Elms College - Elmata Yearbook (Chicopee, MA)

Page 27 text:

As sophomores these two science students have been eagerly watching and absorbing lab techniques for over a year now. Above, Mr. Shea demonstrates the simple but some- what confusing procedure of prep- aration. With apparatus set up and flasks removed from the lab closets he begins by mixing a solu- tion. At this point his two erstwhile students took over and concludeo the experiment. The results were various but no injuries were incurred, and that is an important factor in trial experimentation, says Mr. Shea. Scientific education isn ' t play. Careful chemists paraphrase their strenuous objections to Romberg ' s Student Prince who insisted that education was scientific play. The study of science demands absolute accuracy and attention to natural laws that allow for no improvisation or guesswork. Since a sudden slip of a test-tube might produce an unexpected explosion or a frustratingly neutralized combination, students of science watch and work to master their subject. Slightly on the safer side for both the students and the professor is the study of the complex but colorful chart of atomic weights that covers one wall of the Chemistry Lecture Hall. With world wide interest in atomic and hydrogen research these students display avid concern over the decimal weights of the symbols. It is only the starting point but nevertheless a good beginning.

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With ready access to the bones and wired ligaments of primitive animals and man, science students here receive a detailed explanation of the lower part of a skeleton they are studying. Apparently in- tent on absorbing the infor- mation, they will later be applying it in experiments and demonstrations of their own — all of course before Dr. Gadaire. ClrwnL Jbiy JAMES L. SHEA, M.A. Chemistry The most difficult task, according to all science professors, is the conversion of theoretical student study into tangible stu- dent practice. For this profound professor the labs are a busy part of his schedule, and a place for complementing theory with experiment. A reserved, determined teacher and observant lab advisor, he imparts to his students a knowledge gained through years of conscientious study, a knowledge tem- pered by quiei, restrained humor. 22

Page 28 text:

ROBERT I. O ' HERRON, M.A. Among the many scientific endeavors that absorb a greater part of this pro- fessor ' s time are the lectures of scientific significance he gives at the Elms. Last to arrive for 4:30 afternoon sessions he couples his formal notes with rather original chalk designs and chemical equations that are a common source of amusement and speculation to his students. An accom- plished scholar with a rich background of research and lab experience he brings an uncommon blend of knowledge and prac- tical experience to satisfy inquisitive science students. (phijAiccd QhswuAtAy Blackboard murals of figures and formulas, to be explained, analyzed and finally erased only after they have been permanently etched on the mind . . . these are the important tongue and memory-twisting pre- liminaries to the more rewarding experimental evidence of Physical Chemistry. Mr. O ' Herron traces with chalk the fundamentals of science; out- lining the struggle for understanding that lies behind the portrait of the test-tube scientist in the unruffled white coat. 24