Johns Hopkins University - Hullabaloo Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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put into operation on a fullatime basis, and for many months was the sole producer of this vital ingredient. Another entirely new ingredient was produced by the Hopkins, the only source of this substance. The third of the major works carried out by the staff was the development of the proximity iVTl fuze, which has been called by many the second most important scientific product of the recent war. It was developed exclusively by the Hopa kins at Homewood and at the Applied Physics Laboratory at Silver Spring, Maryland, where the work was carried out under the direction of Dr. Merle Tuve, who received his doctorate in Phys; ics at the University. The problem, greatly simplified, was to develop a radio set the size of a package of cigarettes that would be able to be shot from a gun at a rate in excess of 2,500 feet per second. Anyone who has dropped a small radio only a few feet and then noted the near; disastrous effects will appreciate the aceomplislv ment. The expenditures on this single project were enormous. In normal times the budget of the entire University amounted to approximately three million dollars each year. At one time the laboratory at Silver Spring was running on a budget of close to sixteen million dollars per year. Professor J. A. Bearden was the leader of the work done at Hopkins itself. He had been work; ing since 19-10 on the project, as well as on coum termeasures or defenses in case the Germans should have a similar weapon. The laboratory on campus, in Rowland Hall, employed at one time between fifty and seventy'flve people and was known as the radiation laboratory. During the Battle of the Bulge, Dr. Bearden was in Europe as a scientific observer at the hrst land use of the VT. Besides these wellapublicizecl tasks, hundreds of smaller contracts were held by the University Dr. D. H. Andrews of the Chemistry Department was instrumental in the and its members. development of the superconducting bolometer, 23 a device used to Hsee objects in the dark at any distance, without disclosing the position of the observer. Dr. Hamburger of the Electrical Engi; neering Department in conjunction with Dr. Morgan of the Department of Psychology did work with radar with respect to time and motion studies. Dr. Wolman aided the government on many occasions as a consultant in Sanitary Engi, neering, having served with the War Production Board, the Navy Department, and on several committees representing the United States Goya ernrnent at international conferences concerning the problems of sanitation. The Engineering Departments' members also worked on many other tasks, including the manufacture of voltage regulators for aircraft, the development of plastic insulators, the development and application of synthetic rubbers, the banding of 106 mm. shells, and the uses of cork. The members of the Phys, ics department worked individually on a variety

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editorial writer on international affairs for the Baltimore Evening Sun and acted as adviser to the International Relations Club, in addition to carrying on his usual teaching schedule. The brunt of the teaching load in the Political Science Department was borne by Professors Swisher and Mattern who were assisted by Professors Micheal and Pelzer of the Walter Hines Page School of International Relations. Professor Swisher was also appointed chairman of the University Comv mittee on PostaWar Planning and deserves a great deal of credit for the progressive post'war policies of the University. In 1943 Professor Greenfield of the History Department received a leave of absence to accept a commission in the Army. He later received a War Department Commendation for his supep Vision of the Historical Section of the Army Ground Forces. June of the same year saw a new set of history courses instituted for the basic trainees of the Army Specialized Training Pro gram and also for the specialized area and lan; guage students. Since history was on the cur; riculum of each group of students in uniform on the campus, the members of the staff of this de; partment had considerable work to do in planning the courses and in teaching them. In addition to the courses given to the students in the basic curriculum of the Army Specialized Training Pro; gram, courses in modern German, French, and Italian histories and general European history were taught in the Advanced Area and Language curricula. l Professor Albright, who conducted the Orieiv tal Seminar, delivered a number of lectures at the Army,s School of Military Government in Charlottesville, Virginia. Nine men left the seminar during the war years, some of them en; tering the Army, while two were commissioned Ensigns in the Navy and were assigned to the intensive study of the Japanese language. Dr. McDiarmid of the Greek Department was called to service with the Royal Canadian Navy as an intelligence officer. Professor Cherniss of the same department was on leave of absence for the year 19424943, after which he joined the armed forces. During the major part of the war in Europe, Dr. Morphopoulos was on leave of absence as a war correspondent for one of the weekly news magazines. . During the war years, the Hopkins was most active in the held of scientific research. In fact, three of the wars most important instruments were wholly or in part developed by the staff. Our work in radar consisted mainly in the lenda ing of Hopkinsvtrained men to other institutions which were actively engaged in the task of per fecting radar. The work on the atomic bomb, however, -was a great deal more extensive. Dr. Fowler had a great deal of prevwar experience in the handling of the materials which were finally used on the bomb, and as a result he and the University were commissioned to continue this work. A model plant for the production of one of the ingredients of the bomb was set up. A manufacturing chemist was commissioned to cona struct a fullvscale plant for the work done by the model plant, but because of technical diHiculties it was found that it would be impossible to do this. Therefore, the plant at the university was

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of projects, including accoustic devices, infrared light as applied to the detection of poison gases, and in the training of spectroscopists for scientific research. There are many whom we have not included in this survey. Their contribution was perhaps the greatest and the most difficult to make. To those professors and students who gave no ma- terial aid to the war effort but carried on uncomr The in; stitution of the yeararound schedule placed a great plainingly we owe humble gratitude. burden on students and faculty alike. Our pro; fessors have admirably accomplished the task, and have set a sterling example for the students. The increased teaching schedule did not stop the faculty from working on books they were writing or the articles they were contributing to news; papers and magazines. Nor did they neglect the individual student as they might easily have done. Theirs was the job of building citizens as well as soldiers. Theirs was the job of sending men out into a waratorn world with not only a textbook knowledge but also an acute awareness of their responsibilities. They gave to the men at the Hopkins intangible ideals, a sense of intrinsic values, and a love and devotion for all that is good and honorable. Throughout the war they remained in the background, doing their jobs without praise; but theirs is one of the most vital contributions made to the welfare of our country. johns Hopkins Laboratory of Applied Physics-Silvcr Spring, Maryland .......,..,. ,.-., a a ,c.-,,i . veq ,1 ,, V .4 t..c-....;. :;-.........,.-... 24 ' V'If-WT'T'T