476 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLV. No. 1168 



WASHINGTON OFFICES OF THE NATIONAL 

 RESEARCH COUNCIL 



In view of tlie present crisis, and at the re- 

 quest of the Council of National Defense, the 

 Research Council has entered into close rela- 

 tions with the Defense Council, acting as a 

 department of the latter. It is, in this capac- 

 ity, charged with the organization of scientific 

 research so as most effectively to contribute 

 to national defense directly, and to the sup- 

 port and development of those industries af- 

 fected by the war. The original organization 

 of the Research Council, designed primarily 

 for peace conditions, took the form of a num- 

 ber of subject committees, but this has been 

 augmented by the addition of several special 

 problem committees, the number of which will 

 be increased as the necessity arises. 



In order to carry out this scheme of coopera- 

 tion the Research Council and several of its 

 subcommittees have secured offices in the 

 Munsey Building, Washington, D. C, where 

 also are the headquarters of the Defense Coun- 

 cil. The Research Council as a whole is repre- 

 sented by its chairman. Dr. George E. Hale, 

 and by Dr. R. A. Millikan, the vice-chairman, 

 charged with the correlation of research prob- 

 lems in general. The work has already grown 

 to such dimensions that Dr. C. E. Mendenhall 

 has been granted leave from the University 

 of Wisconsin and has come to Washington to 

 be associated with it. 



The subcommittees are represented in Wash- 

 ington as follows: 



Military: Dr. C. D. Waleott, chairman, Dr. S. W. 

 Stratton, secretary, and other members repre- 

 senting various departments- of the government. 

 Physics: Dr. E. A. Millikan, Dr. C. E. Mendenhall. 

 Chemistry: Dr. Marston T. Bogert, Dr. A. A. 



Noyes. 

 Medicine and Hygiene: Dr. Victor C. Vaughan. 

 Engineering: Dr. W. E. Durand. 



As rapidly as possible these representatives 

 are getting into touch with defense research 

 problems through the military branches of the 

 government, in which matter the military 

 committee through its secretary plays an im- 

 portant part, and at the same time bringing 

 these problems to the attention of the research 

 men and organizations. The representatives 



in Washington will, among other things, act 

 as a central clearing house for the reception 

 of problems from the government, and their 

 proper distribution; will sift, distribute and 

 follow up suggestions of a scientific or engi- 

 neering nature received from any soiu-ce, indi- 

 viduals or groups; and will keep those who 

 are working on specific problems informed as 

 to the progress being made by others work- 

 ing along the same lines. It is the desire 

 of the Research Council to do anything 

 possible to stimulate scientific activity and 

 aid in any possible way its direction and con- 

 •centration upon the most vital and immediate 

 problems. As one further means to this end, 

 it will shortly have available for limited dis- 

 tribution to investigators especially concerned, 

 brief statements of the various problems, and 

 some account of the conditions under which 

 these problems develop. The attention of re- 

 search men should, however, be given not only 

 to the solution of suggested problems and the 

 development of suggested methods, but, obvi- 

 ously, also to the unearthing of new problems, 

 which may be their most valuable service. 



The Wational Research Council may be ad- 

 dressed at the Munsey Building, Washington, 

 D. C. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 



Dr. Arnold Hague, of the U. S. Geological 

 Survey, distinguished for his work on the geol- 

 ogy of the Yellowstone National Park and the 

 Rocky Mountains, died at Washington on May 

 13 in his seventy-seventh year. 



In the last issue of Science it should have 

 been stated that Professor A. A. Michelson, of 

 the University of Chicago, had been elected 

 vice-president of the National Academy of Sci- 

 ences to fill the vacancy caused by Dr. Wal- 

 cott's election to the presidency. 



Dr. D. T. MacDougal, director of the Desert 

 Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washing- 

 ton, Tucson, Arizona, has been elected presi- 

 dent for the ensuing year of the Pacific Divi- 

 sion of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science. 



