MIT to Establish Federally-Funded Energy Study Lab

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced yesterday that it plans to establish a major research center for the study of problems posed by the nation's energy crisis. Funding for the project will be almost solely from government and industry sources.

"The center would welcome the participation of Harvard professors working in the area." Albert G. Hill, MIT vice president for research, said yesterday. Harvard and MIT professors have been holding joint meetings to discuss society's energy-related problems.

The center will bring together scientists from a variety of fields who are currently working on more than $5 million of related research that is scattered throughout the campus.

Government officials have encouraged MIT to go ahead with the project, although no formal arrangements have been made.

Among the U.S. agencies Hill is considering contacting to fund this project are the Atomic Energy Commission, the National Science Fund, and the State Department.

"In energy-related concerns, almost every major governmental department is involved," Hill said.

Different agencies are concerned with particular aspects of the problem: the State Department hopes to minimize dependence on foreign countries for oil; Transportation is concerned with the automobiles' use of limited resources, and the Treasury is concerned with power consumption's economic effects.