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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 28, 1962)
ffl yffl m mi, 7:311 9:2i; imt t rah Volume 60 !YAR,I- The Battalion COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1962 Number 12 l Research Project Moves To Annex VETERINARY PROGRAM GOES TRIMESTER DR. A. A. PRICE . announces change ' Change Begins In Fall Of ’64 1 A major curriculum change has been approved for vet- , unary medicine students at A&M effective in the fall of ? 164. ■Veterinary medicine students will then register for asses under a trimester plan rather than the semester | —/stem, Dr. Alvin A. Price, dean of the Veterinary Medicine ■®:h(H)l, announced. ■ iThe new program has won approval from students icujty and the A&M System Board of Directors. The propos- has been cited by national veterinary publications as well. i The proposal has been under study by the College’s vet- ■inary medicine officials since 1960. Dr. Price said the trimester system is designed to provide additional student contact hours in the professional cur riculum and reduce the total time investment on the part of the student. The new program is the first of its kind among the 18 schools of veterinary medicine in the United • States. The trimester plan is also the first major change in veteri nary education since adoption of the two-year preveterinary re quirement. Present training involves a six- year course of study, including two years of preveterinary medicine and a four-year professional study. 4- The trimester plan reduces the overall amount of time required in the professional curriculum by 9% months. More specifically, the program provides for 9 trimesters of 15 weeks each or 135 weeks of professional training. “It’s a compromise between se mester and quarter systems,” Dr. Price said. “But the student’s time invested is nine and a half less months than the semester plan.” A typical school year begins with the first trimester in early September and ends before the Christmas holidays. The next term begins after the New Year holiday and continues until mid- April. The final term continues from April to early August. The trimester system provides 663 net days of instruction com pared to 576 days in the present semester program. At the same time, the holiday schedule would include four days for Thanksgiving, two weeks for Christmas, three days for Easter, three days for July 4 and five additional weeks per year. Like any program, the veteri nary school officials realize the program has some disadvantages. “Advantages outweigh the dis advantages, however,” Dean Price said. That students may “burn out” under the faster pace is one dis advantage most frequently men- (See VETS On Page 3) Unique Aircraft To Be Developed A Houston firm announced plans Wednesday to locate research at the A&M Research and Development Annex for a Astro-Kenitic Lift, an aircraft which resembles a flying saucer. The Astro-Kinetic Corp. of Houston will conduct the tests that may lead to future development of the unique craft. Models of the ship are already in operation, with the phase of local work to concern producing a vehicle for manned-flights. Charles E. Hunter, vice-president of Astro-Kinetics, says the United States Naval Research and Development Bureau has provided the corporation with a special engine with an extremely light weight which - * - The Centennial Queen And Her Court Researchers j)®cover New mall Plants ^Discovery of several new species | very small diatoms—one-cell pints of microscopic size—has sn announced by an A&M re- irch oceanographer. nAlbert Collier, director of A&M’s ^Jirine Laboratory, said that sev- jffil species and genera of the nute diatoms have been isolated >m Gulf of Mexico waters at Iveston. He and his research associates ^covered the heretofore unknown «tom types during experimental jdies on filterable organisms 41]ated from surface waters of ! Gulf. The biological research scientist med the diatom species “Chaeto- r 'oslgalvestonensis” to designate i location where they were / md. 'Diatoms are one-cell plants it take on many different j ms,” Collier said. ..“The Chaeto- L os galvestonensis are micro- pic in size—1.5 microns on the cal axis and three microns on r prevalvar axis.” n layman’s terms, the overall lension of a diatom is about f the size of a human red blood l, or about the size of the ty- )id bacillus, he explained. )ceanographic biologists and er scientists see many possible as of study evolving from the covery of the minute diatoms. The small size and consequent |h surface-to-volume ratio of se cells, plus their ability to Itiply rapidly, have several im- iations, for the oceanographer. niPhese factors might enable the litoms to reproduce rapidly even Wier minimal nutrient concentra- W ns, while their power of intense iization of nutrients might cause detion of food for other sea life, ^ said. ^('he diatoms also may interest mical and physical oceanogra- w >rs. These cells might have effect light scattering, sound scatter- oj and heat absorption,” said 1 Her. “Because of the large ount of metabolic and degrada- , ^ organic residues produced, the act of diatoms on viscosity and jjjface tension of the water cer- ^ily needs investigation.” ? The Bryan-Hood’s Brigade Centennial Queen is shown honored at the festivities at Kyle Field which will continue through Saturday. The pageant begins at 8 each night during the week. (See pictures on pages 4 and 5). TORNADO SPOTTING NETWORK Meteorological Research Conducted By Radar Here Most people who have occasion to visit A&M are aware of the huge olive-drab radar tower be tween Bizzell and Goodwin Halls, but few know much about it, or its purpose and function. The tower is the external end of a complex radar system operated by the Department of Meteorology and Oceanography in its research and instruction in the uses of radar in meteorology. Known officially as the AN / CPS-9, the set is located on the second floor of Goodwin Hall in a darkened, air-conditioned room be hind doors marked “Authorized Personnel Only.” It is on more or less permanent loan to the col lege by the Air Force. Its maxi mum range is 400 miles, though it is rarely used to gather ac curate information at a range greater than 250 miles. The Radar Meteorological Sec tion is directed by Vance E. Moyer, who received the degree of Ph.D. at Pennsylvania State University. Moyer, who came to A&M in 1958, explained that the operation of the radar is financed partly by a grant from the National Sci ence Foundation for weather re search. Logging Weather Data . . . at meteorological center “Though our work is almost purely research, we cooperate with local civil offices and the U. S. Weather Bureau,” he said. He explained that in unusual cir-i cumstances, such as the passing of Hurricane Carla through this area last year, and