Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics
Minutes of Meeting
Members Present: Ralph A. Sawyer – Chairman, S. A. Goudsmit, W. W. Havens, Jr., Vincent E. Parker, S. L. Quimby, Mary E. Warga
Absent: R. B. Lindsay
Guest: Elmer Hutchisson – Director Emeritus
AIP Staff Present: H. W. Koch, Wallace Waterfall, G. F. Gilbert, Mary M. Johnson
The Chairman called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m., and the Secretary conveyed greetings from Mr. Lindsay who is on sabbatical leave in Europe.
1. Minutes
Upon motion made, seconded and passed, the minutes of the meeting of December 10, 1966, were approved as distributed.
2. JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS
It was reported that the American Physical Society had expressed possible interest in taking over JMP and incorporating it in THE PHYSICAL REVIEW. As background information the Secretary distributed copies of the financial history of the journal (copy attached). It was pointed out that, if we realize the projected income for 1966 and the budgeted income for 1967, we will about break even for the five years during which AIP will have been financially responsible for the journal.
The Director proposed that AIP offer APS the journal at the end of 1967 without charge and that (1) APS pay AIP $10,000 for the back number inventory or (2) AIP retain the inventory for three years and gain whatever it can from sales and then give the remaining inventory to APS.
The following motion was made by Mr. Parker, seconded by Mr. Havens, and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the Institute be authorized to offer JMP to APS effective January 1968, and that a detailed proposal embodying the two alternatives mentioned above be prepared for presentation to APS by April 1, 1967.
There was a discussion of printing problems and the Secretary explained that the staff has been exploring the possibilities of having more of our printing done abroad. JMP is being composed in Ireland at the present time.
3. Center for History and Philosophy of Physics
The Chairman reported that a study of plans for the future of the Center is being made under a grant from the Ford Foundation and a report on the results will be available at the time of the March meetings.
Mr. Hutchisson said he and others have had conversations with people at the Ford Foundation, and with heirs of the late Dannie Heineman, in an effort to obtain long-range financing; and he suggested that the Institute submit preliminary proposals to the Ford and Heineman Foundations. In addition, he said, it has been suggested that some of the German industrial foundations might also be approached for funds on an endowment basis.
Mr. Havens pointed out that we must know by this fall what will be the future of the Center.
4. Exhibits at APS-AAPT Meetings
The Secretary distributed copies of a financial statement showing a net income of $19,465 from exhibits at the January 1966 APS-AAPT meeting. According to previous agreement with the Societies, exhibit income has been retained by AIP as compensation for services performed by AIP in connection with the meetings.
The Director stated that complaints from those who do not get exhibit space, or are dissatisfied with the space they do get, are becoming more rancorous and some complaints this year have even involved Society officers. Consequently, the staff proposes that a committee consisting of the Director, the Secretary, Mr. Vorburger – Advertising Manager, and one representative each from APS and AAPT be appointed to make space allocations.
Upon motion made and passed without dissent, the following Committee on Exhibits at APS-AAPT Meetings was appointed:
- H. W. Koch
- Wallace Waterfall
- Theodore Vorburger
- W. W. Havens, Jr.
- Mark W. Zemansky
The Director reported that AAPT has proposed that an award of the same magnitude as the present apparatus award be given every other year for the best movie. The giving of the apparatus award for the 1967 meeting will cost about $6,000 and AIP is committed to pay this from exhibit income. If an award for the best film would enhance the joint meeting, the Institute would not object to such use of part of our income from exhibits.
Mr. Havens pointed out that the next joint meeting will be held in Chicago where attendance may be smaller and where exhibit space will certainly be smaller. It was agreed that the matter will require some study, and the following motion was made by Mr. Havens, seconded by Mr. Quimby, and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the Director write a letter cautioning AAPT of the uncertainties inherent in the Chicago joint meeting and advising them to make no commitment of funds from exhibits until further study is made.
5. Reports
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Committee to Select Candidate(s) for Fourth Karl T. Compton Award
The Secretary reported that the subject Committee consisting of Messrs. R. S. Shankland – Chairman, H. A. Barton, and S. L. Quimby has unanimously recommended that Alan T. Waterman be awarded the fourth Compton Gold Medal. Upon motion made and passed without dissent, the Executive Committee accepted the report and recommended to the Governing Board that Alan T. Waterman be chosen as the recipient of the Karl Taylor Compton Award, the presentation to be made, if possible, at the fall 1967 Assembly of Society Officers, Corporate Associates and Governing Board Members.
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Leasco Contract on UNIVAC Equipment
Mr. Gilbert distributed copies of memorandum describing terms of a leasing agreement which the Institute has signed with Leasco Data Processing Equipment Corporation, an organization which operates as a factor in the computer equipment field. He explained that Leasco will buy the equipment and lease it to us at a lower price than we would have to pay the manufacturer approves and other Leasco customers whom we have contacted are satisfied.
Upon motion made, seconded and passed without dissent, our agreement with Leasco was approved.
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Progress on AEC Contract Study
The Director distributed copies of a “Summary Report of Study on ‘Preprint’ Distribution in Theoretical High Energy Physics” prepared by Miles A. Libbey under a contract with the Atomic Energy Commission. The full report will be ready within the next few weeks. It appears there is a two-step experiment we might undertake – the first is an announcement service and directory of high energy theorists, and the second is an actual preprint exchange on a limited basis.
