Sonar research conducted during the period 1 January - 31 March 1961

This is a report of activities supported under Contract NObsr-72521 for the period 1 January through 31 March 1961. It also contains mention of other reports, papers, and undertakings of the submarine geophysics group (listed under "Personnel") which are believed to be of interest to the Bureau of Ships. During this period no cruises have been supported directly under this contract. Eight members of the group under the leadership of Dr. Voorhis have participated in a cruise of CHAIN to the Romanche Trench. Their principal objective was to determine the sill depth which controls the exchange of deep, cold water ,between the western and eastern sides of the Atlantic Ocean. This sill was previously identified from hydrographic evidence to lie somewhat east of the Romanche Trench. A second objective was to continue the observations of temperature structure near the sea's surface with the thermistor chain. Another group, under Mr. Baxter's leadership, continued a sound transmission study in the Bermuda area in support of Project ARTEMIS. A third group, under Dr. Hays's direction, commenced a finely detailed bathymetric survey of an area of special interest to Project ARTEMIS. In all three of these studies we are making use of one or more experimental techniques in the use of sonobuoys, underwater acoustic navigation for submerged instruments, and sound coherence studies which are planned for use eventually in sound transmission and bottom reflection research under this contract.Bureau of Ships Under Contract NObsr-7252

Sonar research conducted during the period 1 April - 30 June 1961

This is a progress report of the Institution's research between April and 30 June 1961 supported under Contract NObsr-72521 with the Bureau of Ships, Navy Department. The program consists of studies of compressional wave transmission (sound and seismic waves) through sea water and the underlying earth's crust, the ambient noise of the ocean, and the scattering of sound in the sea and beneath the ocean floor. During the present reporting period sound transmission studies have included laboratory analysis of data taken previously in a continuing program directed toward describing near-surface transmission into the shadow zone, and toward accounting for the variability of near-surface . transmission under nominally "good" sonar conditions . Seismic studies consisted of analysis of seismic refraction data taken two years ago in: the Mediterranean, completion of a report of a seismic reflection study of the southern part of Narragansett Bay, extension of this latter study into Rhode Island Sound, and a series of new measurements of the apparent reflectivity of the bottom at 12 kcps. In the sound-scattering program we accepted delivery of a small towed fish containing sound gear for scattering experiments over near-horizontal paths. This instrument was taken to sea on CHAIN for initial testing and self-noise measurements. A series of tests of new sound sources, supported under Contract Nonr-1367, have demonstrated that seismic reflection observations can be made in deep ocean basins from a ship underway slowly using only such electrically-powered sources as Thumper or Sparker. Sub-bottom structures have been mapped in fine detail experimentally in water over 2600 fathoms deep. This work was done with a Thumper having a 5000-joule electrical input . Plans have been made for increasing the electrical input of Thumper to about 13, 000 joules and Sparker to 25, 000 joules. We plan to use these new sound sources in sound transmission experiments this summer and fall in the Mediterranean Sea. As an extra-curricular hobby Miss Broughton, a technical assistant at the Institution, made interesting magnetic tape recordings of the sounds of a small pilot whale stranded on a local beach. She held microphones on the whale's head near the blow hole. The recorded sounds are rather different from those heard through the water near pilot whales. These and other parts of our work are detailed below.Bureau of Ships Under Contract NObsr-7252

Sonar research conducted during the period 1 October - 31 December 1961

Research at sea during this three month period, supported by Contract NObsr-72521, was carried out mostly during the latter portion of the CHAIN Cruise 21 to the eastern Mediterranean. Near-surface sound transmission runs were made with the aid of two foreign ships in the eastern Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Sea. Sound velocity measurements were made there also. Reverberation and back-scatter measurements using half pound explosives as sound sources were recorded on magnetic tape for future analysis. Further, at several places during the cruise acoustic reflectivity of the sea-floor was measured by means of a semi-automatic system employing the Precision Graphic Recorder and the Edo UQN Echo Sounder. Research other than that on CHAIN Cruise 21, included ambient noise studies of recorded signals from finback whales, and analysis of data from previous observations at sea.The Bureau of Ships Under Contract NObsr - 7252

The Faculty Notebook, December 2006

The Faculty Notebook is published periodically by the Office of the Provost at Gettysburg College to bring to the attention of the campus community accomplishments and activities of academic interest. Faculty are encouraged to submit materials for consideration for publication to the Associate Provost for Faculty Development. Copies of this publication are available at the Office of the Provost

The Republic of Science in the 1990s

Research councils began as channels for state patronage of science (a widespread phenomenon after World War II) and were captured by the scientists: peer review of proposals, panels, board membership. In this way, they became an important organ of the lsquoRepublic of Sciencersquo (Michael Polanyi's concept). Being awarded a grant is now as important for the reputation or status of a scientist as the money value per se: research councils have become part of the reward system of science. Credibility-cycle analysis (Latour and Woolgar) is used to show this; and then applied to the research council itself, between the State and the national scientific community. Current concerns about proposal success rates and conservatism are analysed in terms of dynamics of this research world. This sociological approach to research councils allows analysis of changes in the reward system of science (where lsquorelevancersquo is becoming an accepted criterion world-wide) and of the complex environment of research councils, where many actors now compete for the intermediary role. Research councils must also become entrepreneurial-or become obsolete

Natural Sciences at Parkland College - Fall 2017

The Parkland College Natural Sciences Department Newsletter for Fall 2017 -- this issue features an article on IR cameras, use of display case, engaging students outside the classroom with the Astronomy Club and the Parkland Science Club, the solar eclipse, updates from the professional development subcommittee for faculty, summaries from events and meetings, a report on Phenotypic Pasticity Research Experience for Community College Students (PRECS) first summer, and a special feature from former professor Rich Blazier, with a special feature on the history of the Natural Sciences Department

Panel Discussion on the History of the Women in Engineering Division: Reflections From Past Chairs of the Division

In celebration of 125 years of the American Society of Engineering Education, past Chairs of the Women in Engineering Division (WIED), Beth Holloway, Donna Llewellyn, Sarah Rajala, and Noel Schulz convened in a focused panel that looked back through the division’s history. To help archive the historical perspective of these leaders, this paper was developed to help the former Chairs focus their perspectives with guiding questions. One additional chair, who could not attend the conference, Donna Reese participated in this paper. The guiding questions for chairs concerned: the influence of their leadership of the WIED on their career, their perspective on the climate for women, the main issues the division faced when they were chair, and what research questions people should be asking now

Understanding eScience: Reflections on a Houston Symposium

EScience is a research methodology combining data collection, storage and networking on a massive scale. By its very nature, eScience presents new and diverse opportunities in librarianship. While various academic institutions such as Cornell, Georgia Tech, and the University of Massachusetts are already engaged in well-established projects at their libraries, eScience is still relatively new to many others. To explain eScience and its implications for medical librarians within the Texas Medical Center, The Texas Medical Center (TMC) Library hosted an event on February 13, 2012, called Understanding eScience: A Symposium for Medical Librarians. Funded in part by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine--South Central Region (NN/LM-SCR), this symposium’s core was a panel of scientists and librarians serving various roles in eScience research. These experts described their work to identify concrete opportunities and challenges for libraries hoping to take on similar roles. Designed with an emphasis on medical librarians, the symposium provided an educational and collaborative opportunity for librarians of all specialties. Within this article, the authors share their experiences in planning and hosting an eScience event and the catalyst it provided for The TMC Library’s on-going involvement in eScience research and collaborations