Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics
Minutes of Meeting
Members Present: Ralph A. Sawyer – Chairman, Stanley S. Ballard, Ronald Geballe, W. W. Havens, Jr., R. B. Lindsay, Robert G. Sachs, Mary E. Warga, H. W. Koch
AIP Staff Present: H. W. Koch, Wallace Waterfall, G. F. Gilbert, Lewis Slack
Chairman Sawyer called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m.
1. Minutes
The Secretary said that, in the minutes of the Executive Committee meeting of December 19, 1969, the word “chapter” should have been inserted after the word “student” in the third line on Page 7. Upon motion made, seconded, and carried without dissent, the minutes of the meeting of December 19, 1969, were approved with the correction indicated.
2. Budget for AIP Microfilm Program
The Director pointed out that the sale of microfilms of AIP journals had been approved in principle by the Executive Committee at its meeting of June 11, 1969, and that he now needed approval of a budget for the project. He indicated that this would not be an addition to the 1970 budget but should be handled as an appropriation for a special project. The estimated expense for masters, prints, promotion, order handling, and administration was given as $19,800. After brief discussion the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:
MOVED that $20,000 be authorized as an appropriation to start the Microfilm Program for AIP journals as a special project.
3. AIP Conference Proceedings Series
The Director recalled that, at the September 29, 1969, meeting of the Executive Committee, a subcommittee had recommended establishment of a series of publications called “Conference Proceedings in Physics” and the AIP staff had been instructed to develop a detailed plan for the series. The Director said that the staff had worked out many of the details of such a plan which he presented and is attached to these minutes as Exhibit A. The budget attached to the exhibit indicates a possible net income of approximately $20,000 from six conference books. The Director suggested that this should be handled as a special project and he requested an appropriation of $5,000 to work out the rest of the details and get the project started. On motion made, seconded, and passed without dissent the requested appropriation was authorized.
4. Budget for Assistant to the Director
The Director said that for several months he had had an assistant who had been working on various information projects and had been charged to an NSF grant. During the first six months of 1970 the Director would like to have this man working on a half-time basis on other projects and he submitted a budget for the Office of Assistant to the Director which is attached as Exhibit B. After brief discussion the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:
MOVED that $12,450 be added to the 1970 budget to provide for the Office of Assistant to the Director for a six-months’ period ending June 30, 1970.
Although the above action requires the modification of the previously adopted budget for 1970, the Treasurer said it was his intention not to prepare a revised budget for the Institute until the summer meeting of the Executive Committee as has been done in the past.
5. Status of Journals
The Director said he was pleased with the results of discussions with the APS Publications Committee and with the AIP Editorial Board. He showed curves indicating that progress was being made toward getting journals back on time and he said that changes in the organization of the Editorial Mechanics Section should result in keeping the staff there relatively stable.
Particularly promising is an agreement reached with APS to work out uniformly-spaced issue dates for the various sections of PHYSICAL REVIEW and, working back from the issue dates, to establish realistic dates for receipt of manuscripts at AIP which will permit the necessary time for processing. The PR editors have also agreed to prepare a six-months’ schedule two months before the start of each six-months’ period which would forecast the size of the issues for each month of the period with the understanding that the various issues would be kept within plus or minus 15% of the forecast. This should make it possible to plan editorial mechanics work flow and also help us to expedite composition and printing operations. APS has also given AIP authority to defer to a later issue any PR article the galleys of which have not been returned by the author by the specified closing date. AIP will notify the Editor of such delays.
The Director also reported that all AIP and Society editors, except some of the PHYSICAL REVIEW editors, had agreed that footnotes and references should be placed at the end of articles as recommended by the Publication Board. It is estimated that this will produce a saving of 50 cents or more per printed page.
6. Report of K. T. Compton Award Committee
At the December 19, 1969, meeting of the Executive Committee, Mr. Ballard reported that his committee recommended that an award by made during 1970, preferably at the Assembly in the fall of the year. The Executive Committee agreed and requested that Mr. Ballard and his committee submit nominees. Mr. Ballard said his committee had considered many candidates and had unanimously agreed upon one which he named. The Executive Committee agreed with the choice and the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:
MOVED that the next Karl T. Compton Award be made at the Assembly in the fall of 1970 and that a mail ballot of Governing Board members be conducted as soon as possible to confirm the choice of recipient.
Mr. Ballard submitted a proposed citation for the nominee. Several changes were suggested at the Secretary was authorized to edit the citation and distribute it to Governing Board members along with the mail ballot.
Mr. Ballard pointed out that his committee had noted so many good candidates they believed it would be appropriate to confer the award more frequently in the future. He suggested that the Chairman should immediately appoint another committee to present candidates for future awards. On motion made, seconded, and carried without dissent the Chairman was requested to appoint a new committee as suggested.
