Rain Makers Not In Demand—A&M Needs ‘Stoppers
Rain, like a cattle stampede, is
easier to start than, stop, agree
Texas A&M meteorologists en
gaged in weather modification re
search.
The question of drying up the
clouds was put to A&M Geo
sciences Dean Horace R. Byers
and Dr. Vance E. Moyer, head of
the university’s Meteorology De
partment, in view of the pro
longed June drenching over much
of Texas.
Dean Byers, chairman of the
Texas Water Development Board’s
Weather Modification Advisory
Committee, noted that so far sci-
^entiists have had limited success
in making it rain and certainly
take no credit — or blame — for
recent downpours.
He pointed out, however, that
the problem of inducing rain in
volves relatively small quantities
of moisture and is therefore much
more feasible than stopping it.
Few people realize how much
water is included in a heavy or
extended rain, Dr. Moyer ob
served.
He did some hasty figuring and
concluded that almost two million
tons of water fell in the Burton
Creek Water Shed — a (Seven-
square-mile area in Bryan — dur
ing a 12-hour period in which
gauges showed slightly less than
four inches of rain.
“That’s enough water for a
good-size lake,” Moyer quipped.
“When you have excessive
rains over a period of time, it
represents the ,storm’s energy,
which can be the equivalent of
some of the largest thermal nu
clear bombs,” Byers added.
He said the main difference
between the two types of energy
is that the storm’s energy is ex
pended during a long period of
time and over a large area.
The dean emphasized that very
little research hajS been conducted
in the field of rain stoppage, al
though it definitely is an aspect
of weather modification.
“For practical reasons, work
in weather modification has been
concentrated in starting, rather
than stopping rain,” Dr. Byers
said.
Moyer said the problem in pro
hibiting rain would be develop
ment of a technique to get the air
to retain its moisture — in short,
evaporate it.
“The only way I can think of
doing this is to heat the air,” he
explained, adding that this would
be a monumental task.
Dean Byers agreed, pointing
out the air would have to be
heated from the top of the cloud
to avoid stirring up more boiling
energy.
The problem is further com
pounded by the fact the average
lifetime of a cloud is approxi
mately one hour, at which time
the cloud evaporates by itself.
“Actually, while one side of a
could is forming, the other side
is dissipating,” Dr. Moyer re
marked.
“People think they see a cloud
that stays overhead all day,” he
continued, “but what really hap
pens is that another cloud comes
in to take the original one’s
place.”
Moyer said some success has
been attained by non-meteorol
ogists in dissipating fog at air
ports, using a chemical spray so
lution.
While fog is similar to rain,
he pointed out, rain droplets are
millions of times larger than fog
droplets and dissipation would
therefore require much more
heat.
Battalion Wins 1st
In TP A Competition
New Dormitories Planned
To House 1000 Students
ppiiifiifi
‘NO LINES’
Freshmen planning to enter A&M in the fall have begun summer conferences and a new
registration method which makes them ask: “Is that all ?” The remainder of the students
may go to the “pre-registration” method in the spring of 1969. See story on page 4.
Pakistan University Head
Visits A&M’s Ag College
Other Board Action
Sets Sea Research
The Battalion has been an
nounced winner of first and sec
ond place awards at the Texas
Press Association’s annual sum
mer convention in San Antonio.
The first place award was pre
sented for outstanding pictorial
reporting of the Thanksgiving
Day football game activities in
the news photography competi
tion.
An editorial repudiating the
stand of state college and uni
versity student body presidents
and campus editors against the
Vietnam war received a second-
place certificate of achievement
in the editorial competition.
This year the Battalion com
peted in Division I, for newspa
pers in cities of 15,000 to 150,-
The Atomic Energy Commis
sion is in the process of issuing
a construction license to Texas
A&M for conversion of the Nu
clear Science Center reactor to
Triga type fuel elements, accord
ing to Congressman Olin E.
Teague.
A reactor official said the Cen
ter has received the AEC letter,
dated June 14, which will be fol
lowed by a 15-day waiting period
before actual reactor modifica
tions to accept the 26 uranium-
zircoriium rods begins.
Donald G. Anderson, operations
manager, said the reactor will be
shut down July 1, when the con
struction permit becomes effec
tive.
Center Director Dr. John D.
Fountain Room
Open During 4th
During the July 4th holidays,
the Fountain Room in the Mem
orial Student Center will re
main open, according to Col.
Fred W. Dollar, food services
director.
On July 4, 5 and 6 the Foun
tain Room will be open from 8
a.m. until 7 p.m.
Formal business hours will
resume on Sunday, Dollar said.
000 population.
In 1965 the Battalion was in
Division II, for daily newspapers
published in towns of less than
15,000 population. The student
newspaper won the General Ex
cellence Award for amassing the
most points in the division.
The paper won first in editorial
and appearance and won a second
place certificate for news writing
in the 1965 contest.
