August 1, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



183 



The Magnetic Field Produced hy a Flight 

 of Charged Particles: R. W. Wood and 

 Harold Pender, Johns Hopkins Uni- 

 versity. Read by title. 



Note on the Thermal Unit: H. T. Barnes, 

 McGill University. Read by title. 



On the Action of a Condenser in an Induc- 

 tion Coil: J. E. Ives, University of Cin- 

 cinnati. Read by title. 



Note on a Graphical Method for Tracing 

 Bays Through Optical Prisms: William 

 Fox, College of the City of New York. 

 Read by title. 



On a New Half -shade Polariscope: D. B. 

 Brace, University of Nebraska. 



An Explanation of the Faraday and Zee- 

 man Effects: D. B. Brace. Read by 

 title. 



Additional Notes on the Construction and 

 Use of the Brace Spectrophotometer: 

 S. B. TucKERMAN, University of Ne- 

 braska. Read by title. 



E. F. Nichols, 

 Secretary pro tem. 



TBE SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF 

 ENGINEERING EDUCATION. 



The tenth annual meeting of the Society 

 was held at the Carnegie Institute, Pitts- 

 burgh, Pa., on June 27 and 28, 1902. The 

 attendance was larger than at any meeting 

 since 1898 and the interest was so well 

 maintained that the attendance at the four 

 sessions did not vary ten per cent. Thirty- 

 four applicants were elected to member- 

 ship, making the total 287. 



At the opening session the members were 

 deeply grieved at the announcement by the 

 President of the sudden death of Professor 

 John Butler Johnson, Dean of the College 

 of Engineering, University of Wisconsin, 

 the notice of which appeared in the Pitts- 

 burgh press the evening before. Professor 



Johnson was one of the founders of the 

 Society, a past president, and its first sec- 

 retary. His enthusiasm, influence and act- 

 ive work for the Society were prominent 

 factors in its development and usefulness, 

 and he expected to be present at the Pitts- 

 burgh meeting, and, as usual, to take part 

 in the discussions. 



After the transaction of general business 

 the President, Professor Robert Fletcher, 

 Director of the Thayer School of Civil En- 

 gineering, read his address on 'The Effi- 

 ciency Factor in Engineering Education.' 

 After referring to the object of the Society 

 an analysis of the membership was given 

 which showed that 10 per cent, are practic- 

 ing engineers who are not teachers, about 

 18 or 20 per cent, are both teachers 

 and practitioners, 45 to 47 per cent, 

 are teachers only or chiefly in civil, 

 mechanical, electrical, mining and other de- 

 partments of engineering, about 3 per cent, 

 are identified mainly with instruction in 

 pure technics, such as manual training, etc., 

 while about 21 per cent, give the indispen- 

 sable and fundamental preparation in 

 mathematics, mechanics and the physical 

 sciences. Another division gives 33 per 

 cent, as committed to civil, 22| per cent, 

 to mechanical, 11 per cent, to electrical, and 

 9^ per cent, to mining and other branches 

 of engineering. The balance of 24 per 

 cent, constitute the teachers in preparatory 

 courses and the practicians. An analysis 

 was then made of the character of the 179 

 papers and reports by members and com- 

 mittees, respectively, which, together with 

 the discussions, are printed in full in the 

 nine vohunes of Proceedings. Attention 

 was called to the distinction between engi- 

 neering and technology and the inconsisten- 

 cies between the titles and performances of 

 many engineering and technical colleges or 

 schools. 



The factor of efficiency in engineering 

 education was regarded as influenced and 



