Day of a Scientist 171 



makes the melanophores expand and contract and so on. 

 Now that the computer boys have got some ideas about 

 how pattern recognition might work, it struck Mike that 

 it might be worthwhile to have a look at the sensory side 

 again. Maybe he's right. Anyway I liked hhn and he seemed 

 very sincere." 



By this time lunch was almost over, and a couple of the 

 technicians had begun to tidy up the place with the per- 

 functory help of two or three of the younger graduate stu- 

 dents. Bill chatted for a few more minutes with Nick about 

 what they would do next and left for his office where he 

 knew that a number of people would be waiting to see him. 



The first of these was a very promising graduate student 

 named Marcus Hill. He was in his final year and seemed 

 well on his way to completing an excellent thesis on the 

 structure of certain biologically active compounds he had 

 isolated from some wildflowers which he had found grow- 

 ing on his family farm in northern New York. He was very 

 anxious to complete his analytical work by Christmas so 

 that he could finish his thesis and get his degree by the end 

 of the academic year. Today he had come in to discuss his 

 most recent results and to ask Bill if he could have the full- 

 time use of a recording spectrophotometer for the next 

 three months. 



As a matter of principle, Bill hated to assign expensive 

 apparatus for the exclusive use of anyone below the rank 

 of assistant professor, but this seemed like a special case. 

 Marc was a very bright boy and a very decent human being 

 who had made a place for himself in the group by his cheer- 

 ful, cooperative attitude. None of the others were Ukely to 

 kick very much if he were to enjoy a little special privilege 

 toward the end of his time as a student. Finally, Bill was 

 really touched by the eagerness with which Marc presented 