Staff of the prize-winning 1968
publication included Charles Row-
ton of Killeen, editor; John Fuller
of San Angelo, managing editor;
John McCarroll of Odessa, news
editor; Bob Solovey of Silver
Springs, Md., editorial columnist,
and Mike Wright of Victoria,
photographer.
Randall has indicated the facility
will be inoperative only about a
month. Following satisfactory
modification, installation and test
ing, the AEC issues an operating
license.
The new fuel elements will
raise reactor power tenfold, to
one megawatt. Special controls
presently being constructed by
NSC technicians will enable
steady-state or “pulse” type oper
ation, the latter simulating the
equivalent of a burst of radia
tion from a nuclear weapon det
onation.
Anderson indicated modifica
tions to the control console, re
actor bridge and possible experi
ment facility additions at the
bottom of the stall will be com
pleted before the fuel changeover
is made.
Old MTR fuel platep will be
removed from the reactor and
stored in the “swimming pool”
before Triga elements are in
serted. Anderson said blade-type
control rods will also be replaced,
and the old rods will be stored in
the pool for radioactive decay
before disposal.
Randall pointed out the re
actor down-time will enable ex
periments to update their research
programs for the new power ca
pability.
Dr. S. D. Choudhuri, vice chan
cellor of East Pakistan Agricul
tural University at Mymensingh,
faces a crowded agenda in a five-
day visit which opened Monday at
Texas A&M.
In the midst of a whirlwind
tour of six countries through
sponsorship of the World Bank’s
International Development
Agency, he launched his A&M
itinerary with a tour of the Data
Processing Center.
A&M President Earl Rudder
will huddle with the distinguished
visitor today to discuss future
programs between Texas A&M
and East Pakistan Agricultural
University.
Since 1961, noted Dr. Jack D.
Gray, International Programs di
rector at Texas A&M, more than
100 East Pakistan students have
,studied at Aggieland under
Agency for International Develop
ment sponsorship.
Gray, host for Dr. Choudhuri’s
visit, said 29 graduate students,
two seniors and two sophomores
are representing East Pakistan
during A&M’s first summer term.
The remainder of his itinerary
includes stops in the Soil and Crop
Sciences, Wildlife Science, Poultry
Science, Agricultural Engineering
and Agricultural Economics de
partments.
Dr. Choudhuri, in his current
leadership position (Since 1962,
earned his doctorate at the Im
perial College of Science, a com
ponent of the University of Lon
don, in 1944. He earned master’s
and bachelor degrees from Presi
dency College in Calcutta, India.
All degrees are in botany.
Director of agriculture for the
East Pakistan Province in 1959-
62, Dr. Choudhuri had spent a
decade as research director for
the JUTE Research Institute in
Dacca.
He revealed that the Interna
tional Development Agency has
arranged for 15 new fellowships
for EPAU’s faculty development.
“Each award amounts to ap
proximately $15,000 toward Ph.D.
study,” the administrator said.
“Scholars will do advanced work
in world bank member countries
—Munich University 'in Germany,
Lund University in Sweden, the
Sorbonne in France, Kyoto in
Japan, Oxford in England, and
four universities in the United
StatejS.”
“Those in the U. S. are Ohio
Bryan Building & Loan
Association. Your Sav
ings Center, since 1919.
B B & L —Adv.
State, MIT (Massachusetts Insti
tute of Technology), Cornell and
Texas A&M,” Dr. Choudhuri con
tinued. “All participating EPAU
faculty members already have
master’s degrees.”
While at A&M, Dr. Choudhuri
will visit with Pakistani students,
lunch with International Pro
grams officials, confer with Agri
culture Dean H. O. Kunkel, and be
guest of honor tonight for a
dinner with President Rudder as
host.
Dr Choudhuri will board a jet
early Saturday for a flight to
Tokyo enroute to Mymensingh.
Texas A&M ham radio opera
tors talked to approximately 1,500
different stations over the week
end in a national communications
field day testing amateur emer
gency operating capabilities.
Ted W'ittliff of Taylor, junior
electrical engineering (Student who
participated in the 27-hour test,
said the seven-man A&M crew
came close to tying the national
record for number of stations
contacted and may have led the
nation this year.
Wittliff said it will be several
days before Memorial Student
Center Radio Club members tab
ulate all the entries on their logs
and even longer before the na
tional results are published.
He noted there could be some
duplications in the estimated
1,500 calls made from portable
equipment placed in the Kyle
Field press box.
The national record is about
1,630 calls, Wittliff said, adding
that A&M won the national com
petition several years ago.
Texas A&M has been given the
go-ahead by its board of directors
to develop preliminary design for
a new dormitory complex which
would initially house 1,000 stu
dents.
A&M President Earl Rudder
said the four-story complex for
single students would include a
new dining facility, with a total
cost of about $6 million.
The new facilities could be
ready for occupancy as early as
1970.
Rudder said the complex will
be designed for possible expan
sion at a later date to accommo
date approximately 2,000 stu
dents.
