NEWS EDITION HARRISON Ε. HOWE. Editor
Published by t h e American Chemical Society VOLUME 18
OCTOBER 10, 1940
NUMBER 19
Progress Report of the Committee on the Professional Training of Chemists
A
T THE meeting of the AMERICAN
held in Kansas City, Mo., in April, 1936, a resolu tion was adopted by the Council authoriz ing the President to appoint a committee to make a study of the professional training of chemists and chemical engineers in this country. The committee named at that time entered at once upon its task, devot ing thefirstyear to a general review of the whole problem. It was the unanimous judgment of the members of the committee following this survey that a concerted effort should be made to define in a general way the requirements of accomplishment in this importantfieldof professional work and to list those institutions which are in a position to offer such instruction. The need for more thorough training in chemis try, not only in academic work but in con trol and development and research in the chemical industries, has become particu larly apparent in the last two decades. All of the universities and colleges in this country engaged in training young men and women for careers in chemistry were then requested to reply to a carefully pre pared questionnaire in which detailed in formation was sought in regard to the teaching staff, the courses offered, and facilities available. This was sent out under the date of December 20,1037, to the president of each institution, accom panied by the following letter: CHEMICAL SOCIETY
Dear Sir: During the years 1931 to 1034, the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY was faced with the problem of unemployed chemists. A careful investigation was made by a competent committee. During this study the striking fact, of utmost importance to the chemical profession, was uncovered that a large proportion of those in the list of unemployed did not qualify, by training or experience, to hold chemical positions. The
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY is
striving to improve the profession of chemistry. It is fundamental to such a program that the training and experience necessary for a man who is to be called a
chemist be recognized and at least in broad terms be specified. A committee of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY has
now
been appointed whose duty it is to accom plish this objective. The decision has been made to publish at some future date a list of those colleges and universities which, in the opinion of the SOCIETY, have the proper library and laboratory facilities, the proper course work, and the proper teaching staff to train students who desire to be professional chemists. The preliminary survey to get informa tion about the various departments of chemistry is under way. When the data have been assembled and correlated, a visit to the various colleges may be made in order to secure more detailed and exact information about the chemistry courses and those in related subjects which are in dispensable to the trained chemist. If your institution is now educating students who wish to be chemists or chemi cal engineers and who graduate with a major m one or the other of these fields, would you be willing tofillout the enclosed questionnaire or refer it to the Chemistry Department for that purpose and return it as soon as possible to the Chairman of the committee? In order to facilitate the investigation and to limit the correspondence to a mini mum, may we assume that failure to return the questionnaire by March 1,1038, indi cates that your institution is not attempt ing to offer training for students preparing to enter the profession of chemistry. Cordially yours, ROGER ADAMS, Chairman This letter and questionnaire were fol lowed in April, 1030, by another com munication addressed to all institutions which bad replied to the first question naire, in which certain explanatory infor mation was requested. The response to these inquiries was remarkably coopera tive and cordial. As a result, very com plete information was assembled in regard to all important phases of the work in chemistry, and a few closely related fields, in approximately 450 universities and col leges. Progress reports were presented to the Council at the meetings of the AMERI CAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY held in Chapel Hill, N. C , April, 1037, Dallas, Tex., April, 1038, and Milwaukee, Wis., Sep
845
tember, 1938, and at the meeting held in Baltimore, Md., in April, 1939, a formal plan of action was proposed by the com mittee as a general basis for its work (NEWS ED., 17, 270 (April 20,1939) |. At the Boston meeting in September, 1939, this report with certain amendments pro posed by the committee was given formal approval by the Council [NEWS ED.. 17, 592 (Sept. 20,1939)]. From the outset the committee has realised that its objectives will only be achieved through a frank exchange of opinion, the encouragement of growth from within these institutions in response to their own efforts, and a general policy of friendly and zealous cooperation. These ends have been served by an open hearing held at the time of the Boston meeting, at which the general problem was freely dis cussed, particularly as it related to the liberal arts colleges, and by the appoint ment as visiting associates of a large num ber of the leaders in chemical education in this country. For the past year these have served the committee, not only in its extensive program of institutional visita tion but as able counselors as well [NEWS ED., 18,799 (Sept. 25,1040)1. The entire work of the committee and its associates has been conducted without expense to the educational institutions. . At the September, 1040, meeting of this committee in Detroit, complete reports which had been made to date on a number of universities and colleges were carefully reviewed and the following list of institu tions was given formal approval In the judgment of the committee these institu tions possessfacilitiesand offer instruction which permit students who are candidates for the A.B. or BJ3. degrees to fulfill the minimum requirements adopted by the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY for the pro fessional training of chemists. The com mittee wishes to make clear that this list includes only those institutions of which it has been able up to this time to make a careful study. A large number of institu-
