Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics
Minutes of Meeting
Members Present: Ralph A. Sawyer – Chairman, S. A. Goudsmit, W. W. Havens, Jr., R. B. Lindsay, Vincent E. Parker, S. L. Quimby, Mary E. Warga
AIP Staff Present: Van Zandt Williams, Wallace Waterfall, G. F. Gilbert, Mary M. Johnson
Guest: Henry A. Barton – Director Emeritus
The Chairman called the meeting to order at 8:40 a.m.
1. Minutes
The Secretary called attention to Page 5 of the December 11, 1965, minutes where approval of the 1966 budget was reported. Subsequent to the meeting it was found that no more than $13,150 could be taken away from the Center for the History and Philosophy of Physics without seriously weakening projects already under way. Mr. Havens, who had made the motion requiring a budget cut of $15,000, said it was not his desire to cut back any of the current activities under this project, and he agreed that the action as recorded by the Secretary was in accord with his intent. Therefore, upon motion made, seconded and passed, the minutes of the Executive Committee meeting of December 11, 1965, were approved as distributed.
2. Report of Director
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Education and Manpower Division
The Director reported that the Committee to Fill Administrative Positions in the AIP Education and Manpower Division met the previous day, but no replacement for W. C. Kelly has been found yet. The Division is continuing to function and some projects which were on grants have been completed. Funds for the Pre-College Physics Program under the Direction of Philip Youngner will be exhausted at mid-year. It is hoped that recommendations and suggestions which may result from his investigations can be pursued through the Regional Counselor Program.
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Information System for Physics
The Institute is planning to draw up a proposal for a more complete program on the information problem. We have two people in mind whom we would like to handle two phases of the proposed operation. The total in-house staff required by this program will be more than we can accommodate and our space problem will probably become more acute by the end of the year.
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Offices for Member Societies
Mr. Barton mentioned that the American Physical Society is considering a reorganization of their administrative structure and officers are wondering whether it would be appropriate for them to request space in the Institute building. The Secretary replied that the staff considers it so desirable to have the Institute and Member Societies housed close together that some arrangement would just have to be made to accommodate them.
The Secretary reported that he had been approached twice within the past year by a real estate agent who is interested in purchasing our property, and he felt we should probably consider an offer of $2,000,000 if the client is willing to make it.
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Miscellaneous
The Director also reported the following items:
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Our request for a grant to study what should be our long-range program on the History and Philosophy of Physics has been turned down by NSF and we have now made application to the Ford Foundation.
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The Optical Society of America has just employed John A. Sanderson as Research and Education Officer on a full-time basis.
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We are giving thought to the desirability of recommending some changes in the composition and responsibilities of the Physics Abstracts Committee.
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3. Advisability of Dues Billing and Collection for AVS Members
The Secretary reported that the Institute has been publishing THE JOURNAL OF VACUUM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY for the American Vacuum Society, an Affiliated Society, at cost plus 15% overhead. In the course of performing this publishing operation, we have accumulated all of the punched cards and other material required to bill and collect dues for them and we should like to propose that we handle this service also. This would not only facilitate distribution of JVST but would result in somewhat lower unit costs for the other societies we serve.
After brief discussion the following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the Institute be authorized to submit a proposal to the American Vacuum Society for handling their dues billing and collection.
4. Corporate Associates
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Status Report
The Director reported we have 137 Corporate Associates to date compared with 135 last year at this time. Gross receipts are $127,750 as against $127,400 a year ago, and estimated net receipts are $92,706 for 1966 whereas they were $94,000 in 1965.
The Director said that among companies which had failed to renew their Corporate Associate membership, was High Voltage Engineering Co., and he had written urging them to reconsider their withdrawal.
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Corporate Associates to be Elected
The Director reported the following organizations had requested to become Corporate Associates of the Institute and, on motion made and passed, they were elected:
Engelhard Industries $500 The Welch Scientific Company 500 Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation 500 Hewlett-Packard Company 500
5. Policy Committee Membership
The Chairman recalled that at its December 11, 1965, meeting, the Executive Committee agreed to the appointment of a policy committee under the chairmanship of Ralph Sawyer to consider various broad and complex questions affecting the Institute’s future financial course. It was left to the Chairman and the Director to present at this meeting a recommendation for the composition of the committee.
