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

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GAN and ALFRED H. STURTEVANT. They have been assisted in the lab- oratory by two Carnegie Founda- tion scholars, DOCTORS BRIDGES and SCHULTZ. Also in the field of genetics, corn has been used as the experimental subject by DR. ERNEST G. ANDERSON, most of the work being done on a farm at Arcadia. DOCTORS MORGAN and ALBERT TYLER have carried on considerable work in embryology at the Institute marine station, with the lower forms of marine animals. Energy relationships of chemical changes in organisms have been the subject of investigation of DR. HENRY BORSOOK in the field of bio- chemistry. DR. ROBERT EMERSON, in bio-physics, has been studying the reactions of photosynthesisesunlight on green plants. A kindred subject has been chosen by DR. FRITS WENT, in the method of growth of plants. WILLIAM BERGREN, tall leader of the orchestra, worked hrst this year with anaesthetics, later with vitamins and with oxidation-reduction systems. ASTRO-PHYSICS WORK in the department of astro- physics has centered around the con- struction of the 200-inch telescope. Machinery has been built to grind the 120-inch mirror, recently received from the East. This is to be ground to a perfectly plane surface and sil- vered for use in testing the larger mirror When it has been ground to the proper parabolic form. 27 RESEARCH Dr. Franklin Thoma; William Bergren

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RESEARCH The 5 01M Fumace Gw'nding Machine for 120-13261: Mirror PETROLEUM RESEARCH FOR SEVERAL years the American Petroleum Institute has been sup- porting a research project at Califor- nia Institute to study the behavior of hydrocarbons, such as are found in petroleum and natural gas, under conditions comparable to those found in the underground petroleum pools. This involves experimental studies at temperatures up to 220 degrees Fah- renheit and at pressures as high as 3000 pounds per square inch. The field being explored is one in Which relatively little work has been done, although it is of great interest to the petroleum industry. Ten published papers have resulted from these researches to date and others are continually in course of preparation. This important piece of work is under the direction of DOCTOR WILLIAM N. LACEY and BRUCE H. SAGE. 420 INC'H GKINDLufG EVJIVPOLIJHlNG MACHINE Awe be A The newly constructed solar fur- nace has been used thus far entirely by research workers in the chemistry department under the direction of 26 DR. R. G. DICKINSON. Temperatures of 3000 degrees centigrade have al- ready been obtained, and the workers expect to reach 4600 degrees when the apparatus is in perfect adjust- ment. Severe burns in unexpected places have resulted from the light from a poorly adjusted lense. BIOLOGY RESEARCH in the biology department is necessarily of the slow, unspec- tacular type, extending over a period of years, and never completed. The problems of genetics in flies first attracted the attention of DR. T HOMAS H. MORGAN about twenty years ago, and are still in progress under the direction of DOCTORS MOR-

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RESEARCH Dr. Ramome Dr. Martel! E. L. Furlong Also, under the direction of DR. JOHN A. ANDERSON, parts of the mounting for the ZOO-inch mirror have been made in the astro-physics machine shop. A new process has been devised in which aluminum replaces silver as the coating for the large mirrors, with greatly improved reflecting effi- ciency. CIVIL ENGINEERS THE civil engineers, under the di- rection of FRANKLIN THOMAS, have carried on much vety valuable re- search during the past year. Espe- cially timely has been the work done on earthquake-proof structures. DR. ROMEO R. MARTELL, working in co- operation with the geology depart- 28 Dr. Ramome 2': an economic geolo- gixt and E. L. Furlong 2'5 cumtor 0f paleontology. ment, has studied the motion of earthquakes and their effects on vari- ous structures. Methods of construc- tion have been devised to render buildings less susceptible to earth movements. GEOLOGY IN GEOLOGY, work has been done on