EDUCATION

Midget Cyclotron Wins Big Prize Top winner in science tron accelerator is no

A $150 CYCLOTRON won top prize in the 1938 Westinghouse Science Talent Search for its designer and builder-Reiner Beeuwkes III of Newton, Mass. As winner over 39 other promising young scientists, he now has a $7500 scholarship to finance his college educa­tion.

The 17-year old Newton High School senior described and demonstrated a miniature cyclotron to compete in the talent search. He says most people think of cyclotrons as large, complex, and expensive. But he calls his ac­celerator no more complicated than a radio and moderately priced. Parts used in its construction cost less than $150. Beeuwkes says his cyclotron proves that individuals can build and operate many types of complicated re­search equipment. He is now working on an electron accelerator that operates without a magnet.

Beeuwkes will enter Harvard this fall. After college, he wants a teaching-re-

talent search says his elec-more complex than a radio

search career in physics. Besides cy­clotrons, he likes rockets, radio, photog­raphy, skiing, and mountain climbing. On an earlier research project, Beeuwkes experimented with solid fuels for rockets, trying to obtain some control over their combustion rates.

Other Winners. Another talent search winner, Donald M. Jerina, 18, of River Grove, Ill., plans to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology on his $4000 scholarship. He will study chemistry with his sights set on a career in research.

Jerina's talent search project de­scribed the bromination of vanillin and products of this reaction. His exhibit at the Washington Science Talent In­stitute, final testing ground in the talent search, also showed how he synthesized 00 other benzene derivatives. Jerina's interests, outside of chemistry, include construction of jet engines and radio receivers. He is a first-place winner in the Chicago Area Science Fair.

With a $3000 science talent scholar­ship, Neil L. Nininger of Larkspur, Calif., will start a career in physical-chemistry research. He will go to California Institute of Technology next year. Nininger won his award with a report of work he did on a summer job at the Radiation Laboratory, University of California. There, he devised a way to make tantalum carbide filaments for use in mass spectrographs. By con­trolling temperature and pressure, he was able to make filaments that could survive heats up to 4000° C.

Nininger also has developed a micro-chemical and analytical technique. It is used in all chemistry classes at his school, Tamalpais High in Mill Valley, Calif. This technique, which he ex­hibited at the Science Talent Institute, includes preparing fine capillary tubing, precipitate capsules, and microchemical vials for testing and storing chemicals. Nininger claims his method ensures safer handling of chemicals by stu­dents.

The Westinghouse Educational Foundation gives the scholarships and awards in the Science Talent Search, which is conducted by Science Clubs of America through Science Service. In the search, 40 winners, chosen among high school seniors all over the coun­try, attend the Science Talent Institute held in Washington, D. C., each spring. During the institute, these finalists compete for five college scholarships. Besides all their preliminary qualify­ing-science aptitude tests, school grades, teacher reports, and science projects—they are scored in interviews with three scholarship contest judges. This year, they faced two psychologists and a psychiatrist.

Salaries Still Too Low The average salary paid to college

teachers this year is $6120-up 20% in the last three years. But, the U. S. Office of Education says this increase reflects little progress compared to other professions and only a small hedge against cost-of-living rises.

According to its latest survey, the education office reports, salaries of full professors now range from $5150 to $13,800. Instructors' salaries vary from $3450 to $6550. On the average, pub­lic institutions pay slightly better than private colleges (C&EN9 March 10, page 19).

Although salaries are still too low to attract and hold enough qualified

8 2 C&EN MARCH 17. 1958

Reiner Beeuwkes III of Newton, Mass., exhibits a cyclotron he designed and built (or under $150. ?t won him first place and a $7500 scholarship in the 17th Westinghouse Science Talent Search. Beeuwkes plans to attend Harvard

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EDUCATION

teachers, the Office of Education says pensions, insurance, and other benefits are growing. These have helped im­prove pay scales—in some cases, as much as 10%.

Tuition Costs Go Up Again. While checking teachers' salaries, the educa­tion office also surveyed college costs. It says increased tuition costs point up the care needed to avoid pricing col­lege education out of the reach of many young people. Costs increased this year over last by 9% in public col­leges to average $153 a year. In pri­vate ones, they now average $531.

Nearly 1150 colleges and universi­ties-over 80% of all higher education enrollment—were included in this edu­cation survey. W. Robert Bokelman, of the U. S. Office of Education, reports the results in "Higher Education Plan­ning and Management Data,** especially prepared to assist college administra­tors in planning.

American Heart Association starts a new TV series to interest young people in research on March 24. The pro­grams, to be broadcast over NBC on 13 consecutive Mondays, 6:00-6:30 P.M.. are assisted by a grant from E. ft. Squibb, division of Olin Mathieson. They will feature research as actually conducted by leading cardiovascular specialists.

Eight now "opon-end" experiments for high school chemistry classes are now being distributed through the Di­rector of Education, Manufacturing Chemists' Association, 1625 Eye St, K.W., Washington 6, D. C. The first set of these experiments, released in September 1057 (C&EN, Aug. 26, 1957, page 40), has been requested by 6000 schools.

The ACS Wilson Dam Section's sec­ond high school chemistry contest will be held early in April. This year Reyn­olds Metals and Ford Motor Co. are cosponsoring the program. Winners, who receive cash prizes, will be hon­ored at a May meeting of the section.

Pennsylvania State University will conduct its fourth annual technical re­port writing seminar Sept. 14-28,1958, at University Park. For more in­formation: Extension Conference Cen­ter, Pennsylvania State University, Uni­versity Park, Pa.

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