Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics
Minutes of Meeting
The Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics met in the Tudor Room of the Shoreham-Americana Hotel, Washington, D. C.
Members Present: Philip M. Morse – Chairman, R. E. Alley Jr., H. L. Anderson, R. T. Beyer, J. V. Bouyoucos, E. L. Brady, K. E. Davis, F. K. Edmondson, M. D. Fiske, W. A. Fowler, L. W. Fredrick, F. N. Frenkiel, J. B. Gerhart, J. E. Goldman, Martin Greenspan, J. B. Guernsey, W. W. Havens Jr., S. K. Haynes, H. W. Koch, J. A. Krumhansl, J. R. Macdonald, A. I. Mahan, Melba Phillips, E. R. Piore, J. W. Quinn, R. S. Rivlin, A. H. Rosenfeld, B. P. Stoicheff, R. A. Young
Absent: J. L. Flanagan. J. S. Laughlin, F. D. Smith
Guests: L. W. Seagondollar, A. A. Strassenburg
AIP Staff Present: H. W. Koch, Director; Sidney Millman, Secretary; G. F. Gilbert, Treasurer; Lewis Slack, Assoc. Director for General Activities; R. H. Marks, Assoc. Director for Publishing; D. M. Lasky, Assistant to the Director; M. M. Johnson, Assistant to the Secretary; R. W. Sears, Director Manpower Division
Chairman Morse called the meeting to order at 8:40 a.m. and introduced the new Board members: Messrs. Anderson, Brady, Fiske, and Ms. Phillips.
1. Replacement of A. A. Strassenburg on Governing Board and Executive Committee
Morse reported that due to a potential conflict of interest between his current activities at the National Science Foundation and AIP grants from NSF, Strassenburg had resigned from the Governing Board and that the American Association of Physics Teacher had designated Melba Phillip to fill his unexpired term to the spring of 1976. Morse noted also that it will be necessary to replace Strassenburg on the Executive Committee, whereupon Beyer nominated Melba Phillips for membership on the Executive Committee. When no additional nominations were made, the following motion was passed:
MOVED that the Secretary be instructed to cast a single ballot to elect Melba Phillips to the Executive Committee.
2. Minutes
Upon motion made and passed without dissent, the minutes of the March 21-22, 1975, Governing Board meeting were approved as distributed.
3. Highlights of Executive Committee Actions at Meetings of April 30, June 12, September 8, October 1, 1975
Morse first reported on the action with respect to the move from Brookhaven to Stony Brook. AIP was notified by Brookhaven National Laboratory that the space AIP occupied was needed for its own use. Fortunately, the Physics Department at SUNY, Stony Brook, was able to accommodate our Editorial Center. The move was effected early in June. Under the arrangement with SUNY, Stony Brook, AIP makes a contribution to the Stony Brook Foundation.
Morse next took up the translation arrangement with the Soviets. He noted that AIP has concluded a 3-year initial agreement, renewable year by year, covering our continuing translation of the Soviet journals and the Soviets translating into Russian of The Review of Scientific Instruments. The details of this arrangement have been reported in the minutes of several recent Executive Committee meetings. Koch thought that it would be well to mention that the confusion on the part of the Soviets as to whether certain translation journals were owned by Plenum Publishing or by AIP has been cleared up. Everyone concerned bas been informed and agrees that AIP and the Optical Society of America have the copyrights for all Soviet translation journals which they publish, regardless whether the production is done by Plenum or others. There are 4 new translation journals: Soviet Astronomy Letters, Soviet Technical Physics Letters, Soviet Journal of Low Temperature Physics, and Soviet Journal of Plasma Physics. It is useful for AIP to run a parallel translation activity that tells us whether Plenum's costs are reasonable.
Morse noted that negotiations with the Institution of Electrical Engineers in London are proceeding at a slow pace. Koch added that lack of definite arrangements between AIP and IEE causes needless delays in getting our abstracts and titles into the IEE-produced Physics Abstracts. Krumhansl noted also that unnecessary errors are introduced when IEE does not use our computerized abstracts.