7. COMPAS Statement on Non-Technical Involvements of AIP
Mr. Slack reviewed the background on this subject from the time when the Executive Committee originally asked COMPAS to prepare such a statement. The first statement was presented to the Executive Committee at its meeting on December 19, 1969. At that meeting the Executive Committee endorsed the general conclusions and recommendations but requested that they be embodied in a shorter statement suitable for adoption by the Governing Board as a resolution reflecting the policies of the Institute. Mr. Slack said COMPAS had met on the preceding day, had discussed the matter at length, and had left it to him and the chairman to prepare a statement. Mr. Slack then distributed copies of the statement. There was much discussion of it and of other subjects which might be included in the statement. It was agreed that further revision of the statement was desirable and it was left to the staff to make the revision in consultation with the chairman of COMPAS with the understanding that it would be presented to the Executive Committee or Governing Board at a later date for further consideration.
8. Advance of $5,000 Toward Expenses of Flow Symposium
Mr. Slack reviewed the background of the 1971 Symposium on Flow, Its Measurement and Control, to be held in May 1971 in Pittsburgh. Like the four Temperature Symposia previously held, it will be organized and sponsored jointly by AIP, the Instrument Society of America, and the National Bureau of Standards, with ISA and AIP assuming the financial responsibilities. Participation by AIP was approved at the Executive Committee meeting of January 31, 1968, but no funds were appropriated to meet expenses in advance of the symposium. In the analogous case of the Temperature Symposium, a commitment of $5,000 was approved (in December 1968). For the most recent Temperature Symposium there was a small net from the Symposium itself and a $13,000 net for each society from the sale of proceedings.
After brief discussion, the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the Executive Committee authorize expenditures of up to $5,000 toward expenses of the Symposium on Flow, Its Measurement and Control in Science and Industry.
9. Request for Support of NAS Physics Survey Study
The Director reported receipt of a letter from Allan Bromley, Chairman of the Physics Survey Committee, in which he pointed out that the committee would need much data about physics and physicists and he believed that some support in the collection of this data should come from the physics community. Mr. Bromley suggested that AIP contribute $5,000 and said he was making a similar request to APS for another $5,000 and might request token contributions from other Members of AIP.
In the Executive Committee discussion of the request it became apparent that some of those present were not very happy about the membership of the Physics Survey Committee. The feeling was expressed that the Pake report did not do justice to applied areas of physics such as acoustics and optics and the composition of the Bromley committee did not give promise of any better treatment of the applied areas. Rather than give $5,000 to Bromley to use as his committee saw fit, it was suggested that the staff of AIP might help collect the information needed by Bromley and in that way AIP might have some influence on the outcome of the study. Accordingly, the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:
MOVED that $5,000 be appropriated for a special project to make AIP services or information available to the Physics Survey Committee.
It was understood that the Director would summarize the Executive Committee discussion in replying to Mr. Bromley and also that the Director would approve any assistance to be given with these AIP funds before the work is undertaken.
10. Special Subscription Price on PHYSICS TODAY for Members of the European Physical Society
The Director suggested that it would be appropriate to offer members of the European Physical Society air freight subscriptions to PHYSICS TODAY at the regular member rate of $7.00. Such a subscription price would more than pay AIP costs and would be a gesture of good will toward European physicists who have been somewhat antagonized by the recent 50% increase in the subscription prices of other AIP journals. Also the Advertising Division has pointed out that increased circulation of PHYSICS TODAY in European countries would be appreciated by advertisers who are making an effort to increase their foreign markets. Accordingly, the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:
MOVED that the staff be authorized to offer the air freight subscription price of $7.00 for PHYSICS TODAY to members of the European Physical Society.
11. Status of Editorial Mechanics Study Committee
The Secretary said that there appeared to be some uncertainty about the status of the committee which was appointed at the December 19, 1967, meeting of the Executive Committee “to study current practices of the Editorial Mechanics Section.” The membership of the committee consisted of Lindsay, Quimby, and Sawyer. One of the recommendations made by the committee in its report on June 7, 1968, was that the committee should be continued to monitor publication activity. The minutes of the June 7 meeting do not indicate that the recommendations of the committee were actually adopted by the Executive Committee. According to AIP by-laws all committee are automatically discontinued at the March meeting of the Governing Board following their appointment unless specific action to continue them has been taken. Unless the Executive Committee rules to the contrary the Secretary’s records will show that the committee in question ceased to exist at the March 1969 meeting of the Governing Board. There were no objections.
12. Fortieth Anniversary of AIP
The Director pointed out that the Institute would be 40 years old in 1971. He said that the staff had been discussing the possibility of some special celebration of the anniversary and he asked whether the Executive Committee approved of the idea. The consensus appeared to be that some sort of celebration to commemorate the 40th anniversary of AIP would be appropriate and it was suggested that the staff submit plans. It was agreed that the fall Assembly in 1971 would be a good occasion for the celebration.
13. E. A. Eckhardt Gift
The Secretary reported that Mr. E. A. Eckhardt, a long-time member of both the American Physical Society and the Acoustical Society of America, had donated to the Institute sixteen shares of common stock of the Singer Company, valued at approximately $1,300. Mr. Eckhardt indicated he would like to have the contribution serve some capital need of the Institute and it is our intention to place the stock in our Investment Advisory Account and credit it to the Reserve for Replacement of Building.
14. Future Meetings
The Secretary reported that Friday, March 20, 1970, had already been selected as the date for the next meeting of the Executive Committee and he suggested that a date be set for the following meeting. It was agreed that the following meeting should be held on Friday, July 10, 1970.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:18 a.m.