The board of directors appro
priated $60,000 for preliminary
design.
A&M currently has 32 dormi
tories with a capicity for 6,458
students. The newest dorms were
completed in 1965.
Rudder said new facilities for
single students will be needed to
meet the university’s growing
over-all enrollment, which has
increased approximately 1,000 an
nually in recent years.
He also emphasized there is
still an acute need for additional
off-campus housing for married
students and faculty-staff per
sonnel.
The proposal for the new cam
pus facilities, Rudder noted, was
based on the recommendation of
a dormitory committee which has
been studying A&M housing
needs for more than a year.
Establishment of a Center for
Dredging Studies at Texas A&M
was also approved by the board.
A&M Engineering Dean Fred
J. Benson told board members the
center will be operated by the
Civil Engineering Department
and include teaching, research,
information dissemination and
operational activities.
He said the proximity of A&M
to the Gulf of Mexico and the
capabilities of its staff make it
Each call this year, he ex
plained, lasted approximately 30
(Seconds and consisted of a signal
report and location of receiving
station.
He said all equipment had to
be operated from emergency
power and be set up after 2 p. m.
Saturday.
Aggie ham operators, whose
call sign is W5AC, have handled
emergency traffic during hurri
canes when standard communica
tions channels were wiped out.
They a] ( so provide radio-phone
patch links for A&M personnel
on assignment in foreign coun
tries.
Completing the A&M team were
students El Campbell of Houston,
Rick Dougherty of Griffin, Ga.,
Ken Polk of Riesel, former stu
dent Bill Parry of San Antonio
and two College Station high
school students, Jack Madeley and
Dave Hoffman. Also involved in
the operation were club advisors,
Dr. W. D. Harris and Bill Harris,
chemical engineering faculty
members.
appropriate that the university
provide leadership in this field.
The dean noted that new and
improved methods of dredging
must be developed in the near
future, in view of renewed inter
est in greater utilization and ex
ploitation of marine resources
and increased activities in estu
aries along the shore and off
shore.
Benson also pointed out both
state and federal governments are
making a concerted effort to de
velop new interests and facilities
to stimulate research and devel
opment of marine resources.
Earlier this month, Texas A&M
was awarded a $475,000 grant by
the National Science Foundation
to develop a Gulf Coast marine
resources program.
Construction contracts and ap
propriations authorized by the
board totaled $1,478,889. Texas
A&M contracts went to Vance &
Thurmond Contractors, $232,650;
R. B. Butler, Inc., $192,224, and
W. E. Kutzschbach Co. $191,091,
all of Bryan. Homer F. Weaver
of Houston won a $69,040 con
tract for a Prairie View College
project.
Appropriations included $557,-
908 for four Texas A&M projects,
$58,000 for four at Prairie View,
$9,750 for one at Tarleton State
College and $168,226 for Texas
Agricultural Experiment Station
facilities at Beaumont and Wes
laco.
The Beaumont appropriation
totaled $144,426 and completes
(See Dormitories, Page 3)
‘Old Army’ Movie
At Grove Friday
Friday is going to be a big
night for movie-goers at Texas
A&M’s Grove Theater.
The scheduled film, “We’ve
Never Been Licked,” usually
packs students into the open-air
amphitheater.
“The movie portrays student
life at Texas A&M and follows
many Aggies through World War
II exploits,” noted theater man
ager James Hill of Abilene. “It’s
a dandy!”
The Universal production stars
Robert Mitchum and Noah Beery
Jr. Anne Gwynne and Martha
O’Driscoll are the featured ferns.
Director is Walter Wanger,
tops in his day. The stars spent
weeks on campus making the
film.
“They attended football games
and other student activities,” a
veteran A&M staffer recalled.
“Best of all, they mingled daily
with students in efforts to get a
better feeling of Aggie spirit.”
Hill said “We’ve Never Been
Licked” is billed as an added at
traction to follow “To Be a
Crook” slated for 8:30.
“We’ve Never Been Licked,”
Hill added, “will be shown about
10 o’clock. However, it might be
a good idea for patrons to arrive
early. That way, they can be
assured a seat.”
Rain holds no horrors for Hill.
He has made arrangements for
both movies to be shown in the
Memorial Student Center Ball
room if inclement weather pre
vails.
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.
—Adv.
‘FUN AND GAMES’
The next dance of the Memorial Student Center’s Summer Directorate will feature the
“Fun and Games Commission,” formerly the “Six Pentz.” The band has recorded such
top hits as “Today-Tomorrow” and “Imitation Situation,” according to Denny Kniery,
dance committee chairman. The dance next Tuesday at 8 p. m. will feature a “Wisk-a-
Go-Go” theme and a special surprise attraction which promises to be a bargain at twice
the price, says Kniery.
AEC Issues Permit
For Nuclear Change
Aggieland ‘Hams’
Make 1,500 Calls