The Chairman distributed copies of a letter dated January 25, 1966, addressed to members of the Executive Committee (copy attached to official minutes) in which he outlined the factors which led to the appointment of this policy committee and in which he suggested that the membership be composed of Member Society presidents, each to choose an alternate. During the discussion which followed suggestions were made as to how the committee should proceed and what specific problems it should discuss. It was agreed that the formal name should be Policy Committee on AIP-Member Society Relations, and the following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the membership of the Policy Committee on AIP-Member Society Relations should consist of the presidents of AIP Member Societies, each to choose an alternate, with Ralph A. Sawyer as chairman.
6. Acceptance of 1966-67 Subscriptions to Soviet Journals
The Secretary reported that we are beginning to receive subscriptions for our Soviet translation journals for the year 1966-67. (Because of the six months’ time lag for translation and publication, our translated journal subscription year begins with July.) We have been returning orders and money because we have not yet set prices for the 1966-67 subscription year. We would like to accept these orders at our current subscription prices and have every reason to believe that there will be no need to increase prices for the coming year in view of our projected net income from translated journals. However, such action would anticipate the Executive Committee’s approval of the 1967 budget, and we are therefore requesting authority to accept these subscriptions now. Upon motion made, seconded and passed, the staff was authorized to accept 1966-67 subscriptions to the translated journals at our current subscription prices.
7. 1966 Heineman Award
The APS committee to select a candidate for the Dannie Heineman Prize has named N. N. Bogolyubov of Moscow as its candidate for the 1966 award. There was a discussion of the procedures which will have to be followed in inviting Mr. Bogolyubov to accept the award in person at the APS Washington meeting, and the Secretary said the staff will do whatever is necessary to comply with protocol and security regulations. Comments from people who have met Mr. Bogolyubov indicate he is an ideal candidate, speaks English well, and has been in this country before. There being no other nominee, the following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the Executive Committee approve the selection of N. N. Bogolyubov as the recipient of the 1966 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics.
8. Sponsorship of Einstein Stamp
The Secretary reported he had been contacted by George King, a representative of the U. S. Post Office Department, concerning the issuance of an eight-cent stamp honoring Albert Einstein. Mr. King explained that a sponsor is needed and the Institute was being asked to accept this responsibility. A ceremony to celebrate the first day of issue is scheduled to be held on March 14 at Princeton and the sponsor would be expected to arrange for speakers and prepare the printed program which will be distributed to all attendees. The estimated cost to AIP would be between $200 and $300.00. The Secretary said he arranged for Mr. King to meet with Henry A. Barton and John A. Wheeler at Princeton and, following this meeting, Mr. King reported that the Institute for Advanced Study wanted to co-sponsor the Einstein stamp. E. H. Kone will work with the public relations man at Princeton on program arrangements.
The Secretary said souvenir programs will be presented to participate and first-day covers will be available for sale through commercial stamp dealers. Mr. Goudsmit suggested that the Institute present copies of the souvenir program to Governing Board members and Mr. Barton suggested that the Institue order a supply of first-day covers for Board members and staff members.
The following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the Institute be authorized to sponsor the Albert Einstein stamp at a cost not to exceed $300.00.
9. Local Section – Corporate Associate Relations
Mr. Quimby mentioned that one of the APS local sections had asked whether they could solicit annual contributions of $50 each from corporations in their locality to help defray local meeting costs. Many of these corporations are probably Corporate Associates of the Institute and APS would like our advice. The Secretary said this practice has been discouraged by the Acoustical Society although local chairmen for national meetings are permitted to ask industry to contribute toward some expense of a specific meeting. Mr. Goudsmit suggested that, if this solicitation is allowed, the local section should be supplied with a list of AIP Corporate Associates, presumably so they can be excluded from any list of prospects.
10. Next Meeting
As previously reported, the next meeting of the Executive Committee will be held on Friday, March 25, at the Institute followed by a meeting of the Governing Board on Saturday, March 26.
The meeting adjourned at 10:17 a.m.