C.I.T. News

C.I. T. NEWS NUMEROUS ENDOWMENTS NOTED INCOME FROM $4,777,000 in endowment gifts to : the California Institute of Technology which have been made, or have matured, this past year will enable the Institute to keep its deficit for current operations for this year to a manageable size, Dr. Lee A. at Cominencement Dr. DuBridge said that in this amount the Institute expenses, specific research projects scholarships and fellowships totaling $295,712. gifts were separate from Endowment gifts were as follows: Bequest of John H. Eagle who left four-fifths of his residuary which is nearly completed, and which will yield proximately $3,500,000. Bequest of Henry M. Robinson of an endowment fund for work in Astrophysics amounting to $488,000. Bequest of Mrs. Louise E. Kerckhoff for a Wil-and Louise E. Kerckhoff Endowment Fund for work in biology, $400,000. Bequest of Mrs. David Lindley Murray to found an educational and scholarship fund in honor of her husband, $310,000. Gift of Frederick Roeser to establish a loan scholar- ship and research fund, Gift by Industrial Relations Counsellors of a fund collected from various industries to establish a Clarence J. Hicks Memorial Fellowship Fund in Industrial Relations, $20,000. Gifts for other than endowment were as follows: A national Foundation for Infantile Paralysis grant of $300,000 to be paid at the rate of $60,000 annually for five years for research in fields of biology and bio- A Rockefeller Foundation grant for work in chem-and biology, $50,000. Additional miscellaneous gifts for work in biology, Gifts and grants from 13 different industrial porations for fellowships and research projects total- Subscriptions by a number of industrial corporations and some labor unions for support of teaching and research in industrial relations, $20,000. gifts during the year, $70,000. In addition to these gifts, $250,000 in additional was given by the Rockefeller Foundation completion of the Palomar Mountain 200-inch This is in loose material and the motion of the under. lying rocks may have been much greater. The fault, which Dr. Buwalda described in his first published paper while a graduate student at the University of California, is about 30 miles east of Bar- stow and less than two miles south of the Union Pacific lines and Highway 91. It follows a line of steep bluffs which face south to the Mojave River. The nearest houses to the fault are at Manix and Field stations, and were seriously damaged by the earthquake. No one was injured, however. Further west near the river two adobe ranch houses were crack-ed, the exploring party reported. Investigation of the quake has been under the direction of Dr. C. F. Richter, professor of seismology at the CalTech Seismological Laboratory. The first of three expeditions to the quake center was dispatched by J. M. Nordquist of the Laboratory who irst determined the source of the quake during the temporary absence of Dr. Richter. From records at the Seismological Laboratory and auxiliary stations, it was indicated that the earthquake had originated in this fault, Dr. Richter said. group of CalTech students, S. T. Martner, M.E. Denson, and B. F. Howell, investigated and found he eftects exactly where they were expected. Two later expeditions have been sent out and Dr. Buwald has also been over the ground and is preparing a report on his findings. Special scientific credit goes to F. E. Lehner and Ralph Gilman of the Seismological Laboratory, Dr. Richter said, for setting up and operating temporary seismological stations and participating in other field work during the investigation. NO STUDENT TOURS THIS SUMMER STUDENT GUIDED ours at the California To- stitute will be discontinued for the summer vacation period. It is expected that the service will be available again on October 3. The Optical Shop in which the mirror for the 200" Palomar Mountain telescope is being polished will continue to be open to the public between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. GEOLOGISTS CHECK ACTIVE FAULT stitute of Technology division of Geology, broke the round on the Mojave Desert when the whole of Southern California was shaken by an earthquake or April 10. The break, the edges of which moved about three inches, has been traced for dis- tance of three miles along the face of bluffs and westward over the desert, the Institute seismologists said. Page 6 STOCK TO HEAD GEOLOGY DR. JOHN P. BUWALDA, professor of geology, will retire as chairman of the division of geol ogy at the Institute July 1, and Dr. Chester Stock professor of paleontology, will assume the duties of head of that division. Dr. Buwalda asked to be al- lowed to retire in order to complete a number of research projects in structural geology upon which he has been working for some time. He will continue in his capacity as professor of geology. President DuBridge in announcing Dr. Buwalda's retirement said, "The California Institute owes great debt of gratitude to Professor Buwalda for his long years of important service with the Institute He is primarily responsible for building the Division of Geological Sciences from nothing up to one of the finest geological centers in the country. For twenty-one years he has been leader of this division, and though the Institute will sorely miss him in this post, we feel that he deserves a respite from administrative duties in order that he may give more time to the completion of several important research studies." ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE MONTHLY 1224 Dr. Linus Pauling, chairman of the Division of Chemistry, received a Doctor of Science degree from Cambridge Uni-versity, Cambridge, England, June 12. Dr. Pauling, shown above enroute to England with his wife, is attending a number of scientific meetings while in Europe. Before returning to this country late in July, the Paulings will visit Norway and Sweden. ASSOCIATES HEAR ATOMIC ENERGY TALKS meetings in May presented Held in the Athenaeum, these meetings gave members of the California Institute Associates, an organization which has as its object the aid and advancement of the welfare of CalTech, an opportunity to hear first- hand information from six men who can be considered authoritative in this field. The first meeting featured "Nuclear Physics, the Dr. W. A. Fowler, pro- associate professor of theoretical physics discussed this theoreti cal phase of the problem. "The Control of Atomic Energy: United States' Problem" was President Lee peenie the see melting b penheimer, professor of theoretical physics. Dr. Du-Bridge, who directed the Government's huge Radiation Laboratory project at M.I.T. during the war, is a member of the General Advisory Committee of the United States Atomic Energy Committee. Dr. Oppenheimer was director of the Laboratory at Los Alamos New Mexico, where the atomic bomb was developed was a member of the Lilienthal Committee which prepared the Acheson Report, and is now chairman of the committee appointed by the President to advise the United States Atomic Energy Commission. JUNE, 1947 Dr. R. C. Tolman, CalTech professor of physical hemistry and mathematical physics, and Dr. H. S Kramers, Nobel Laureate and professor of physics a the University of Leiden, Holland, spoke on the problems of atomic energy control from an interna tional standpoint at the third meeting for Associates Dr. Tolman is scientific advisor to Bernard Baruch, United States representative on the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission, and Dr. Kramers was the Dutch representative on the Commission and its first representative. WATSON NAMED DIVISION CHAIRMAN E. C. WATSON, professor of physics, was ap. pointed Chairman of the Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Electrical Engineering at the California Institute in May. Professor Watson, who join. ed the physics faculty in 1919, has been acting chair man of the division which he will now head perma nently, since the resignation of Dr. William V. Hous ton, now president of Rice Institute, Houston, Texas. Professor Watson served as administrative head of but also production of over a million rounds of rock ets. He was a member of Division 3, National Devel opment and Research Committee from 1941 to 1945. He is chairman of the Faculty Board and Dean of the Faculty, and a member of numerous campus com mittees. He is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, and Tau Beta Pi, a fellow of the American Physical Society, American Association for the Ad. vancement of Science, and a member of the Ameri can Association of Physics Teachers and History of Science Society. Professor Watson was an assistant in physics at the University of Chicago before coming to the Institute, and during the first World War did research at the U.S. Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut. For many years he has supervised the Friday Evening Demonstration Lectures and Teachers Institute Lectures at CalTech. Our Alumni Fund (Continued from page 4) basic sciences and the humanities to fit them for leadership in the complex world of today and tomor- 1ow. Tech alumni recognize the great advantages of small classes, intimate association with outstanding faculty men, and the academic freedom possibly only in a small school independent of government support and political pressures. Such schools as CalTech can exist only if those Aho recognise pher wore ipper their fee us: nology Alumni Association Fund by assisting in the solicitation of funds and by giving what time, effort. and money they themselves can afford to give will benefit the Institute and the social order it serves, the Alumni Association, which will grow in stature as its serves its Alma Mater, and themselves as they a great