Continuing the review of Executive Committee actions, Morse noted that the latest on the installation of the new computer will be reported by Koch later in the meeting. H also noted that the application of the American Vacuum Society to become a full Member Society of AIP has resulted in the appointment of an ad hoc committee to look into the whole question of criteria for membership. At its September 8 meeting, the Executive Committee recommended to the Governing Board that AVS be nominated to full Member Society status and this will come up later in the meeting also.
Morse called attention to the new AIP quarterly publication, Current Physics Index, which contains abstracts of all papers published in AIP and Society-owned journals. CPI is produced from computerized tapes and sells to members for $30 and to nonmembers for $95.
Morse next touched on the Transactions of the Society of Rheology which has been and still is published by Wiley. AIP has been collecting page charges for this journal and we questioned whether it was appropriate for AIP to collect page charges for a commercial publisher. After discussions between SOR and AIP, it was agreed that SOR will collect the pages charges itself.
On the recommendation of the recently-formed Committee on Applications of Physics of the American Physical Society, it was decided to insert a statement in the masthead of JAP and APL to the effect that these journals are published by AIP with the cooperation of the American Physical Society.
Sperry Rand Corporation is now back as a Corporate Associate of the Institute.
We have had some discussions with the American Association of Physicists in Medicine concerning their relationship with AIP. AIP has been providing some administrative services and an office at headquarters for the AAPM. They now prefer to have their headquarters office in Chicago and they also need more administrative help. We have reached an agreement with them which provides for a commercial organization taking care of their administrative work, while subscription fulfillment, dues collection, publication of their journal, and related accounting work will continue to be done at AIP.
Morse asked Koch to report on a recent proposal from Plenum Publishing Corp. produce a book of Physics Today reprints. Koch noted that, at its October 1 meeting, the Executive Committee authorized AIP to proceed with negotiations for an arrangement with Plenum for publication of such a book. This will probably be priced at $20 to $25. Plenum has agreed to pay AIP a 50% royalty after costs of producing the book have been met, and they have agreed to give a 20% discount to members of AIP Member and Affiliated Societies.
There was considerable discussion about the probable price for the proposed PT reprint book; Fowler, Havens, Phillips, Piore, Rivlin, Young, and others felt that $20-25 is too high. The question was also raised whether we have to stay with Plenum or might we get other publishers interested. Koch felt that, although the idea of a reprint book was suggested previously, the recent proposal was made by Plenum and it would be more ethical to have Plenum produce the first book but that we should transmit the strong sentiment of the Board to them and try to get them to set as low a price as possible consistent with their policy.
As a final topic in his review of Executive Committee activities, Morse mentioned that last spring the Executive Committee voted to have PT sent free to all members of Congress for one year, starting with the July issue. We have received about 50 letters back from Congressmen thanking us for the subscriptions. Morse thought that this has been a worthwhile activity on the part of AIP.
4. Discussion of Corporate Associates Meeting
Koch reported that this year’s meeting attempted even more than in previous years to assemble those who occupy leadership positions in physics research institutions. We invited graduate physics department chairmen and some Congressional staff, in addition to the Corporate Associates representatives, Governing Board members, and Society officers. Preliminary indications are that it has been quite successful. He also noted that there will be a story on the Corporate Associates meeting in PT.
Macdonald mentioned one weakness he noticed, that is at least in his discussion group entitled, "Should Basic Research be Decoupled from Student Education?" namely, that there was a strong preponderance of academic people with hardly any representation from industry. This negated somewhat our desire to bring together the industrial and academic leadership. He said we should, in the future, make an even greater effort to mix them up more. (A more detailed analysis of all groups shows that the other groups were more intermingled.)
