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

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i I Geophysical Blasting The Southwestern United States provides a variety of geological formations and deposits of animal remains, thus there are available many fields of research for the Division of the Ceologf ical Sciences. During the past year Dr. John Peter Buwalda, Chairman of the Division, has studied Southern California fault blocks extenf sively to gain a more detailed knowledge of the geologic structure of the whole Pasadena region. Dr. Buwalda has also devoted some attention to the dams and tunnels of the Colorado River Aqueduct. GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES Dr. Beno Cutenberg's studies of earth' quakes indicate that many originate from depths as great as 400 miles, recent work showing that they are produced by slips on faults in much the same way that shallow earthquakes develop. He has also attempted to determine the characf ter of shaking at many different points during one quake, noting different frequencies or rates of vibration. A cave in Mexico has, under Dr. Chester Stock's direction, yielded large quantities of bones of extinct animals, preserved by being buried in the dust and sand. Dr. lan Campbell and Dr. John H. Maxson have been studying Grand Canyon formations in a laborious ref search involving much scaling of cliffs and ref connoitering through difficult localities. They have found that the very oldest rocks in Amer' ica were formed in much the same way as the younger formations. For further studies, a boat trip is now contemplated down the Canyon. Dr. Horace I. Fraser has perfected methf ods of studying the internal structure of oresg these consist of cutting through a piece of ore, polishing the surface, then detecting mineral crystals microscopically. The Turkish Government enlisted the services of Dr. Maxson in a year's search for oil and coal. Before going abroad in February he carried out further investigations in the geology of the Inyo Range, east of Cwens Valley. GEOLOGY Pnorsssons IRerm'J Willis P. Popenoe, Horace J. Fraser, George H. Anderson, Eus- tace L. Furlong, John L. Ridg- T' way: Kfrontj Ian Campbell, Ben Gutenberg. J. P. Buwalda, Chester Stock. a if 5. flu- nt., LL L 23 O

