D R . JAMES
F. NORRIS
EDITOR'S OUTLOOK
D
R. JAMES F. NORRIS, whose portrait appears on the opposite page, is honorary chairman of the committees charged with arranging the seventy-sixth meeting of the American Chemical Society to h_ he held a t Swampscott, Massachusetts, September 10th UI. to 14th. James As most of our readers know, Dr. Norris is professor F. of organic chemistry a t the Massachusetts Institute of Norris Technology and the author of various papers and texts upon that subject. It was at that institution that he began his teaching career as an assistant in organic chemistry, after having obtained his A.B. and Ph.D. degrees at The Johns Hopkins University. He rose successively to the ranks of instructor and assistant professor, hut in 1904 left to become professor of chemistry at Simmons (Mass.). Later he went to Vanderbilt hut returned to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1916, where he became professor of organic chemistry in 1920 and director of the research laboratory in 1926. He has also lectured at Harvard and a t Clark. Dr. Norris was associated with the Naval Consulting Board in 1916 and, upon the entrance of the United States into the war, was placed in charge of the war gas chemical research of the Bureau of Mines. Later he was commissioned a lieutenant-colonel in the Chemical Warfare Service. After the war he inspected German war gas factories. Dr. Norris has served two terms as president of the American Chemical Society and is one of the associate editors of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. He has also been chairman of the Division of Chemistry and Technology of the National Research Council and vicepresident of the International Union of Pure and Applied Science. He is a member of the American Academy of Sciences, an honorary member of the Royal Institute, and an honorary fellow of the Roumanian Chemical Society.
I
N ARRANGING its fall meeting, to he held at Swampscott, Massachusetts, September 10th to 14th, the American Chemical Society has planned to surround its sessions with an attractive vacation setting. In addition to a delightful climate and all the attractions Swampscott of a famous resort locality, Swampscott offers easy Meeting access to an area than which there is probably none in this country richer in historical associations. Marblehead, Salem, Lexington, Cambridge, and Boston, t o mention but a few points of interest, all invite the visitor. 909
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JOURNAL
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CHEMICAL EDUCATION
AUGUST, 1928
But this locality need not depend upon the reflected light of history either for its interest or its charm. The automobilist is constantly delighted with its physical beauty, both natural and developed, and there are many things of purely present-day interest which well repay visiting. No amateur gardener or botanist would willingly depart without having inspected the famous Arnold Arboretum a t Jamaica Plain, Boston. Those more mechanically inclined will wish t o visit the textile, rubber goods, and shoe factories which have been famous for generations. Chemists, particularly, will be interested in one of the oddest chemical enterprises existent anywhere-the herring-scale industry on Cape Cod. Here the stomach scales of the herring, properly treated, yield an essence that, when applied to a common glass bead, either by hand-dipping or spray-gun, produces an artificial pearl which can be distinguished from the genuine only by an expert. It would require a volume only to mention the many features of interest. Prospective attendants a t the meeting will do well to refer to the articles concerning Swampscott and the surrounding territory, which have been appearing regularly since May 10th in the News Edition of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Friday has been selected as the day for the entertainment of the Society by the Northeastern Section. Tentative plans call for a trip along the North Shore by automobile, through the coast towns. Reaching Cape Ann, the cars will circle through Gloucester and Rockport, and then proceed to Essex, the home of shipyards. At noon a New England shore dinner will be served on one of the numerous beaches. In the afternoon several of the inland communities will be visited. On Tuesday and Wednesday trips to Salem, Marblehead, Lexington, Concord, and Boston are planned. Visits to the Wayside Inn a t Sudbury, and trips to the various women's colleges around Boston are planned for the ladies for Thursday. Since there is a probability that a goodly numher of members may stay until the end of the week, the Entertainment Committee is arranging a visit to historic Plymouth for Saturday. The group meetings of the Society have been scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, September 11th. On Tuesday afternoon the Division of Chemical Education will meet jointly with the Division of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry for a symposium on the teaching of physical chemistry. Wednesday, morning and afternoon, will be devoted to the reading of general papers. A round-table discussion on Pandemic Chemistry, to which all are urged to contribute, is scheduled for Thursday morning. The remainder of the time will be available either for visiting other Divisions or for sight-seeing or recreation. A more detailed preliminary program is presented on pp. 1014-13 of this issue.
