California Institute of Technology Cal Tech - Big T Yearbook (Pasadena, CA)

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t-ci ' ciily-inne

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EXGIXEERIXG AND ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT THE Engineering and Ecunomics Department differs from other departments not only in the nature of the work done but in its aims and resuhs obtained. Other departments aim at teaching pure or apphed sciences, thus fitting men primarily for research and development work, or for construction and operation. The aim of the Economics Department is to de ' elop men fit for administrative work. These men are trained in engineering; they have learned to ap])ly scientific methods to problems ; and to think clearly and accurately. The administration of industries requires an alertness and ability to keep up with new methods, for it is a science in itself. This quality is obtained by the atmosphere of research and experiment surrounding the student. Actual observation and criticism of operat- ing industries forms an imjjortant part of the work since it allows the student to apply his classroom knowledge and at the same time is a valualile exercise to develop his jiersonal abilities. T ' or the man whose abilities are not of a strictly engineering type, this de- I)artment will provide training enabling him to become an executive, preferably in an industrial or constructive concern. His acquaintance with the technical side of industry coupled with business training will provide the most efficient equiiimcnt with which to work. That liusiness executives with technical train- ing often hold more responsible jobs with higher salaries than the specialized engineer, is .shown by the organization of large light and power, construction, manufacturing and .similar concerns. Both types of men are required in the efficient carrying on of our complex economic system. The former type is, if anything, rarer, and should have careful training. It is believed that the basis of ' his training .should be science and engineering, instead of wholly commerce as is the case in most courses elsewhere. To Professor Laing belongs most of the credit for the development of this de|iartmcnt. He has created something that is not only of great value to all engineers but is of itself, very interesting and apjireciated by all. The ever in- ceasing number of men taking uj) this phase of engineering is the best proof possible of the real value of the training offered in the business side of engineer- ing. tiiciity-cight

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CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT AT the end of 1922, work was started on preparation of insulin, a sub- stance little known at that time. A great deal of work was made pos- sible by a grant about a year and a half ago of $10,000 by the Carnegie Foundation. ' ork progressed here under Dr. J. J. .- bel and Dr. Ceiling of Johns Ho[)kins University. However, at the present time no work on the pre- paration of insulin is done, and all researches by H. W. Estill are carried out on sam[jies obtained from an eastern firm making it commercially. Other work of great i)ractical value has been done by Dr. Noyes and Robert Dalton. Dr. Noyes started work at M. I. T. in 1902 on a scheme of systematic qualitative analysis that would provide for the detection of all metallic elements. Con- siderable work was done at that time, and arious students have worked on it intermittently u]) to 1921, when work v -as again taken up in earnest. The work is now practically completed and Dr. Noyes hopes to publish the system this summer. The value of the new system is that it provides especially for the detection of the rarer metallic elements. AV ' ork of considerable theoretical interest is being done on the rate of de- composition of ozone by O. R. W ' ulf, the rate of decomposition of N O ' by William Ure and active hydrogen by L. Merle Kirkpatrick. The results of these investigations w-ill play an important i)art in building up the theory of decomposition. Other graduate research includes the study of ionization po- tentials by George Glockler, high temperature equilibrium by C. H. Prescott. free energy of cyanogen by A. K. . ' tearn, activation of hydrogen by collision of the second kind by A. C. C. Mitchell, and crystal structures by Huggins, Paul- ing. Hendricks and lunmett. In llic inidcrgraduate world many problems are being attacked and among these miglit be mentioned the investigation of metasulfo-toluic anhydride and the possibility of derixing new indicator dyes from it. thirty