchers were studying radiofrequency hazards and shielding techniques over 50 years ago, establishing early institutional recognition of EMF risks.
Plain English Summary
This 1973 technical report documented presentations given at Harvard University's Joint Services Electronics Program annual review meeting in May 1972. The report focused on radiofrequency shielding and potential hazards, marking 25 years of military-sponsored electronics research at the university.
Why This Matters
This historical document represents an important milestone in the recognition of radiofrequency hazards by military and academic institutions. The fact that the Joint Services Electronics Program was dedicating resources to studying RF shielding and hazards as early as 1972 demonstrates that concerns about electromagnetic field effects were being taken seriously by defense researchers decades before consumer wireless technology became ubiquitous. What makes this particularly significant is the military's practical need to understand RF hazards for personnel safety and equipment protection. This early institutional acknowledgment of RF hazards provides important historical context for today's debates about wireless technology safety, showing that electromagnetic field concerns have deep scientific and institutional roots rather than being recent phenomena driven by consumer anxiety.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Show BibTeX
@article{twenty_five_years_of_scientific_research_sponsored_by_the_joint_services_electro_g5939,
author = {N. Bloembergen and J. A. Pierce and R. W. P. King},
title = {Twenty-Five Years of Scientific Research Sponsored by the Joint Services Electronics Program at Harvard University},
year = {1973},
}