4
Student Branches of the AIEE D. D. EWING FELLOW AIEE Π STUDENT branches of the In- stitute and their ac- tivities have today reached the point where they con- stitute a serious subject for consideration. Fifty years ago, there were some 15 Branches. As of May 1, The great increase in the number of AIEE Student Branches during the past 50 years naturally has brought about an increase in the problems involved, problems of leadership and attendance, of funds and programs. The Institute is very much interested in the develop- ment of student activities, however, particularly as the Branches constitute our largest single source o f n e w members. As these Branches and as universities are are 1952, there were 132 Student Branches of the AIEE with a total membership of 8,857. located at various universities, all somewhat different, naturally the problems involved in the different Branches differ also. Before discussing this subject however, it might be well to present a brief description of the background and aims of the AIEE. INSTITUTE BACKGROUND T^HE INSTITUTE was founded in 1884 by a group of men JL who at that time called themselves electricians. On the list of founders were such famous names as Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas A. Edison, Elihu Thomson, and Edward Weston. The organizational meeting was held o n M a y 13, 1884, and there were 71 charter members. A speech by Dr. Rowland of Johns Hopkins University before a national conference of electricians that year may have been partly responsible for the keen interest in the original development of the AIEE. Dr. Rowland said: "Let physical laboratories arise—^let technical schools be founded—it is not telegraph operators but electrical engineers that the future demands." The major electrical work of those days was, of course, in the field of telegraphy. What is the situation now? The AIEE had as of May 1, in addition to the 8,857 Student members previously noted, 42,220 members including 6 Honorary Mem- bers, 1,512 Fellows, 10,314 Members, 30,313 Associate Members, and 75 Affiliate Members. This adds up to a total membership of 51,077, and a considerable number of new members have been elected since. The work of the Institute now involves an operating budget of approximately $1,000,000 a year and is carried on through the activities of 96 Sections, 50 Subsections, and the 132 Student Branches. The volume of published material is large; during 1951, 3,383 pages of technical material were published. For operating purposes. North America is divided into ten geographical Districts, all of which He within continental United States except for a Revised text of an address, "Student Branches and Their Activities," presented at the Student Activities Committee Banquet held at the University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, October 31, 1952. D. D. Ewing is Head, School of Electrical Engineering, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind., and an AIEE Director. portion of District 7 which is in Mexico and of Dis- trict 10 which is in Canada. Each of the Districts is pre- sided over by a vice-presi- dent, and in the govern- ing organization, in addi- tion to these ten vice- presidents, there are twelve directors, the two most recent past presidents, the treasurer, the secretary, and, heading the whole organization, the president. Each of the Sections, Subsections, and Branches has its appropriate officers. The AIEE is a large organization and one of the most democratic professional technical organizations in existence. The technical and administrative work of the organization is handled by approximately 300 committees with more than 5,000 members. Not included in this total are the committees found in the geographical Districts, Sections, Subsections, and Branches. The Institute was not always so subdivided. For a number of years its activities were all centered in New York City and no meetings were held elsewhere. Before 1900 the matter of District organizations had been discussed more or less casually but nothing much was done about it. Dr. Charles F. Scott, president of the Institute in 1902-03, wrote a very interesting set of reminiscences relative to electrical engineering in general, and the AIEE in par- ticular, for the 50th anniversary issue of Electrical Engineering, which was published in May 1934.^ In a discussion of the AIEE, Dr. Scott said that his predecessor, the General Electric Company's famed Charles P. Steinmetz, had set such a high standard of performance that he was a bit at loss as to what to do to keep up the standard. What he did do is indicated by the following abstracts from his article: When president-elect, I asked T. C. Martin what the Institute ought to be and to do. He was a past president, editor of Electrical World, and as a special agent of the United States Census was just completing the first census report on the electrical industry (1902). He said "I don't know what the electrical industry is going to be in the future, but in the past it has been doubling every 5 years." I was stunned; how could we use twice as much electric power, and so soon! The original Niagara Falls powerhouses were being completed, the elevated railway in New York was electrified, the subway was soon to start, the public utilities were putting in big generators; but if the curve were to continue up, where were the men to come from to operate the accelerating industry—men competent to meet the exacting and increasing responsibiHties of electric 28 Ewing—Student Branches of the AIEE ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Student branches of the AIEE

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Page 1: Student branches of the AIEE

Student Branches of the AIEE D . D . E W I N G

F E L L O W A I E E

Τ Π Η Ε S T U D E N T b r a n c h e s of t h e I n ­s t i tu te a n d the i r a c ­

tivities h a v e t o d a y r e a c h e d t h e p o i n t w h e r e t h e y c o n ­s t i tu te a ser ious subjec t for cons ide ra t ion . Fifty years a g o , t h e r e w e r e some 15 B r a n c h e s . As of M a y 1,

