mais in the NCI study receiving up to one half of the maximum doses didn't develop an unusual number of tumors. Moreover, Corbett says that feeding studies are an inappropriate way of testing hair dyes. "The real issue here is the significance of massive feeding studies on animals for products which people use on their hair." D
Second NSF group will be reorganized The National Science Foundation is reorganizing its Science, Technology & International Affairs (STIA) Directorate in a move an in-house memo says is designed to focus more sharply and expand STIA's policy research and analysis capability; better coordinate STIA's international activities, which are now distributed in several parts of the directorate; and increase the emphasis on basic and applied information science. According to NSF planning director M. Kent Wilson, the STIA realignment is the second and last of two major restructurings of NSF activities. The first, announced about a month ago, involved ending what was popularly but notoriously known as the Research Applied to National Needs Program (RANN) and replacing it with an applied science directorate aimed at achieving improved focus of NSF's applied research support. STIA's $25.2 million budget makes it the smallest of NSF's six directorates responsible for the funding of programs. But in terms of manpower, it is the largest, since its activities are done mainly in-house. Its major components are the divisions of science information ($5 million), policy research and analysis ($7.1 million), international programs ($10.5 million), arid science resources studies ($2.6 million). There is some hope within STIA that the foundation's technology assessment studies may be moved there from the research applications directorate. STIA appears to be a mixed bag of functions within NSF and, in fact, is, since it was established nearly three years ago as staff backup for then science adviser H. Guyford Stever, who doubled as NSF director. It can be thought of—loosely—as NSF's think tank, involving itself, as it does, with the policy aspects of science and technology. Its division of science information headed by Dr. Lee G. Burchenal currently has the least sense of direction, pending further reorganization of its
functions and staff. This division was the subject of a nine-month study by the outside NSF Science Information Activities Task Force, which called for an upgrading of science information work in NSF but a dissolution of the science information division. Thus, according to deputy STIA director Leonard Lederman, that division could well end up in another NSF directorate. Burchenal's fate has not yet been determined, although his counterparts—Alden S. Bean of policy research and analysis, Dr. Bodo Bartocba of international programs, and Charles E. Falk of science resources studies—are firmly in place as directors. The reorganization calls for more basic and applied research in science information and movement of the management of international science exchange programs from policy research and analysis to international programs. The jobs of about 10 persons were eliminated in the realignment. D
Iron-silver battery has high power, long life A new type of "storage" battery—an iron-silver battery—provides the highest energy capacity now available in commercial batteries, according to Dr. Jack T. Brown, manager of Westinghouse Corp.'s electrical energy systems department. Brown, speaking at the Atlanta meeting of the Electrochemical Society, noted that the iron-silver battery also affords high power capability and long life in deep-discharge applications. The new batteries already have proved successful as emergency power supplies for tethered-balloon telecommunications systems, Brown says. They appear to be ideal power sources for many other applications,
including mobile propulsion on land and in submarines, he adds. Each iron-silver cell produces a nominal 1.1 volts. Westinghouse currently makes batteries consisting of 24 such cells, each weighing 1.67 kg with an energy capacity of about 3.5 kwh. The 40-kg battery thus has about five times the energy capacity of lead-acid batteries, and twice that of nickel-cadmium batteries of comparable weight. In everyday terms, the iron-silver battery can drive a 1-hp motor continuously for more than four hours on one charge. Unlike some other high-performance batteries, Brown notes, it retains this ability even after 200 full discharges and recharges. With the battery in a charged condition, the anode consists of porous metallic iron, the cathode of silver oxides. Discharge converts the silver oxides to metal and the iron to hydrated magnetic iron oxide. The porous iron electrode and the complete battery system were developed at Westinghouse's research center in Pittsburgh. The silver electrode was developed at Yardney Electric Corp., Pawcatuck, Conn. The electrolyte is a 30% potassium hydroxide/1.5% lithium hydroxide solution. Each iron electrode plate is contained in a seven-layered polypropylene bag of controlled porosity, which serves as a cell separator. The batteries are described as "commercially available." But, Brown points out, "that means when a customer wants some, we'll make them." He explains that the batteries are assembled individually by skilled technicians at the research center, and that the going price for a 24-cell battery is about $10,000. Part of that high price is accounted for by the 347 troy oz of silver (at $4.80 per oz) contained in each battery. Fortunately, the silver isn't lost; it can be recovered when the battery is worn out. D
AAAS conference looks at women in science The much-delayed conference on the participation of women in scientific research, sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, finally got off the ground last week in Washington, D.C. The guest list included Sen. Edward Kennedy(D.-Mass.), who announced that he intends to introduce a legislative program to improve the status of women scientists. The four-day conference was organized by AAAS' office of opportunities in science, headed by Dr. Janet W. Brown. The group was set up in Dr. Brown with new iron-silver battery 1973 for advocacy, research, and inOct. 24, 1977 C&EN 5