Fiske observed that he has heard some frustrations expressed that nothing comes out of these meetings. They are interesting, but there is no mechanism for achieving something concrete. He referred particularly to one suggestion made in the group he led that the U.S. Government fund basic research in universities that have strong relevance to some technology of interest to specific industries. It was not clear who should approach Congress and how. Morse agreed that there ought to be a somewhat more organized interrelationship between approaches that may be made. Fiske indicated that he would be glad to discuss it informally with Arthur Bueche, Vice President of Research at General Electric, and now President of the Industrial Research Institute. This might be planned as part of a future program. Stoicheff added that we might invite Congressmen to take part in round-table discussions. Anderson suggested that we should get some of these ideas in writing and this might be a good jumping-off place. Bouyoucos suggested that we ask the chairmen of each of the group discussions to write up a report that could be circulated to this Board with his recommendations for further action.
5. Status of Acquisition of New Computer Facilities
Koch reported that the new computer facilities will be installed on the first floor of our headquarters building. The new programming work is well under way with 3 UNIVAC people working for us full time. Our goal is to complete program writing and testing at UNIVAC locations by January 1, 1976. There have been some delays in the original schedule and we are now planning installation of the 90/30 computer about May 1. We will also have the old computer in operation for a 2-months' overlap.
6. Status of Real Estate Leases
Koch reported that AIP now occupies space in 4 different locations. In addition to the headquarters location we have 7,200 square feet in the Allied Arts building across the street from headquarters under a lease that expires on June 30, 1978. We also have 14,500 square feet at 800 Second Avenue, near 43rd Street, with a lease that expires in November 1976. At SUNY, Stony Brook, we have space but no lease. We do make a grant to the Stony Brook Foundation on a year-to-year basis. We plan to extend the Second Avenue lease to June 30, 1978, so that it will expire at the same time as the Allied Arts lease. This will give us time to explore solutions to the space problem. One possibility is to purchase a new building and sell our present one, if we could get the right deal. There are no specific proposals under consideration at the present time.
7. Nomination of AVS to Become a Member Society
Beyer noted that the ad hoc Committee to Consider Guidelines for Admission to Membership in AIP, which was appointed at the June 12 meeting of the Executive Committee, recommended that the American Vacuum Society be admitted to full Member Society status. The Executive Committee accepted the report and now recommends that the Governing Board nominate AVS to become a Member Society. He referred to the report of the committee (copy attached to minutes of the September 8 Executive Committee meeting) and to an addendum that he distributed (copy attached as Exhibit A). He gave some history of AVS as an Affiliated Society and referred to the changing character of its membership, noting that its journal has reflected strengthening of its physics activity. He concluded by introducing the following motion which was passed unanimously:
MOVED that the Governing Board nominate the American Vacuum Society to become a Member Society of the Institute.
8. Adoption of Proposed Guidelines for Admission to Membership in AIP
Beyer next turned to the discussion of the second part of the Ad Hoc Committee report dealing with guidelines for admission to membership in AIP. He first directed attention to those recommendations that required changes in the AIP Constitution. After Millman reviewed the procedure for amending the Constitution and reminded the Board of the fact that a previous amendment proposed by the Governing Board last March is still pending, the following two amendments were approved, each by a vote of 26 to 0:
- MOVED that the sentence "Each Associate Member Society shall be entitled to elect one member of the Governing Board," be eliminated from Article VII.
- MOVED that the minimum size of Member and Associate Member Societies be increased from 400 to 800, and the words "upon admission" be added in Article V, Sections 1 and 2; and the date January 1, 1946, be changed to January 1, 1975, in
Article V, Section 1.
The remaining discussions revolved on the recommended revisions of the parts of the guidelines for admission to membership in AIP that do not require changes in the Constitution but merely update the document on "Classes of Membership" prepared by the Director of AIP, dated February 27, 1968, and approved by the Governing Board on September 27, 1968. Beyer noted that one revision had already been approved by the Executive Committee at its meeting on September 8 (top of Page 8 of the minutes of that meeting). This deals with the change from five to three years as the required minimum period for a society to be an Affiliate before it can become an Associate Member Society, and a similar change for an Associate Member Society before it can become a Member Society.