T h e grea t i n c r e a s e in t h e n u m b e r of A I E E S t u d e n t B r a n c h e s d u r i n g t h e pas t 50 y e a r s n a t u r a l l y h a s b r o u g h t a b o u t a n i n c r e a s e i n t h e p r o b l e m s i n v o l v e d , p r o b l e m s of l e a d e r s h i p a n d a t t e n d a n c e , of f u n d s a n d p r o g r a m s . T h e Ins t i tute is v e r y m u c h i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e d e v e l o p ­m e n t of s t u d e n t act iv i t ies , h o w e v e r , par t i cu lar ly as t h e B r a n c h e s cons t i tu te o u r larges t s ing le

source of n e w m e m b e r s .

As these B r a n c h e s a n d as univers i t ies

a r e a r e

1952, t h e r e w e r e 132 S t u d e n t B r a n c h e s of t h e A I E E w i t h a to ta l m e m b e r s h i p of 8,857. loca ted a t va r ious univers i t ies , all s o m e w h a t different , n a t u r a l l y t h e p r o b l e m s invo lved in t h e different B r a n c h e s differ also. Before discussing this s u b j e c t howeve r , it m i g h t be wel l t o p r e sen t a br ief desc r ip t ion of t h e b a c k g r o u n d a n d a i m s of t h e A I E E .

I N S T I T U T E B A C K G R O U N D

T ^ H E INSTITUTE w a s f o u n d e d in 1884 b y a g r o u p of m e n JL w h o a t t h a t t i m e ca l l ed themse lves e lec t r ic ians . O n

t h e list of founders w e r e s u c h f amous n a m e s as A l e x a n d e r G r a h a m Bell, T h o m a s A . Ed i son , E l i h u T h o m s o n , a n d E d w a r d W e s t o n . T h e o r g a n i z a t i o n a l m e e t i n g w a s h e l d on M a y 13 , 1884, a n d t h e r e w e r e 71 c h a r t e r m e m b e r s . A speech b y D r . R o w l a n d of J o h n s H o p k i n s U n i v e r s i t y before a n a t i o n a l conference of e lec t r ic ians t h a t y e a r m a y h a v e b e e n p a r t l y respons ib le for t h e k e e n in te res t in t h e o r ig ina l d e v e l o p m e n t of t h e A I E E . D r . R o w l a n d s a i d : " L e t phys ica l l abo ra to r i e s arise—^let t e chn ica l schools b e f o u n d e d — i t is n o t t e l e g r a p h o p e r a t o r s b u t e lec t r ica l eng inee r s t h a t t h e fu tu re d e m a n d s . "

T h e m a j o r e lec t r ica l w o r k of those d a y s was , of course , in t h e field of t e l e g r a p h y .

W h a t is t h e s i tua t ion now? T h e A I E E h a d as of M a y 1, in a d d i t i o n t o t h e 8,857 S t u d e n t m e m b e r s p rev ious ly n o t e d , 42 ,220 m e m b e r s i n c l u d i n g 6 H o n o r a r y M e m ­bers , 1,512 Fel lows, 10,314 M e m b e r s , 30 ,313 Associa te M e m b e r s , a n d 75 Affiliate M e m b e r s . T h i s a d d s u p t o a to ta l m e m b e r s h i p of 51 ,077, a n d a cons ide rab l e n u m b e r of n e w m e m b e r s h a v e b e e n e lec ted since.

T h e w o r k of t h e I n s t i t u t e n o w involves a n o p e r a t i n g b u d g e t of a p p r o x i m a t e l y $1,000,000 a y e a r a n d is c a r r i e d o n t h r o u g h t h e act ivi t ies of 96 Sect ions , 50 Subsec t ions , a n d t h e 132 S t u d e n t B r a n c h e s . T h e v o l u m e of pub l i shed m a t e r i a l is l a r g e ; d u r i n g 1951 , 3,383 p a g e s of t e chn ica l m a t e r i a l w e r e p u b l i s h e d . F o r o p e r a t i n g pu rpose s . N o r t h A m e r i c a is d iv ided i n t o t en g e o g r a p h i c a l Dis t r ic ts , all of w h i c h He w i t h i n c o n t i n e n t a l U n i t e d S ta te s excep t for a

Revised text of an address, "Student Branches and Their Activities," presented at the Student Activities Committee Banquet held at the University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, October 31, 1952. D . D . Ewing is Head, School of Electrical Engineering, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind., and an AIEE Director.