It was felt by the Executive Committee that such an experiment would be very costly, and the Director said it will be studied by an ad hoc group of the AIP Information Committee at its meeting on February 3. The recommendations of this group will be presented to the Executive Committee or Governing Board for discussion before any experiment is undertaken.
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Acknowledgement of AIP Contribution to The Meggers Trust Fund
The Secretary reported that he had received an acknowledgement from Mrs. Meggers of the Institute’s contribution of $500 to The Meggers Trust Fund.
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Property Committee
The Secretary reported that the new Property Committee, consisting of R. A. Sawyer – Chairman, H. W. Koch, W. W. Havens, Jr., Mark W. Zemansky, and Wallace Waterfall, had met on January 11 and had established some conditions to guide us in our search for additional space. It was agreed that we should try to acquire a total of between 60,000 and 100,000 square feet net of space in midtown Manhattan. The space we now own and rent amounts to about 35,000 square feet net. Among alternatives discussed were relocating in Washington, renting space in New York City from some other tax-exempt organization such as the United Engineers, or prevailing upon a nearby university to build a building and lease it, or parts of it, to us. The Committee inspected two properties for sale in the Grand Central area but we have not yet received firm offers on either of them.
The Secretary said the staff and Property Committee will continue to explore all reasonable offers of real estate in the midtown Manhattan area.
6. Application for Affiliation from American Association of Physicists in Medicine
The Secretary reported that the Institute had received a formal application for affiliation from the subject organization shortly after our Governing Board meeting last October. An informal expression of interest had been received from them in the spring of 1965 and, at that time, the Executive Committee had indicated it would look favorably upon an application for affiliation. Recently we received a letter from the new president, Lawrence Lanzl at the University of Chicago, reaffirming their request for affiliation and indicating that their membership had increased to about 300 at the present time.
The following motion was then made by Mr. Parker, seconded by Mr. Goudsmit, and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the Executive Committee recommend to the Governing Board that it elect the American Association of Physicists in Medicine an Affiliated Society of the Institute.
7. Appointments
The Secretary stated that the Chairman had been serving on some AIP committees, and as our representative to various other organizations, in his capacity as Acting Director of the Institute. With the installation of Mr. Koch as Director it is appropriate to make some changes, and the following were proposed:
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Committee to Designate Student Sections
H. W. Koch and Arnold A. Strassenburg (Director of Education and Manpower) to replace R. A. Sawyer and Wallace Waterfall.
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Publication Board
H. W. Koch to replace R. A. Sawyer
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Physics Abstracts Committee
H. W. Koch to replace R. A. Sawyer
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Representative to Div. of Physical Science, National Research Council
H. W. Koch as one of our two representatives, the other being R. A. Sawyer.
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Board of Advisors of the National Study of Mathematics Requirements for Scientists and Engineers
The Chairman explained that he had been invited to succeed Van Zandt Williams as our representative on this Board by the director of the Study, G. M. Miller of Tennessee Technological University. He said it is a one-man project which does not involve any financial obligation on our part. After brief discussion, it was felt that the Chairman should continue to be our representative.
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Joint AAPT-AIP Advisory Committee on the College Physics Program
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Joint AAPT-AIP Advisory Committee on the Secondary School Physics Program
The Secretary explained that the above two committees had been authorized by AAPT as advisory committees on joint projects. The first replaces our Advisory Committee on the Regional Counselor Program and the membership is as follows:
- Peter G. Roll, Chairman
- Oakes Ames
- Roderick M. Grant, Jr.
- Stuart J. Inglis
- James R. Lawson
- Glenn Q. Lefler
- Elizabeth A. Wood
The second replaces our Advisory Committee on Pre-College Physics Program and consists of the following members:
- Robert N. Little, Chairman
- Peter Lindenfeld
- S. W. Randolph
- John Shive
- Victor Young
- Philip Youngner
- Byron Youtz
As stated in Mr. Strassenburg’s report which was appended to the minutes of our Executive Committee meeting of December 10, 1966, it is proposed to reorganize the Regional Counselor Program with the hope that more productive use can be made of the Counselors. For this reason the Regional Counselor Committee has been disbanded. The Secretary said it is customary to appoint joint committees on joint projects, and the following motion was made by Mr. Parker, seconded by Miss Warga, and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the appointments described in Items “a” through “g” above be approved.
8. Oregon Graduate Center
The Secretary reported that Donald L. Benedict had visited him recently to describe the new Oregon Graduate Center of which he is president. The Center will be a graduate-degree-granting institution and has already received $2,000,000 with the promise of additional funds. Mr. Benedict is trying to assemble a faculty and has asked us to publicize the Center.
9. Optical Consortium
Miss Warga reported that a group in New York City has formed an Optical Consortium and is actively engaged in efforts to purchase the Jerome mansion on East 26th Street. They have used the name of the Optical Society without permission in their solicitation letters, and have been asked to retract their statements indicating that OSA, or the Local Section, helped establish the Consortium. Miss Warga said OSA disavows any connection with this group.
The meeting adjourned at 10:24 a.m.