332 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLV. No. 1162 



task is too large for you, others may be willing to 

 cooperate and help achieve results. 



Following are some suggestions as to how you 

 can do your share in this great and important 

 work of inventorying and stimulating electrical re- 

 search : 



1. Indicate the most important problems in the 

 branch of electrical engineering in which you spe- 

 cialize. These may be problems on which you are 

 working, or suggestions for investigations by 

 others. 



2. Give a brief account or at least titles of in- 

 vestigations that you are conducting, or of the re- 

 search recently done under your supervision. This 

 information will be published for the purpose of 

 bringing together those working on some problem 

 now, and also those who may take it up later. 



3. Describe briefly the experimental facilities at 

 your disposal and the kinds of problems for which 

 they are particularly suitable; also other facilities 

 that you may possess, such as a large amount of 

 data on file, a collection of pamphlets on some 

 topic, natural advantages of location, etc. 



4. Ask questions, if you have any, or express a 

 desire to get in touch with other investigators on 

 some topic. 



5. Give your general views on electrical research 

 and on how to encourage it and make it more pro- 

 ductive. 



A CENSUS OF CHEMISTS 



De. van H. Manning, director of the Bureau 

 of Mines, and Professor Julius Stieglitz, 

 president of the American Chemical Society, 

 have addressed a letter to American chemists 

 asking them to fill in a blank giving informa- 

 tion concerning their chemical experience and 

 qualifications. The letter reads: 



By request of the Council of National Defense, 

 the Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the 

 American Chemical Society, will procure a roster of 

 chemists of the United States. Data covering the 

 quaMeations, experience and skiU of each chemist 

 are desired to determine the line of duty in which 

 he could best serve the country in time of need. 



European experience has shown that nothing is 

 more important in time of war or other national 

 emergency than a knowledge of the qualifications 

 and experience of the country's expert technical 

 men. Men whose knowledge was invaluable to the 

 production of munitions ordnance and supplies 

 were killed in the trenches during the first months 

 of the European war. This was due to lack of 

 early information regarding individuals and has 



now been remedied in every European country. It 

 is therefore important, especially at present, that 

 this information be available in the United States. 

 You are accordingly requested, as a patriotic 

 duty, not only to fill out the card which you will re- 

 ceive herewith, but to see that every chemist within 

 your acquaintance receives one and does likewise. 

 Additional cards will be furnished upon request. 

 You will please check only those subjects in which 

 you are expert, especially where you have had ac- 

 tual manufacturing experience. Please return the 

 card promptly, using the enclosed franked envelope. 

 The information received will be carefully classi- 

 fied, carded and indexed. Your prompt response to 

 this matter wdll be very much appreciated. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 



At the meeting of the National Academy of 

 Sciences, which wiU be held in "Washington on 

 April 16, 17 and 18, the Hale lectures wiU be 

 given by Professor Edwin G. Conklin, of 

 Princeton University, on "Methods and 

 Causes of Organic Evolution." 



The American Philosophical Society, which 

 will hold its general meeting at Philadelphia 

 on April 12, 13 and 14, has arranged a sjTn- 

 posium on aeronautics. Papers will be pre- 

 sented by Professor A. G. Webster, of Clark 

 University; Brigadier General George 0. 

 Squier; Dr. W. P. Durand, chairman of the 

 ^National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, 

 and Dr. Charles P. Marvin, chief of the U. S. 

 "Weather Bureau. 



The twenty-fifth anniversary of the !New 

 York Section of the American Chemical So- 

 ciety was celebrated with a dinner and smoker 

 at the Chemists' Club, on March 9, 1917. The 

 opening remarks of Chairman Matthews were 

 followed by addresses by Provost Edgar F. 

 Smith, of the University of Pennsylvania, on 

 " Eobert Hare " ; Dr. Wm. H. Nichols on " The 

 Early History of the Society," and Dr. E. G. 

 Love on " The First Tears of the New York 

 Section." Dr. Charles A. Doremus presented 

 to the Section a large steel engraving of Pro- 

 fessor J. W. Draper, first president of the 

 American Chemical Society. 



The David Livingstone gold medal of the 

 American Geographical Society has been con- 

 ferred on Mr. Theodore Roosevelt in recogni- 



