interrupting capacities for full protection of apparatusand the power circuits. The calculating board hasgreatly facilitated these studies and has increased thereliability of the systems.

ELECTRICAL ANALYSES

Both the 100-octane-gasoline and syn thetic- ru bbel"programs necessarily deal with complex hydrocarbonmixtures, the analysis of which is long and tedious bypresent fractionation methods. More accurate analysesin shorter time are desirable. Electricity will solve thisproblem too by means of the mass spectrometer, whichanalyzes mixtures by separating out different elementsaccording to their molecular masses. Samples as smallas one cubic centimeter at atmospheric pressure may beeasily analyzed. Intensive co-operative research is nowgoing on to make this electrical analyzing device aneveryday tool for important laboratory analyses, and itsuse may be extended even to process control.

In the marketing phase of the oil industry, too,electricity is definitely allied with oil. A small explo­sion-proof electric motor, automatically set in motion bypressing the valve on the filling-station hose, pumps intoyour car the weekly three gallons of gasoline; and forpumping up your tires an automatically operated pres­sure-controlled motor-driven compressor supplies the air.In the good old days in the memory of all of us, in factin 1942 B.R. (before rationing) there were 450,000 suchservice stations in America, each with one or severalsuch pumps. No doubt many of these will shut down,but there still will be left a goodly number in our fillingstations.

And so we see that in all phases of this large andessential oil industry, electricity is indispensable and hasshown itself a worthy Victory twin for oil. Its numeroususes everywhere have greatly accelerated accomplish­ments and simplified our task of becoming the "fillingstation" of the democratic nations of the world.

Joseph Slepian~LarnrneMedalist

s. B. Willianu is editor of Electrical World, New York, N. Y.

The Lamme Medal

"For his contributions to the development of circuit-interruptingand circuit-rectifying apparatus," Joseph Slepian was presentedthe AlEE Lamme Medal for 1942, which was established by thewill of the late Benjamin Garver Lamme, at the recent AlEEnational technical meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. This 15th presenta­tion ceremony was opened by S. B. Williams, chairman of theLamme Medal committee. L. W. Chubb outlined the achievements

of the medalist.

his determination. Mr. Lamme, however, had an entirelydifferent idea in mind when he inserted that provisionin his will. He was a modest man and sought no honorsin life; neither did he wish for them posthumously. Tohim an award was a living vital thing, provided it stimu­lated initiative. All his life Mr. Lamme was interestedin men and in helping them do that for which they werebest fitted and talented. This award, therefore, repre-·sents the unwillingness of a man to let the grave prevent

him from encour­aging endeavor.Death could notand did not si­lence that spirit.

But Mr. Lammeleft this world ageneration ago ata time when theelectrical industryhad not yetreached its matur­

ity. He lived during that period when great engi­neering individualists not only flourished but 'were neces­sary for the exploration of vast new uncultivated areas.But as an art matures, and narrowing frontiers changedevelopment from one that is extensive to one that isintensive, many specialists take the place of the few big

B. WILLIAMSMEMBER AlEE

s.

U NDER the terms of the trust established in the willof Benjamin Garver Lamme, who died 19 years

ago, was the stipulation that the Lamme Medal shall begiven annually "to a member of said society (AlEE) whohas shown meri-torious achieve-ment in the de­velopment of elec­trical apparatus ormachinery." Thedonor of this awardwas one of thoseAmeri can electri­c a I im m 0 r tal swhose basic dis-coveries and teach-ings will live to inspire electrical men as long as thereis an electrical art.

Some awards are made to perpetuate a man's name­they are monuments to his contributions to progress andserve the noble purpose of stimulating others to emulate

400 Williams- The Lamme Medal ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

minds that had wide vision. More and more we see devel­opment come by way of collaboration of these specialists.

On the other hand, as long as the art is strong andvigorous, we shall have new machinery and new appara­tus. In this respect Mr. Lamme's vision has bridgedthe two decades since his death and will bridge manymany more.

In the past we have been able with this award torecognize a brilliant array of individual achievements.And this year's medalist will add further luster and gloryto the award through the brilliance of his research.

