Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics
Minutes of Meeting
1. The Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics met in the offices of the Institute, 335 East 45th Street, New York, New York 10017.
Present: Ralph A. Sawyer – Chairman, S.S. Ballard, John Bardeen, H.R. Crane, E. Creutz, W.W. Havens, Jr., A.I. Mahan, Robert S. Marvin, Vincent E. Parker, E.R. Piore, S.L. Quimby, Paul M. Routly, Isadore Rudnick, John A. Sanderson, C.H. Townes (morning session only), Mary E. Warga, Wallace Waterfall, Elizabeth A. Wood, Clarence Zener
Absent: Arnold Arons, S.A. Goudsmit, R.B. Lindsay, Melba Phillips, Frederick Seitz, Robert S. Shankland
AIP Staff Present: H.W. Koch, Wallace Waterfall, G.F. Gilbert, Mary M. Johnson
Chairman Sawyer called the meeting to order at 9:32 a.m. and introduced the new Board members, Messrs. Ballard, Bardeen, Waterfall and Zener.
2. Minutes
Upon motion made, seconded and carried, the minutes of the meeting of October 7, 1966, were approved as distributed.
3. Report of Annual Meeting
The Secretary reported that the annual meeting of the Corporation was held on February 17 and all seven Member Societies were represented by proxy. Because our books for 1966 had not yet been closed, we were unable this year to present a financial report on last year's activities. The staff believes it would be desirable to change the date of the annual meeting to sometime later in the spring. Our By-Laws specify that it be held in February and therefore, the next time there is reason to amend the By-Laws, we will propose that the date of the annual meeting be changed to March or April.
4. Report of Chairman and Review of Executive Committee Actions
The Chairman reported briefly on the following matters which had come before the Executive Committee during the period since the October Board meeting:
As reported yesterday to the executive Committee (Item 4, Page 3 of March 17 Executive Committee minutes), more printing facilities are being located and changes are being made which should improve our situation by mid-year.
- Our chief problems are the need for more office space and the lateness of journals. A Property Committee consisting of Messrs. Havens, Zemansky, Koch, Waterfall and Sawyer was appointed and efforts are being made to acquire suitable additional space.
- The budget for 1967 was adopted at the December 10, 1966 meeting of the Executive Committee and publication charges on THE JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS, JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS and THE PHYSICS OF FLUIDS were increased from $50 to $60 per page.
- The Executive Committee authorized payment by the Institute of the full New York State Disability Insurance premiums for all employees, and our major medical and group life insurance plans were amended to provide immediate coverage for all new employees earning $ 15,000 per year or more.
- The Institute is negotiating with the American Physical Society for the transfer of JMP and PF to APS.
- A Committee on Exhibits consisting of Messrs. Havens, Zemansky, Koch, Vorburger and Waterfall was appointed to cope with the problem of allocating exhibit space where the demand exceeds the supply.
The Chairman noted that during the past twelve months the Institute has had two Directors and one Acting Director. He said that, except for the sad occasion of Dr. Williams’ death last May, activities have proceeded smoothly and growth has been normal.
5. Report of Nominating Committee
Mr. Crane, Chairman of the Nominating Committee which also included Frederick Seitz and Isadore Rudnick, reported his committee nominated Ralph Sawyer for Chairman, the present Executive Committee to succeed itself, and Herbert I. Fusfeld for director-at-large for a three - year term. There were no other nominations and a motion to accept the report of the Nominating Committee and declare the nominees elected was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote. The membership of the Executive Committee for the coming year is as follows:
Ralph A. Sawyer, Chairman
S.A. Goudsmit
W.W. Havens, Jr.
R.B. Lindsay
Vincent E. Parker
S.L. Quimby
Mary E. Warga
6. Report of Committee on Karl T. Compton Award
The Secretary reported that the subject Committee, consisting of R. S. Shankland- Chairman, H. A. Barton and S. L. Quimby, had submitted its report to the Executive Committee and action was taken on February 2 recommending approval of the Committee's selection of Alan T. Waterman as the recipient of the fourth Compton Award. The hope was expressed that Alan T. Waterman would be able to attend the fall Assembly and receive the Award in person.
Upon motion made and passed, the Governing Board approved the selection of Mr. Waterman. (It has subsequently been determined that Mr. Waterman will be present to accept the Award.)
7. Annual Report for 1966
The Chairman stated that a draft of the annual report had been sent to all board members prior to the meeting. There was a discussion of the delays in journal publication and the Director reiterated his statement that efforts to correct the problem are being given top administrative attention.
The following motion was then made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the annual report of the Director for 1966 be accepted as the report of the Governing Board to members, and that a summary be published in PHYSICS TODAY.
A printed copy of the annual report including a financial statement, will be sent to all Governing Board members and to officers of all Member Societies.
