Los Angeles Valley College - Crown Yearbook (Valley Glen, CA)

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r 1 I 4 l l li -pasvlfl' .,. ..-- Checking on the radioactive sample are Andrew Mason, chairman ofthe department, and Mike Matza, lab assistant. Barbara Arnold, physics student, finds laboratory experimentation a valuable aid to her studies. Peering out from behind mountains of complicated- lookingfscientific apparatus, Andrew Mason, head of Valley's physics and electronics department, explains the basic studies offered by his department. l'We teach our students to look around themselves and describe what they see mathematically, says Mason. Then it's simply a matter of controlling physical en- vironment-you have to make it do what you want it to. The rapidly growing department has two basic aims. The first is to prepare the physics, electronics or en- gineering major for further education or employment. The second aim is to acquaint all students with the world of physics. One of the classes offered by the department, Physics Fundamentals, is aimed at this second type of student. It is designed primarily for liberal arts majors and emphasizes fundamental laws and principles rather than quantitative problem-solving. Mason feels that this class is accurately described as physics appreciationf, We are living in a scientific, technical society, Mason points out, 'land everyone needs at least an in- troduction to his physical environmentf' As a part of the fundamental foundation of a Well- rounded education, Mason wants his appreciation students to uget a feeling for itf' He illustrates his ideas by instructing them to look back in history and observe how a better understanding of physical surroundings helped to advance man. Mason believes that knowledge of basic physics be- comes adjunct to almost any other field of study and that the student is better prepared for the mechanics of modern living. XN Z Mu M.wM1:rp,,2 G gp ss ,XR ,- Barbara Arnold and Dan Simansky work together on an assignment in Valley's modern, well- equipped laboratory.

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Q53 it 'Q 5 'gl X, aifwrbsagr 'ii sam 'V Engineering student Bob Dow studies plans for a new air cushion K track designed in Valley's physics department. Dow sets the drill for one of the 384 l3MflOOO- inch precision holes required for the track to function properly. An engineer makes a track The new age of space and tech- nology has come to Valley. Com- puters and other modern devices for solving complicated problems have been incorporated into the engineer- ing curriculum, enabling the stu- dents to keep, abreast of the new developments in the field. Slide rules, desk c a l c u l a t 0 r s, dividers and micrometers are tools which aid the eager engineering student in designing a unique tool for the future or to conduct an an- alysis on the cable that supports the Golden Gate Bridge--to find its greatest point of stress. Under the guidance of seven cap- able faculty members - Donald Bruner, Maurice Deutsch, joseph Finck, Cyrus Kirshner, Ellis Foster, Glen Thomas, Gordon Fay and Jay Glassman - this new program un- folds. One example of these modernized methods is the recently introduced 1620 computer. It enables the stu- dent to become acquainted with all facets of given problems and to arrive at answers in minutes that under other circumstances would have taken weeks. Stress-relieving principles and atomic and molecular structures are clearly demonstrated and thorough- ly analyzed. Sixteen separate courses are of- fered for the prospective engineer. Shop practice is also available for those who want to make tools which they might have designed. The first piece of metal is placed between the vice grips-to steady the material for the exactness of the proiect. -R