The recommended revisions in the 1968 document, including the one just cited, are given below and are incorporated in the attached Exhibit B, "Revised Guidelines for Classes of Membership."
| Revised 1975 Wording | Old 1968 Wording | |
|---|---|---|
| B, 1, f | The society shall have been an Associate Member Society for at least three years. | The society shall have been an Associate Member Society for at least five years. |
| B, 2, c | Twenty per cent or more of its membership shall consist of individuals already members in other Member Societies. | Ten per cent or more of its membership shall consist of individuals already members in other Member Societies. |
| B, 2, f | The society shall have been an Affiliated Society for at least three years. (Add as new first sentence.) | (None) |
| B, 5, a | Purpose of the applicant society is the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of physical science(s) closely related to physics and its applications. | The purpose of the applicant organization shall include an interest in physics. |
| B, 5, c | The organization should be a non-profit corporation. | The organization shall be a nonprofit organization, such as, physics clubs or scientific societies. |
| B, 5, d | (To be inserted) The status of all Affiliated Societies should be reviewed every three years. The relations of benefits and obligations between the Affiliated Society and the AIP should form a major part of such a review. | (None) |
| C, 2, b, 2 | Services such as the publication of journals, collection of dues, etc., shall, if requested, be performed at Institute cost plus an overhead to be determined from time to time by the Governing Board. | Services such as the publication of journals, collection of dues, etc., shall, if requested, be performed at Institute cost plus 15% overhead on in-house services and 5% on out-of-house services. |
| C, 2, d | (Delete) | Each Associate Member Society shall be entitled to elect one member of the Governing Board. |
| C, 4, b | Each active member of the chapters pays to the Society's national treasury annual dues. | Each active member of the chapters pays to the Society's national treasury annual dues of $3.00. |
| C, 4, c | Each person received into Sigma Pi Sigma pays an entrance fee prior to his reception. | Each person received into Sigma Pi Sigma pays an entrance fee of $12.00 prior to his reception. |
| C, 5, b | However, payment for services, such as the publication of journals, collection of dues, etc., requested by an Affiliate and performed by the Institute shall be at Institute costs plus an overhead to be determined from time to time by the Governing Board. | However, payment for services, such as the publication of journals, collection of dues, etc., requested by an Affiliate and performed by the Institute shall be at Institute costs plus 15% overhead on in-house services and 5% on out-of-house services. |
| C, 5, d | Members of Affiliated Societies may subscribe to AIP-owned journals at the member rates. | Members of Affiliated Societies may subscribe to PHYSICS TODAY for $2.00 per year rather than the regular non-member rate of $4.00. AIP-owned journals are furnished to individual members of these societies at the member rates. |
The following motion was then passed:
MOVED that the revisions in the 1968 document on "Classes of Membership," as recommended by the Ad Hoc Committee to Consider Guidelines for Admission to Membership in AIP and listed above, be adopted.
9. Status Report on Activities of Manpower and Public Relations Advisory Committees
Koch noted that a statement on Manpower was sent to Board members prior to the meeting, and a similar statement is being prepared on Public Relations activities. He stated that the Advisory Committee on Manpower is scheduled to meet on November 6 and, guided by the recommendations of that committee, AIP will finalize a position and program which will be presented to the Board in March. The Advisory Committee on Public Relations will meet on October 16. Even though we are in the budget-making process at AIP, we do not plan any substantial changes in our existing programs and personnel assignments for the Manpower and Public Relations activities until the spring 1976 Board meeting.
