THE OVERTON BROOKS YEARS, 1959-61 



53 



support of NASA's sustaining university program, as well as the efforts 

 of the National Science Foundation. Dr. Van Allen told the committee: 



Industry, for the most part, delivers what we might call tangible products. 

 Universities, on the other hand, deliver a product which is much less tangible I 

 think 1 might say that our product, in idealized form, consists of competent, enthusi- 

 astic, and tough-minded young men and women who are devoted to a life of study 

 and a life of inquiry. I may say that our product is in very great demand. It is not 

 clear to me that the Federal Government recognizes the value of our product in a 

 w.i\ which I think it deserves. * * * Consideration might well be given to the idea 

 of what one might call lump subsidies to general scientific areas within universities. 



The concepts outlined helped furnish some of the ammunition 

 which the committee effectively used to support NASA and NSF pro- 

 grams of university support for research and the training of scientists 

 and engineers. 



The first panel meeting was so successful that the committee 

 hastened to schedule another meeting in June of I960. This time the 

 panel met for two days, on June 2 and June 3, enabling fuller discussion 

 of the issues presented. Although the meetings were held in the regular 

 committee room in 214-B of the Longworth Building, Chairman 

 Brooks introduced the meeting by observing: 



We are sitting here today in this special meeting situation, not in any sense a 

 formal committee hearing. For this reason I have interspersed members of both the 

 committee and the panel in these seats, not in accordance with any concept of se- 

 niority, but just as is convenient as people arrive. This is to help preserve the atmos- 

 phere of free exchange of ideas on both sides. 



At the second panel meeting, a number of additional papers were 

 presented on the need for extended geologic research, studies of the 

 lunar surface, radio astronomy, micrometeorites, the need for national 

 research planning, the interrelation between the Earth sciences and 

 space sciences, scientific education in the Soviet Union, world popula- 

 tion growth, desalinization of water, and minerals research. 



Representatives Miller and Fulton, who were deeply interested in 

 pushing forward America's progress toward the metric system, raised 

 the issue during the second panel meeting. Dr. Richard J. Russell, 

 acting dean of the Graduate School at Louisiana State University, in 

 boosting the metric system, noted that one of the reasons arithmetic 

 was difficult for so many school pupils was that "our whole system 

 has this millstone around its neck, of the obsolete system of weights 

 and measures." Considerable encouragement and support was given to 

 the committee by the panel members, stimulating action on legislation 

 introduced by Chairman Miller to move toward establishment of the 

 metric system in the United States. At the fourth meeting of the panel 

 on March 21-22, 1962, the panel formally endorsed the establishment 

 of a metric system of measurements in this country. 



