2000 Physicists Start Convention; Van Vleck, Purcell to Talk Friday

Almost 2,000 physicists and engineers will descend on the University today for the opening sessions of the American Physical Society's annual convention.

The scientists will require eight lecture halls for their meetings. They will present over 300 papers.

All sessions will be open to members of the University.

Key spot on the agenda is Friday afternoon, when the joint ceremonial session of the Society and the American Association Physics Teachers will be held in sanders.

Featured will be addresses by John H. Van Vieck, Dean of the Division of Applied Science and retiring president of the Society and Nobel Prize winner Edward M. Purcell professor of Physics. In addtion, the Society's new president, Chicago University's Enrico Fermi, also a Nobel Prize winner will be installed.

Any Papers

A unique feature of the convention is that any member of the Society who wants to present a ten-minute paper on any topic may do so. In addition to these papers, 18 longer papers by invited speakers will be heart.

The convention will open simultaneously at 10 a.m. today in Fogg, Pierce, Paine, Burr A, the Geology Lecture Hall, Jefferson, and Sanders. Programs are available in Burr Hall.

A feature of the annual convection is a placement bureau operated by the Society. This year the bureau will be located on the main floor of the MeKay Laboratories, where representatives of the industrial concerns and research organization will interview scientists seeking employment or change in employment.