846 tions have not yet been given formal con sideration. Accordingly, the failure of any institution to appear on this list is not to be interpreted at this time as offering any indication of unfavorable action by the committee. An additional list will be published in January, 1941, and others will follow at intervals thereafter. A. and M. College of Texas, College Sta tion, Tex. Amherst College, Amherst, Mass. Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, Brooklyn, Ν. Υ. Brown University, Providence, R. I. Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Penna. California Institute of Technology, Pasa dena, Calif. Case School of Applied Science, Cleveland, Ohio Catholic University of America, Washing ton, D. C. Columbia University, New York, Ν. Υ. Cornell University, Ithaca, Ν. Υ. Dartmouth College, Hanover, Ν. Η. Duke University, Durham, N. C. Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. Iowa 8tate College, Ames, Iowa Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. Kansas State Agricultural College, Man hattan, Kans. Lafayette College, Easton, Penna. Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Penna. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. Missouri School of Mines, Holla, Mo. Montana State College, Boseman, Mont. Northwestern University, Evanston, 111. Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Ind. Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio Pennsylvania State College, State College, Penna. Princeton University, Princeton, N. J. Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, Ν. Υ. Rice Institute, Houston, Tex. Stanford University, Stanford University, Calif. State University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Penna. Syracuse University, Syracuse, Ν. Υ. Tufts College, Medfaid» Mass. Tulane University, New Orleans, La. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark. University of California, Berkeley, Calif. University of California, Los Angeles, Calif. University of Chicago, Chicago, IU. University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo. University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho University of Illinois, Urbana, 111. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kans.
NEWS
EDITION
University of Maryland, Baltimore, Md. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn. University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo. University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebr. University of New Hampshire, Durham, Ν. Η. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Penna. University of Rochester, Rochester, X. Y. University of Texas, Austin, Tex. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. Vanderbilt University, Xashville, Tenn. Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Va. Washington University, St. Louis, Mo. Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.Va. Yale University, New Haven, Conn. The Council Policy Committee recom mended the following motion to the Coun cil at the Detroit meeting, September, 1940, and it was unanimously passed: Moved, that the AMERICAN CHEMICAL accredit for chemical engineering instruction those institutions as and when accredited by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Vol. 18, No. 19 New York University (day and 7-year evening), New Yorkr Ν. Υ. Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio Pennsylvania State College, State College, Penna. Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, Brook lyn, χ . γ . Princeton University, Princeton, N. J. Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, Ν. Υ. State University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio University of Illinois, Urbana, Ill. University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn. University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N. Dak. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Penna. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Penna. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn. University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Va. Yale University, New Haven, Conn. ROGER ADAMS A. W. HIXSOK H. B. WEISER W. A. NOTES, J R. ROBERT E. SWAIN, Chairman
SOCIETY
In accordance with this action there follows the list of institutions approved by the American Institute of Chemical Engi neers as of September 4, 1940: Armour Institute of Technology, Chicago, 111. California Institute of Technology (5-year course), Pasadena, Calif. Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pitts burgh, Penna. Case School of Applied Science, Cleveland, Ohio Clarkson College of Technology, Potsdam, Ν. Υ. Columbia University, New York, Ν. Υ. Cornell University (5-year course), Ithaca, N.Y. Drexel Institute of Technology, Phila delphia, Penna. Georgia School of Technology (excluding cooperative curriculum), Atlanta, Ga. Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Penna. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
ERLE M. BILLINGS, Secretary October 1, 1940
Transparent Dialyzer A COMPLETELY transparent continuous dialyzer, used for the recovery of soluble salts or acids from colloidal dis persions, received one of the top awards in the scientific division of thefifthannual Modern Plastics competition. This laboratory unit designed and made of Lucite by the Brosites Machine Co., Inc., New York, Ν. Υ., for ColgatePalmolive-Peet Co., Jersey City, N. J., consists of two ends between which U rings are located. Between each two rings is placed a membrane of cellophane, parchment, or other suitable material. The solution to be dialyzed is led into a manifold at the lower left-hand corner of the unit and flows continuously in the even-numbered cells. The recovery solu tion, usually water, is led into a manifold in the upper left-hand corner of the unit, and flows continuously through the oddnumbered cells. Recover}*, or purifica tion, is effected by transfer through the membranes between the cells. Picture on page 863.
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