But change is taking place today-change from in­dividualism to collaboration. Those who had the privi­lege of being close to Mr. Lamme know that he wasan advocate of change. He cared not who was respon­sible for change-1 man or 20-provided there was prog­ress. If he were living today, would he not interpret"for meritorious achievement" to mean also the direc­tion and stimulation of the collaboration that resultedin new and important forms of electrical machinery andapparatus?

It seems to me, as it does to others on this and pastLamme Medal committees, that some way can be found,without lowering the bars, to acknowledge this change inresearch responsibility while perpetuating this recogni­tion of achievement that Mr. Lamme had in mind whenhe inserted this provision in his will. We owe it to him,and we owe it to those splendid electrical engineers whohave received this medal, to maintain the dignity of theaward-we also owe it to succeeding generations tomaintain the stimulus to great deeds afforded by thedonors.

A medal is a living thing. Properly awarded, itgrows in prestige with the years.

Joseph Slepian-Engineer,Inventor, Scientist

L. W. CHUBBFELLOW AlEE

To the uninitiated, award of the Benjamin GarverLamme Medal to Joseph Slepian seems remarkable,because the recipient was never formally trained as anelectrical engineer. We who know the man and hiswork see nothing unusual in his selection for this honor,because we realized long ago that he is one of the greatengineers of our time.

But Doctor Slepian is more than an engineer. Trainedas a mathematician and a physicist, he is a true scientistand a prolific inventor. Most inventors have a high

L. W. Chubb is director of research, research laboratories, Westinghouse Electricand Manufacturing Company,East Pittsburgh, Pa.

percentage ofaccidental triumphs, but Slepian's successesare the result of theoretical analysis and the dreams of ascientific man. He has always found his solution by see­ing a need, analyzing the situation, working out amethod on paper, and proving it in the laboratory.

Some years before the copper-oxide rectifier was in­vented accidentally, Dr. Slepian's mode of scientificreasoning led him to the conclusion that there should bean asymmetrical conduction across the junction betweencopper and copper oxide. He built such a rectifier withlayers 'of copper oxide and copper, but it required anaccident in which the oxide was formed on the parentmetal to catch up to his theory.

Some of his inventions were so far ahead of the timesthat the patents expired before they were extensivelyapplied. Two of these are in the field of electronics­the electronic multiplier, depending on secondary emis­sion, which was issued early in 1923, and an electron.accelerator, issued in 1927 and just now becoming ofgreat interest in production of high-energy electrons.

As an engineer, Doctor Slepian is unique in that hiseducation and early experiences all pointed him towardan academic career. Son of an immigrant Russian tailorin Boston, he was a brilliant student of mathematics andscience in the public schools and entered Harvard Uni­versity at the age of 16. He was graduated in 1911 andremained at the university until he received a doctor'sdegree in mathematics in 1913. As a Sheldon fellow, hespent another year as a postdoctorate student at theUniversity of Goettingen in Germany and at the Sor­bonne in Paris. When he returned to America, he be­came a mathematics instructor at Cornell Universityand, as far as anyone could tell, was permanently rootedin the academic soil.

Fortunately for the profession to which we belong, hedid a sudden about-face, resigned his instructorship, andstarted an adventure which resulted in his enlistment inthe ranks of industrial research. He came to the West­inghouse company as a graduate student, winding coilsand doing other shopwork by day, and studying electrical­engineering volumes at night, This unusual grafting ofa practical knowledge onto a mind already fully de­veloped for theoretical thinking has resulted in a scienti­fic engineer of rare excellence.

If Doctor Slepian had never left the classroom, I amsure that he would have ranked among the leadinguniversity men of these times. Our profession can countitself fortunate that he became one of us, and I oftenspeculate on how much more slowly we would have pro­gressed in the last two decades without Joseph Slepian.

He has approximately 200 United States patents.issued and many more pending in radio, electronics,measurement, electrochemical processes, electrical ma­chines, lightning arresters, acoustics, X rays, materials,systems of transmission and distribution, high-voltagephenomena, circuit interrupters, vapor electric devices,control, and other fields.

SEPTEMBER 1943 Chubb-Slepian-Engi~eer, Inventor, Scientist 401