Piore asked why the whole industrial complex is excluded from the annual staff Directory of Physicists, Astronomers and Related Scientists at Academic Institutions and Federally-Funded R&D Centers. Koch replied that AIP started with a faculty directory and is enlarging it this year with the inclusion of information on physicists in 39 Federally-funded institutions. We are eager to get the industrial component in and have discussed it with our Advisory Committee on Corporate Associates. We understand that some industries are negative on being approached directly to supply a list of their physicists. However, we hope to include the industrial physicists in future directories by some indirect approach such as from the information supplied to the Member Societies for the preparation of their membership directories.
10. Report of Committee on Committees
In the absence of F. Dow Smith, Chairman of the Committee on Committees, Havens opened the discussion by stating that the "Final Report," dated June 6, 1975, which had been previously distributed, does not differ much from the preliminary report discussed at the Governing Board meeting last March. It incorporates a few changes suggested by the Executive Committee. Havens discussed the summary recommendations listed in the report. In addition, following the charge by the Executive Committee, the Committee on Committees amplified its recommendations with respect to the Nominating Committee by specifying its composition and its operation. The features added are as follows:
- The Nominating Committee should consist of 5 members
- It should nominate its successor committee two months ahead of the spring Board meeting
- The Nominating Committee's slate of all nominations should be announced to the Board prior to this meeting.
After a brief discussion, Havens introduced a motion to have the report adopted. Accordingly, the following motion was passed without dissent:
MOVED that the report of the AIP Committee on Committees, as amended on October 4, be adopted.
A copy of the amended report, as adopted, is attached to these minutes as Exhibit C.
Millman pointed out the need for a change in Article VII of the AIP Rules dealing specifically with a nominating committee for directors-at-large. Accordingly, the following motion was passed without dissent:
MOVED that the following sentence in Article VII of the AIP Rules be deleted: "Not less than 30 days preceding the meeting of the Board at which a director-at-large or directors-at-large are to be elected by the Board, the Chairman shall appoint a nominating committee to present one or more candidates to the Board."
A copy of the AIP Rules, as amended on October 4, 1975, is attached as Exhibit D.
Morse pointed out that, in order to proceed with the nomination of slates of membership for the various committees as voted on under the new committee structure, it will be desirable to have an interim Nominating Committee. Accordingly, he suggested that, if the Board agrees, he will appoint a Nominating Committee of 5 members now so that at the spring meeting there will be nominations for a new Nominating Committee, as well as for members of all the other committees that were approved by the Board. When no objections were voiced, Morse announced the appointment of the following interim Nominating Committee:
- Jarus w. Quinn, Chairman
- Rebert T. Beyer
- Milan D. Fiske
- James A. Krumhansl
- Melba Phillips
Subsequent to this announcement, Haven made the following motion which was passed without dissent:
MOVED that, two months prior to the next March meeting of the Governing Board, the Nominating Committee nominate its successor, to consist of five members.
11. Renewal of AAAS Affiliation
Slack stated that the new AAAS constitution requires that affiliated societies renew their affiliation every three years. AIP has not yet received the formal notice from AAAS but, in anticipation that we will, he suggested that the Board might wish to take action authorizing us to renew our affiliation. The following motion was passed:
MOVED that AIP be authorized to continue its affiliation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
12. Physics of Technology Project
Strassenburg reported that the Tech Physics Project is coming to a successful conclusion. The whole effort was coordinated by the Institute. He said it will produce about 25 modules, each focusing on the physics of a device. About 15 have already been published by McGraw-Hill and more will be released within the next few months. Phillips displayed a report of the AAPT Committee on Physics in the Two-Year Colleges which describes the Tech Physics Project and, at her request, copies of the report are being sent with these minutes to members of the Governing Board.
13. Future Meetings
Morse announced that the following future meetings had been scheduled:
Executive Committee – Monday, December 15, 1975, starting at 9:00 a.m.
Executive Committee – Wednesday, February 4, 1976, starting with breakfast at 7:30 a.m., at the New York Hilton Hotel
Executive Committee – Friday, March 26, 1976
AIP Corporation – Friday, March 26, 1976
Governing Board – Friday, March 26, and Saturday, March 27, 1976
The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 a.m.