8. Financial Report for 1966
The Treasurer distributed copies of a letter to Governing Board members dated March 17 (copy attached). The books for 1966 had not been closed as of that date but some estimated figures, which are subject to audit, were provided. The Treasurer went over some of the comments in his letter in detail and answered several questions. He stated that we had collected 84% of dues and member subscriptions at the end of 1966 as compared with 80% at the end of 1965. He explained that the item for "Career Booklets” under "AIP General Expense" in Schedule A of his letter is not a new item but represents a change in accounting procedures. Heretofore this expense has been distributed among the various departments but it was felt the booklets are of such general interest that they should not be charged against departmental budgets. Of the net advertising income estimated at $421,066 in 1966, $340,000 was from PHYSICS TODAY. We act as a fiduciary for the Member Societies and have been remitting their monies (dues and member subscription collections) to them within ten to fifteen days after the end of each month.
Mr. Quimby made the following motion which was seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the Governing Board record its appreciation for the superlative performance of the Treasurer.
Mr. Havens stated that a recently published article called for taxation of advertising income and the Treasurer reviewed briefly the status of Internal Revenue Service activity in this area.
9. Dues Percentage to be Paid by Member Societies in 1968
The Secretary reported that the Executive Committee, at its meeting the preceding day, had recommended that.10% again be set as the percentage of dues to be paid by Member Societies for the support of the Institute. The following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that ten percent (10%) be set as the percentage of dues collected in 1967 which is to be paid to the Institute in 1968 by each Member Society.
10. Appointment of Committees and Representatives
The Director called attention to the list of proposed committees and representatives for the current year which had been distributed to all Board members. He stated that he had divided them into four groups: Committees advisory to the Governing Board, committees advisory to management, operating committees, and committees and individuals representing AIP in outside organizations. The former
PHYSICS TODAY Editorial Advisory Board has been added to this list and the name changed to "Advisory Committee on PHYSICS TODAY" because it was felt it is not truly an editorial board but rather a committee to give advice on editorial management and advertising policies.
The Advisory Committee on Physics Abstracts is no longer included in this list because it is to become a subcommittee of the larger Advisory COIill1littee on the AIP Information Program. In addition, the Policy Committee on AIP-Society Relations has been dropped. The Director said later he will propose that it be
replaced by a committee on physics and society (see Item 19).
After brief discussion, during which it was reported that the Executive Committee had on the previous day recommended approval of the proposed list, the following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the proposed list of committees and representatives for the coming year be approved and that the Chairman and Director be empowered to make such changes and additions as may be necessary during the year.
A copy of the list of committees and representatives as approved is appended to these minutes.
11. Resolution on Death of J. Robert Oppenheimer
The Secretary reported that former Board member J. Robert Oppenheimer had died on February 18. Upon motion made and passed without dissent, the following resolution was adopted:
WHEREAS, The Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics desires to record its deep sorrow at the death of its esteemed colleague, J. Robert Oppenheimer , who served as a member of the Governing Board from 1949 to 1952, be it
RESOLVED, That the Governing Board of the Institute hereby gives formal expression of its severe loss and does hereby note in its records the passing from this life of a man whose achievements are immortal and whose contributions to physics earned for him the admiration and respect of his associates; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to his family.
12. Application for Affiliation from American Association of Physicists in Medicine
The Secretary reported that the subject organization had submitted a formal application for affiliation last fall, just after the October Board meeting. They have approximately 300 members, about one-third of which are members of APS, and the Executive Committee on February 2 recommended that the Governing Board elect AAPM an Affiliated Society of the Institute. The following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the American Association of Physicists in Medicine be elected and Affiliated Society of the Institute, effective immediately.
13. AIP Information Program and Advisory Panel – Proposed Action for the future
The Director recalled that the Information Program had been initiated by Van Zandt Williams and work on it has been in progress during the past year. The Advisory Committee on the AIP Information Program, which consists of representatives from each of the Member Societies and each of the APS divisions, met on February 3, for the April meeting were from the National Science Foundation, the Committee on Science and Technical Information, the American Chemical Society and the NAS-NAE Committee on Scientific and Technical Communication. Governing Board members were also invited to attend.
We have discussed our plans for the Program with NSF and their attitude has been encouraging so that we are optimistic about getting major support from them. The Director said he anticipates a budget of approximately $400,000 to $500,000 and a staff of twenty to twenty-five people for the Information Program during the next calendar. He added that he feels the Institute can benefit from experience of other groups which became involved in this area earlier.
Mr. Marvin said that on behalf, of the Society of Rheology, he was apprehensive about any commitment that might entail a substantial financial burden on the Societies, but he was assured that no such commitment was implied in our current program. A motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote, as follows:
MOVED that the Governing Board endorse, in general, the plans of AIP to pursue the development of a comprehensive Information Program for physics.
