EDUCATION
Talented Science Students Win Scholarships Westinghouse Search celebrates its 20th year; hears Dr. Glenn Seaborg's views on the creative scientist The Westinghouse Educational Foundation, working through the Science Clubs of America, has just closed its 20th annual high school Science Talent Search. In the search finals, earlier this month, the 1961 competitors (nine girls, 31 boys) spent five days in Washington, D.C. They exhibited science projects, toured laboratories, attended science lectures, and were interviewed by a committee of judges including scientists, educators, and psychologists. On the last day of their Washington visit, three mathematicians and two biologists emerged as the most promising young scientists in the group. These five won substantial college scholarships; the rest of the finalists receive $250 each plus recognition that will ensure them of consideration as candidates for the best colleges in the country. Joshua Wallman, a 17 year old from the Bronx High School of Science, New York City, took top prize of $7500. His search project, illustrated with photos, spectrograms, and tape recordings, showed that the courting behavior (bowing and nest calls) of
the ring dove is not determined solely by centers in the central nervous system and isolated from receptors. Mr. Wallman studied the ring dove at Rutgers' Institute of Animal Behavior, Newark, N. J., where he has worked for two summers under the guidance of the institute's director, Dr. Daniel S. Lehrman. The Westinghouse Science Talent Search, held early in the year, lier aids the start of the spring science fair season. This year it pulled the cream of the crop from some 25,000 students, many of whom will be competing in local and regional fairs throughout the U.S. this year. At the awards banquet in honor of the 40 Westinghouse finalists, Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, told the students that intelligence, motivation, training, and a willingness to work hard are the four major factors that go into the make-up of a creative scientist. These are developed through training in high school and undergraduate college study plus three to seven years of graduate and post graduate work, he added.
Even after a scientist is trained, Dr. Seaborg told the group, there is no assurance of success. In science, as in other professions, the factor is important. One cannot explain why one scientist wins high recognition and another of equal promise does not, he points out. But whatever the degree of achievement, he adds, the satisfactions of a career in science are deep and lasting. Dr. Seaborg says it is unfortunate that many high school courses have not been brought up to date. However, with improvements under way, he believes school boards, school administrators, and interested citizens should get acquainted with the new programs and consider how their school systems might benefit from them. Among the 40 Westinghouse finalists this year, nine expect to pursue careers in physics, seven are future mathematicians, and five each prefer chemistry, medicine, teaching, and the biological sciences. Three look forward to doing research in several fields, and one plans to study psychology.
WESTINGHOUSE WINNERS. Among the guests at the 20th annual Westinghouse Science Talent Search awards banquet (left to right) Edward C. Jones, Arlington, Va. (2nd place winner); Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission; Joshua Wallman, New York City (1st place); E. V. Huggins of Westinghouse Electric's board of directors; Harriet Fell, Flushing, N.Y. (5th place); William Adkins, Melbourne, Fla. (3rd place); Daniel Kleinman, Louisville, Ky. (4th place); and Dr. Leonard Carmichael of the Smithsonian Institution
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"WHERE'S EVERYBODY GOING?
" THEY'RE FOLL OWING THE FELLOW WITH THE RABBITS"
"WHAT'S A MAGICIAN DOING HERE?
,.£•17.
NO MAG f CIAN— HE'S DOING DRAIZE-WOODWARD EYE TESTS"
3M'SHostto Science Students Each spring during Science Student Recognition Days at Minnesota Mining & Manu facturing, St. Paul, Minn., about 100 outstanding science and math students from St. Paul's high schools visit the company, receive citations for themselves and their schools. During the visit, panels of 3M people discuss technical careers in industry with the stu dents, and scientists, who are working in fields for which the students indicate a prefer ence, conduct the students on tours of the company's research labs. Here, on a tour, Dr. Gobran, 3M senior chemist, explains a polymerization apparatus to Helen Powe of Washington High School and Ray Thron of Sibley High School.
"WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THAT?"
HE'S TESTING
MAYPON ANIONIC ^ PROTEIN BASED DETERGENTS'*
"SO WHAT'LL THAT PROVE?'
Science Students Look Forward to College A survey of 500 gifted high school science students—those who took part in the National Youth Conference on the Atom in Chicago late last y e a r shows that all of them expect to go to college. Some 60% plan to continue their educations working toward the Ph.D. Public Service Electric and Gas Co., Newark, N.J., one of 64 sponsors of the atom conference, conducted the survey. Its objective was to explore the students' views on science related to education, business and industry, research, government, and the com munity. Some 3 5 % of the survey students expect to become engineers, and an equal number expect to do research, Public Service says, but only 10% plan to teach. The students felt that their scientific interests could be helped by more and better laboratory equipment, better scientific literature, field trips, conferences, and opportunities to talk with working scientists.
About two thirds of the science students had created science projects which were exhibited at science fairs, according to Public Service. More than 90% of these students had won prizes in local or state science fairs. Many had worked as much as two years on one project. A majority of the students said they spent 15 hours or more a week on homework; 20% said the 15 hours was not enough. The young scientists believe they should be independent of government and that scientists should serve largely as advisers to government leaders, ac cording to Public Service. Only 4% say scientists should make all scien tific decisions, and 2 3 % say the scien tist should stay clear of politics except for his duties as an average citizen. When the time comes for jobs, 62% of the survey students say they would prefer to work for large firms instead of small firms or in their own busi nesses. Among their reasons: Larger firms generally offer better opportuni ties for advancement, better salaries, and better equipment and research facilities.
NOT ONLY THAT THEY PASS WITH FLYING COLORS IN ALL CONCENTRATIONS BUT.. BUT
/ s_ /
"INDICATIONS ARE THAT THEY ACTUALLY PROTECT , THE EYE FROM IRRITATIONS BY OTHER SURFACTANTS" "HOW COME YOU KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT IT?"
^
" / SELL ΈΜ*
STEPAN CHEMICAL CO. Edens & Winnetka, Northfield, III. Hlllcrest 6-7500
MARCH
2 0,
1961
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AINSWORTH
Large High Schools Produce More Ph.D.'s Large high schools produce three times more Ph.D.'s than medium-sized schools and six times more than small high schools produce, says the Office of Scientific Personnel of the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council. It established these findings by studying the high school records of 6259 successful candidates for the doctorate degree in 1958. The new NAS-NRC report also shows that the Ph.D.'s choose the physical sciences over other fields of study, followed by the arts and humanities, social sciences, biosciences, and education, in that order. On the basis of these data, Dr. Lindsey R. Harmon of the NAS-NRC staff, who prepared the report, suggests two ways to increase the number of doctorates among the general population: Consolidate small high schools as recommended in the Conant Report; improve the material presented in high school biology courses. Dr. Harmon says he was impressed by another fact revealed in the study: Out of every 1000 people of the intelligence level of the average Ph.D., only 12 ever acquire the degree.
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1961
Scientific laboratory facilities for schools is the subject of a new 15minute, 35-mm., color and sound film strip now available from Scientific Apparatus Makers Association, Chicago, 111. "Science for Science," made for viewing by science educators, school administrators, boards of education, and interested citizen's groups, depicts the research and development, planning, designing, and quality control that go into laboratory furniture making. A Junior Engineers' and Scientists' Summer Institute will be held at Clarkson College of Technology, Potsdam, N.Y., July 2-15, 1961. The institute, for high school boys, is sponsored by the Scientists of Tomorrow. High school girls have a chance to attend a similar JE SSI program at Alfred University, Alfred, N.Y. The summer courses are designed to give students an insight into the pure and basic applied sciences and some knowledge of the study programs and career opportunities in science and engineering.