imminent local ly severe weather, the radar faci lities are used to advise and warn area residents of the conditions which exist. Moyer is the meteorological of ficer for the local Civil Defense organization. In the radar room is a telephone which has an unlisted, unpublished number. “The number of this phone is known only by members of our weather observer network, and such agencies as the Federal Avia tion Agency, the Highway Patrol, and area police forces,” said Moyer. “We have enlisted the aid of farmers and ranchers within the effective operational radius of our scanner, and each is assigned an identifying number. Should a member rancher near Navasota, for instance, see a funnel cloud near him, he telephones us, identi fies himself by number, and re ports that the cloud is so many miles from him in such and such direction.” “By plotting the information on our map, starting from the corres ponding observer number on the map, we can accurately pinpoint the location of the funnel, and send out warnings, if necessary,” said Moyer. “You see,” he continued, “radar is a notorious lair. For instance," we are able to distinguish perhaps only 1 out of 10 tornadoes which occur in our area.” “Many times a tornado is con cealed by heavy precipitation on our scopes,” he said. “We must therefore rely on visual observa tion to a great extent; thus, our observer network.” “When they do appear on our scoupes, they are not particularly difficult to identify. Almost in variably, a tornado echo will ap pear in the shape of a “6”, he said. “To improve our observing faci lities, Jake Cangelose, who is the section Research Engineer, has built another set which will be used in conjuction with the CPS-9,” said Moyer. “The construction of this new set was no small feat,” Moyer con tinued. “Jake has really accom plished something of a minor mir acle.” “We have scavenged and canni balized parts from all over the country,” ’ he said. “One part, we found out, was simply unobtain able, so Jake just built it.” “We are in the process of com piling data for a study of the life cycles of subtropical precipitation,” said Moyer. “Using Jake’s set and some specially adapted 35mm aerial-type cameras, the research ers will assemble a large num ber of photos of radar “weather pictur*a,” hoping to determine if identifiable characteristics exist which will enable meteorologists to better predict the weather, and perhaps, eventually to control it. will be installed in the test vehicle. Hunter, speaking on some of the principles of the air craft, stated that the lift has a capability which is a totally new concept of aerodynamics. “This new concept device, because of simplicity of design and low pro duction cost compared with the rotary blade concept, will conceiv ably bring a third dimension to commuter and personal transpor tation,” he added. He said the simple operation of the lift will permit anyone to oper ate it with the same ease as driv ing an automobile. “It has the same maneuverability ^and load capacity as the helicopter,” he said. Corporation President W. Fre mont Burger labeled the existing facilities available at the research annex and the reservoir of highly trained personnel and equipment available at A&M College as the main reasons for the decision to locate in Bryan. “We have the man-flight mech anism about 70 per cent complete at the present time in our facilities located at Fairfax, W. Va.,” Burger said. He added that the first flight could take place within six weeks after opening facilities at the Annex. Burger referred to construction of the fiberglass lift as very simple in comparison to the helicopter. “It has no complex moving parts such as rotor heads,” he reported, “and it is estimated that the initial con struction cost of the lift will be less than half that of a compar able helicopter.” 300 Expected For Journalism Training Here More than §00 high school stu dents and teachers will attend the fourth annual High School Journalism Workshop July 15-20, according to Delbert McGuire, workshop director and head of the Department of Journalism. The workshop, largest single week conference of its kind in the country, is designed to aid both students and advisors of high school newspapers and yearbooks in basic rudiments and advanced techniques of publication work. Principal speakers for the three convocations of the Workshop will be Dr. Max Haddick, director of the Interscholastic League Press Association of Austin; Paul Swens- son, director of the Newspaper Fund, Inc., of New York City; and Walter Humphrey, editor of the Fort Worth Press. Assisting in the planning and operation of the Workshop will be Dr. John Merrill and Harry O. Ritter, members of the Depart ment of Journalism faculty. In charge of the newspaper di vision of the workshop will be Mrs. Edith King of San Antonio Junior College, and directing the yearbook division will be Charles J. Dolan of the Taylor Publish ing Company, Dallas, and Billy Pope, faculty member of Pasadena High School, Conference Speakers Tell Of New Chemical Compound A new chemical compound said to possess important advantages in the fight against the vicious fire ant was described during the sixteenth annual Pest Control Operators Short Course. The new compound also was described as holding promise in control of the harvester or red ant which infests much of South and West Texas. The 138 persons registered from throughout Texas for the two-day short course also heard discussions of numerous other insects and of advances in control measures. Sponsoring the short course which ended on Friday was the Depart ment of Entomology. Dean R. E. Patterson of the School of Agriculture welcomed the pest control operators and praised their organizations as a means of disseminating information. Radar Tornado characteristic “6”-shaped (arrow) Dr. J. C. Gaines, head of the Department of Entomology, was presented an honorary membership in the Texas Pest Control Associ ation in recognition of his individ ual and the College’s assistance to the industry. State Association President Jack Plummer of Galves ton made the presentation to a surprised Gaines duxdng the open ing ceremony. Most of Thursday was devoted to a detailed report on termites, their life cycle, nutrition, and con trol measures. Dr. Jack Bready of Purdue University, whose aca demic specialty is termites, was the speaker. The mandibles or jaws of a ter mite, although strong enough to bite into hard woods, are delicate enough to move about the minute eggs of termites during the incu bation period, Bready said. The report of the new compound which has the common name of Mirex, was heard during the open ing session on Friday. F. L. (Roy) Bailey of Jackson, Miss., spoke. He is a technical specialist in the agri cultural chemical development with General Chemical Division of Alli ed Chemical Corp.