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BIOLOGY Work in genetics, which has been extenf sively pursued by the Division of Biology for many years, is being actively continued under the direction of Dr. Morgan. During last sum' mer, under a Rockefeller Foundation grant, Dr. Dobzhansky went on an extensive collecting tour to supplement former collecting in Alaska, Canada, Cregon and Washington. This year his trip included the Rocky mountain region from Montana to New Mexico and Mexico City. The material he brought back is being used by Dr. Sturtevant for a detailed study of different racial types of Drosophila pseudoobf scura in an attempt to find how a species may evolve into a new species. At the Marine Station at Corona del Mar, several undergraduates worked last summer mainly on the comparative anatomy of vertef brates, but also familiarizing themselves with many types of marine animals. In addition, sevf eral visiting professors worked on special prob' lemsg investigations were conducted by Dr. Wiersma and Dr. van Harreveld on the reacf tion of the claw muscles of crayhsh, crabs and other crustaceans. In the department of plant physiology, work on the growth hormones in plants has led to several important discoveries concerning both the chemical nature of the substances and the way in which they bring about an increased or decreased rate of growth in diiferent parts of the plant. - BIOLOGY Pizorisssoas fR0d7'2 Hugh M. Huffman, Frits W. Went, Anthonie van Harreveld, Cornelis A. G. Wiersma., Sterling H. Emerson: IF'1'o'n,tj Thomas Hunt Morgan, George H. Parker, George E. MacGinitie. ,,., ...,. , ...- ,.,,,.....T..,.,..,.. ..... .xxx it ' , gi ., K, I Y agififfgihfi:-. ,,., ,,,,,.,.f,,-.v...w:,. 1 2 2 ' - ' , fn- . . av -ug . .V 1 , ..., gif., v- .. ,, ' is rein'-L, :s:gs?i. wi. 3 fa Y N? mu ye ,MW KN H www I ve, M -fl - QS'-1--i ' -5 2'-. '1e11-vf2-f'i5f Mf'-'X-?::?a.f3ra.i,?ff:,-1. sa cg,a.a,o: :Q ' f. ' '21i5A'f1 V?+Xf'2 'N' EESYQRE' 1-ii.-:af-y' w- f' NNE? '. . . V .-2:,:4.v:a?fj,.jf -wmv.: :-m',g:-- .H-fo-sin -va -at 1. Q 'f 7 1 sffv me-5 '-' e '13, fr. 1. :ws i Hz: n fi. ., i'- -'g.:P's.f , 'V ' f-s:.'ez:1sfar:f1.1zafszxvlif-1-- f Y-H-.riser 'cf?f-A ., .. X N. ...Af -- i-g,,q4.,f,a,,... .1 J , ,- ,.,, , y ., ,Kan ,,.. wr ,app - .f'1,,1z,,g,ig:, ,.5-.f-74,3-1 ..::2: ,,..:,, f V ' - V . I''f're,.wf2:f.',:::fxL-'1...'-Tiki 2 ff' , v1 3G:fs+:r5f: I '+gf':r.fa3I! fardfiif '-3 .4 .m.---a...--my fe ,. ,ag ..,..,if3f 4. - -.1 . an, - 1- .g.Lia:Ifw:g,if fig? .A ..- . ,f,'-is-zfigqx, . ,.p fe - ' . 3417 '- ,' Q: , ',., j:,.,f.1f- -' 5' - . . ,, gl.-' .' . ',, -lk, g'gg'V'-iff. , 1 'i ' .''a'g.:-55',:.j5f'f 722,f,Q--1 .. 1, f'-5-.:1iitff. .vas I :ci :Zf:iE.3:f-36ix:F25'ba-gi:'.,,Eg5:':,g,,'E'?r: :-:'-,g,,'gY:'2,f1.2-- 'f' -.f2.If':fvif.:f: ': af' . Q ff' Sift Q.. Q,,,'Xf?g T I M i A-V -f+f'ff-'X'-'ffff' 2 Qc, we ,Q ,W 'ff QQZWWQQW. N aww. Ja ff wgg 2 f We fs we M ir it if ' 1 Marine Laboratory Under the direction of Dr. Borsook 'bio' chemical studies have been made on the origin of uric acid in animal tissues. Woirk on Vitamin C has also been continued, especially on the ref lation between the oxidation of the vitamin and its function in the animal organism. Dr. Huff' man has determined the free energies of a num' ber of physiologically important substances, and his work in this field is to be extended for sevf eral years. 22

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ASTROPHYSICS With the recent arrival of the huge pyrex disk, active work on the Institute's 200finch telescope has begun in the Optics Laboratory on the campus. This project, aided by grants from the General Education Board and fostered by the cooperation of the Mount Wilson Obf servatory of the Carnegie Institute, has done much to focus the public eye upon the Institute. Recent work in this department has been concerned with the design and construction in the Astrophysics shop of grinding apparatus for the 200finch mirror and the hguring of the 12Ofinch testing disk. Various auxiliary -inf struments have been made and tested, among them correcting lenses to increase the field of vision, objectives for spectroscopic work, photo' electric photometers, and radiometers, as well as a coelostat telescope to be situated in the As' trophysics Laboratory. Under the direction of Dr. John A. An' derson of the Mount Wilson Observatory staff, the design of the telescope has been fixed upon, employing a modified yoke mounting with .a cartridgefshaped house at the principal focus for the observer, and two possible Cassegrain arrangements. Actual construction work is supervised by Capt. Clyde S. McDowell of the U. S. Navy. After several years of investigaf tion and observation, Palomar Mountain in San Diego County has been selected as the most favorable site, upon which the telescope will ASTROPHYSICS STAFF John A. Anderson, Francis G. Pease, John D. Strong, Clyde S. McDowell. probably be erected. Of interest is the new process for aluininf izing mirror surfaces, developed in large measf ure at the Institute by Dr. John Strong. Tried recently on the 6Ofinch and 100finch reflectors at Mount Wilson, this surface has proved most satisfactory in giving increased reflecting power and also freedom from both tarnishing and light diffusion. It is expected that some four years will be required to finish the 200finch mirror and folf lowing this considerable time to put the telef scope into actual use. Until then we may only make estimates as to how far it will penetrate into space and speculate upon what new dis' coveries may be made. The ZOO MiTTOT,S arrival-Grinding Tables in Optics Lab 24