14. AIP Organization
The Director called attention to copies of an organization chart which had been distributed to Board members and stated that the Executive Committee, at its meeting on the previous day, had approved this proposed reorganization of the Institute staff. The Director repeated his remarks of the preceding day which are not recorded in Item 3 in the minutes of the March 17 Executive Committee meeting.
Mr. Havens recalled that he had suggested it might be desirable to make some organizational changes a couple of years ago when he was a member of the committee which nominated Van Zandt Williams to be Director.
After further brief discussion, the following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the reorganization of the AIP staff as proposed by the Director be endorsed by the Governing Board.
15. Status of Selective Service Act
The Chairman distributed copies of a letter which had been received from the President of the Council of Graduate Schools concerning possible changes in the draft law. During the discussion which ensued, it was suggested that the agreed that no action should be taken at this time except to maintain close vigilance of the situation.
16. Request for Contribution from National Academy of Sciences
The Chairman distributed copies of a letter from Frederick Seitz, President of the National Academy of Sciences, addressed to the American Chemical Society , suggesting a contribution of $50,000 twoard completion of the Academy’s new auditorium. We have been asked whether AIP would be interested in making a contribution and the Executive Committee, and its meeting on March 17, agreed to consider the matter. It was the consensus of the Board that we should take no action but that Mr. Seitz be advised of the fact his letter was discussed by the Board and held for later action.
17. Space Situation
The Secretary reported that the Property Committee met on January 11, 1967, as reported at the Executive Committee of February 2. Several real estate agents are trying to locate property for us and several possibilities have been uncovered. The Secretary repeated his remarks of the previous day which appear under Item 11 in the minutes of the March 17 Executive Committee meeting. He stated that another possibility which merits consideration is the leasing of air rights over city-owned public schools.
The Secretary said it may be necessary to act quickly when and if a favorable opportunity arises.
18. Future of Center for History and Philosophy of Physics
The Chairman called attention to a letter from the Director to Thomas E. Cooney Jr. of The Ford Foundation, copies of which had been distributed, and explained that this letter had been requested by Mr. Cooney as a result of his conversations with Elmer Hutchisson and others. The letter contains the outline of a program from the Center for the next five years which would cost approximately $150,000 per year, and we have been encouraged to believe that The Ford Foundation may be interested in providing support. A prospectus of the Center’s long-range program has also been submitted to the Heineman Foundation with the hope it will supply some endowment funds and assist us in obtaining more from other sources.
The Chairman said there is increasing interest in the philosophy of science and the relationship between scientists and society, and work in this area is gaining support. This means that any funds we do get will not be taken away from support of basic research.
There was a brief discussion of the Center’s work to date, and the Secretary reported that the Executive Committee on March 17 had taken action endorsing the efforts of the staff to expand activities of the Center if funds are forthcoming. Mr. Parker made the following motion which was seconded and passed without dissent:
MOVED that the Governing Board corroborate action taken by the Executive Committee endorsing efforts to gain support for expansion of the Center for the History and Philosophy of Physics.
The meeting adjourned for luncheon at 12:10 and reconvened at 2:00 p.m.
19. Committee on Physics and Society
The Director said he felt there is a need for an interface committee which would be designed to guide AIP in its relations with the public. He stated that other disciplines have already established such committees. NAS has its Committee on Chemistry and Public Affairs. The AIP committee would be broader in scope as its name implies, and it would be advisory to the Governing Board and to AIP management. There was a brief discussion in which Board members offered several suggestions as to subject areas which might be delegated to such a committee for study. The following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the Governing Board authorize the Chairman and Director to appoint a Committee on Physics and Society
20. Plans for Fall Meeting
The Director stated that Sunday, October 1, through Tuesday, October 3, 1967, had tentatively been set as the dates for the Assembly of Society Officers, Corporate Associates and Governing Board Members. There was some discussion about the desirability of holding the meeting outside of New York City and it was finally agreed to consult the Committee on Corporate Associates about the location.
21. Request from NAS for Assistance in Aiding Developing Countries
The Chairman reported receipt of a letter from Victor Rabinowitch, Office of the Foreign Secretary, NAS, stating that the Academy is trying to organize support for assistance in strengthening science throughout several of the developing countries, particularly in South America. The Secretary stated that the Acoustical Society had helped to establish an acoustical society in Argentina, and Miss Warga described some of the ways in which the Optical Society had cooperated with UNESCO in rendering assistance to developing countries in South America. Mr. Havens mentioned his experience in helping the Mexican Physical Society.
It appeared to be the consensus that the Institute is in a better position than the individual Societies to join in such a program on a broad scale, and the Chairman said he would advise Mr. Rabinowitch that we would be willing to participate in a proposed meeting to discuss the problems.
The meeting adjourned at 2:52 p.m.