and growing body of alumni. Page 7 DUBRIDGE SPEAKS AT TECH COMMENCEMENT Technology were graduated at commencement exer-we are campud Friday eden More re- ceived degrees. The commencement address was given by Dr. Lee A. DuBridge, CalTech president, who spoke on "The Responsibility of the Scientist." As a part of commencement week activities a garden party honoring members of the class of 1947 was held Thursday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Athenaeum with the president and board of trustees as hosts. Attending the reception in addi- tion to graduating seniors, their families and friends, associates of the institute, faculty members and special guests. M.E.'S CLARK REPORTS TESTING PROGRAM DR. D. S. CLARK, associate professor of mechanical engineering, spoke at a meeting of the American Society for Testing Materials at Atlantic City, N. J. He presented a paper on "An Experimental Study of the Propagation of Plastic Deformation oratory were co-authors. The papers presented the results of a portion of the work done at CalTech in the field of impact stud ies during the war under governmental research con- tracts. ACADEMY OF SCIENCE PICKS DR. WENT DR. FRITS W. WENT professar of plant physial. ogy at the California Institute of Technology, was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, it was announced in May. Election to the National Academy of Sciences, in which membership is limited to outstanding men in that field, is one of the highest honors a scientist can attain. Dr. Went is particularly well known for his work on plant growth hormones and he is accredited with being the first to advance that ogy to the place where it coul phase of plant physial. be dealt with experi mentally. His discoveries in the use of plant hor- mones for rooting of cuttings and in inducing fruit to set have led to wide use by growers. More re- cently he has been doing extensive work with plants under controlled conditions in CalTech's unique air- conditioned reenhouse in which temperatures. hu- nidity, and light can be accurately regulated Special Tools and Machinery Co. 4625 Pacific Boulevard, Los Angeles KImball 3246 - 3247 PAUL F. VOKAL Owner Manager Stace 1924 Designing and Building Special of Tools and Machinery Page 8 Alumni Help the Admissions Committee (Continued from page 5) rice T. Jones '26 presiding, the chapter agreed to organize an informal speakers' bureau to provide speakers to address high school students and in- structors on CalTech. The chapter also voted to set up machinery to take over supervision of freshmen entrance examinations to replace the present system of having such examina- tions given by high school "I enjoyed the visit im- Professor Strong reported. "I found the San Francisco alumni most interested in CalTech and actively ready to do things with and for the school. They were very eager to find out ways in which they could help C.I.T. de-velop. I would strongly recommend that more staff members going north stop in on the San Francisco The alumni will appreciate the contact and and pa mim beat will from in theon act!" These are examples of projects that are now under way or will be started during the coming year should also be pointed out that during the past six 400 students from 14 different secondary schools visited CalTech and were taken for a tour of the campus and its facilities. Special attention was given to such visiting groups and every effort was made not only to show them much of the campus, its laboratories and other facilities as possible, but when possible they were addressed some member of the Admissions Committee or other faculty member as well. Dates for visits were arranged as far in advance as possible and, when re-quested, it was also arranged for such groups to obtain meals at the cafeteria. These are examples of what has been done during the past year. Both alumni and the Institute have initiated them. They have all been instrumental in getting the "CalTech story" to prospective students and their instructors. It is a good beginning and close cooperation between the school and alumni can well result in an outstanding job being done in the future. ARMY STUDENTS TAKE REFRESHER THIS SUMMER A GROUP of IS U. S. Army Corps of Engineers officers will take special refresher and graduate courses in Civil Engineering at the California Institute of Technology this summer. Study will include work in mathematics, mechanics, and hydraulics. At the present time Army and Navy personnel totalling 81 officers are taking both undergraduate and graduate work in civil, mechanical. and aeronauti. cal engineering at CalTech. ENGINEERS BOOK STORE Textbooks Reference Books Handbooks Drafting Equipment Slide Rules 713 W. Jefferson Blvd. Los Angeles 7 PRospect 1695 "Largest stock of higher math. books on Coast" ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE MONTHLY