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1,YDCSTRIBL A S D E S G I S E E R I S G CHEMISl’RY
5’01. 17, S o . 9
Press On
The Prize Essay Contest of 1925
ROFESSOR FRITZ HABER, outlining his observationon a recent trip t o America, remarked that the Vnited States now enjoys the same world position in chemistry that Germany held a t the beginning of 1914. Such a statement from a world-traveler of keen observation is impressive. From our own chemists who travel widely there comes the unanimous opinion that today-now--lmerlcan chemistry is offered the honor and responsibility of world leadership, if it will accept the opportmity. It is a time to press on, particularly in fundamental work upon which industrial success rests, to inform the laity of the significance of chemistry, and to attract to its service the best minds among our students. Press on, not for national aggrandizement, but for world betterment.
T H E press of the country has already devoted generous
Columbia’s Patent Policy OLUlIBIh UXIVERSITY has adopted a patent policy which may not only provide a worthy pattern for other educational institutions but may even contain a suggestion for the ever present and difficult problem of patents acquired by government employees. The board of trustees a t Columbia has organized a subsidiary corporation, University Patents, Inc., under the laws of the State of New Tork. The university is represented on this board by its president, treasurer, and two trustees, together with the professors of electrical and chemical engineering, the associate dean of the medical school, a representative of the alumni, and a representative of industry who was formerly a professor of chemical engineering. University Patents, Inc., is authorized to accept assignments of patents and proceed to make arrangements on such terms and in such ways as may be approved for the use, manufacture, sale, or other disposition of the patents or of the rights under the patents, and has power to arrange for tjie use or division of the proceeds. It is not mandatory for anyone connected with the university to assign to it any patent for a discovery of his own, even if that discovery were made in the university’s laboratories. There are a number of instances where not only patents but copyrights of books, in the preparation of which the university facilities are frequently used quite as much as are the laboratories leading to patentable results, can be administered to advantage by an educational institution. For example, it is considered unethical for men engaged in the field of medicine to patent and exploit a medical discovery. It is recognized, however, that the world will benefit to a greater extent if such materials are patented and their sale controlled. There is no objection to administration of such inventions by the university. Frequently the university can obtain a larger royalty than could an individual, since the royalties of the university are used for the prosecution of research. Organizations that might be willing to engage in lawsuits with a private inventor often hesitate to institute a suit against a university which devotes the income from patents to the furtherance of work in behalf of the public. Many of the proposals included in Columbia’s plan were embodied in a bill before Congress some years ago, introduced t o try out a similar experiment in the government service. That bill failed, largely because of industrial opposition. I t will be interesting to watch this similar experiment under the auspices of an educational institution which, like the Government, is engaged in a nonprofitable enterprise. What will be done in prosecuting infringement actions will be one of the important developments. We commend the university for taking this forward step and wish the experiment all success.
space to announcing the final awards in the Prize Essay Contest of the AhmRIcAx CHEhrIcaL SOCIETY.The national winners in the high school contest were widely distributed geographically. The winners, four of whom were girls, were from Waterbury, Conn., Port Arthur, Tex., Ensley, Ala., Rivera, Calif., Carroll, la., and New Orleans, La. Last year all the first prizes in the high school contest were won by boys: this year the girls have carried off the honors. With the score even, the outcome of the next year will be awaited with interest. The extra-territorial possessions entered the contest with an enthusiasm and an appreciation of the opportunity afforded which, if matched by all our states, would make the contest even more successful than it has been. Those who have assisted in judging the papers had no difficulty in locating enthusiastic teachers, ab indicated by the quality and number of essays from the various bchools. Indeed, any considerable difference in the result, of the contest a i between localities may uqually be traced to a difference in enthusiasm on the part of the teachers. As before, the great centers of population failed t o produce national winners. If the contest has helped in any measure to locate studentq of ability, it has more than fulfilled its purpose. The winners in the college contest were from the following institutions: Franklin College, Franklin, Ind.; Taylor University, Upland, Ind.; University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah; Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash. ; Massachusetts State Kormal School, Worcester, Mass.; and Rutherford College, Rutherford, S . J . This being the first year of the contest in the institutions of higher learning, it is difficult to reach conclusions and probably unfair to make comparisons. In some localities students were not advised of the contest in time to enter it and in others were given no special encouragement. I n borne quarters students felt that they could not compete with those in the larger and better known universities, and yet the institutions producing winners are not the ones in the minds of those who hesitated to enter the contest on this account. It is hoped that the six one thousand dollar cash prizes distributed as awards in the college contest will further educational work and prove a good investment in American chemistry. Preparations are being made for the third contest for the academic year of 1925-26. The SOCIETY’S committee again expresses its sincere appreciation of the work done by chemists and others everywhere in promoting the work of the contest and bespeaks a continuation of such active interest.
Analysis K O l l time t o time some one objects to the modest amount of space devoted to the publication of improved methods of analysis, comments upon methods in use, and suggestions for their improvement. The plant man no longer engaged in analytical determinations sometimes loses sight of the fact that, after all, not only chemical control but chemical research and the application of its results to industry depend upon accurate methods of analysis and work faithfully performed in accordance with the principles established. Important work has remained in a state of arrested development until analytical procedures could be perfected, and in many instances the development of methods has involved research of no mean order. The occasional title beginning with “determination of” or “a method for” may not appeal a t the moment, but it is with such stones that our chemical structure is raised.