p o r t i o n of Dis t r i c t 7 w h i c h is in M e x i c o a n d of D i s ­t r ic t 10 w h i c h is in C a n a d a . E a c h of t h e Dis t r ic t s is p r e ­s ided ove r b y a v ice-pres i ­d e n t , a n d i n t h e g o v e r n ­ing o r g a n i z a t i o n , in a d d i ­t ion t o t he se t e n v i c e -p res iden t s , t h e r e a r e t w e l v e d i r ec to r s , t h e t w o m o s t r e c e n t pas t p res iden t s , t h e t r e a s u r e r ,

t h e s ec re t a ry , a n d , h e a d i n g t h e w h o l e o r g a n i z a t i o n , t h e p r e s iden t . E a c h of t h e Sect ions , Subsec t ions , a n d B r a n c h e s has its a p p r o p r i a t e officers. T h e A I E E is a l a r g e o r g a n i z a t i o n a n d o n e of t h e m o s t d e m o c r a t i c professional t e c h n i c a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s in ex is tence . T h e t echn ica l a n d a d m i n i s t r a t i v e w o r k of t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n is h a n d l e d b y a p p r o x i m a t e l y 300 c o m m i t t e e s w i t h m o r e t h a n 5,000 m e m b e r s . N o t i n c l u d e d i n this t o t a l a r e t h e c o m m i t t e e s found in t h e g e o g r a p h i c a l Dis t r ic t s , Sect ions , Subsec t ions , a n d B r a n c h e s .

T h e I n s t i t u t e w a s n o t a lways so s u b d i v i d e d . F o r a n u m b e r of yea r s its act ivi t ies w e r e all c e n t e r e d in N e w Y o r k C i t y a n d n o m e e t i n g s w e r e he ld e l sewhere . Before 1900 t h e m a t t e r of Dis t r i c t o r g a n i z a t i o n s h a d b e e n discussed m o r e or less casua l ly b u t n o t h i n g m u c h w a s d o n e a b o u t it . D r . C h a r l e s F . Scot t , p r e s i d e n t of t h e I n s t i t u t e in 1 9 0 2 - 0 3 , w r o t e a v e r y in t e re s t ing set of r emin i scences r e l a t i ve to e lec t r ica l e n g i n e e r i n g in g e n e r a l , a n d t h e A I E E in p a r ­t i cu la r , for t h e 50 th a n n i v e r s a r y issue of Electrical Engineering, w h i c h was p u b l i s h e d in M a y 1934.^ I n a discussion of t h e A I E E , D r . Sco t t sa id t h a t his p redecessor , t h e G e n e r a l E lec t r i c C o m p a n y ' s f a m e d C h a r l e s P . S t e i n m e t z , h a d set s u c h a h i g h s t a n d a r d of p e r f o r m a n c e t h a t h e was a b i t a t loss as t o w h a t t o d o t o k e e p u p t h e s t a n d a r d . W h a t h e d i d d o is i n d i c a t e d b y t h e fol lowing ab s t r ac t s f rom his a r t i c l e :

W h e n pres iden t -e lec t , I asked T . C . M a r t i n w h a t t h e I n s t i t u t e o u g h t t o b e a n d to d o . H e w a s a pas t p r e s iden t , ed i t o r of Electrical World, a n d as a specia l a g e n t of t h e U n i t e d S ta te s Census w a s j u s t c o m p l e t i n g t h e first census r e p o r t o n t h e e lec t r ica l i n d u s t r y (1902) . H e sa id " I d o n ' t k n o w w h a t t h e e lec t r ica l i n d u s t r y is g o i n g to b e in t h e fu tu re , b u t in t h e p a s t it h a s b e e n d o u b l i n g eve ry 5 y e a r s . " I w a s s t u n n e d ; h o w c o u l d w e use tw ice as m u c h e lec t r ic p o w e r , a n d so s o o n ! T h e o r ig ina l N i a g a r a Fal ls p o w e r h o u s e s w e r e b e i n g c o m p l e t e d , t h e e l e v a t e d r a i l w a y in N e w Y o r k was electr if ied, t h e s u b w a y w a s soon to s ta r t , t h e p u b l i c uti l i t ies w e r e p u t t i n g in b i g g e n e r a t o r s ; b u t if t h e c u r v e w e r e to c o n t i n u e u p , w h e r e w e r e t h e m e n to c o m e f rom to o p e r a t e t h e a c c e l e r a t i n g i n d u s t r y — m e n c o m p e t e n t t o m e e t t h e e x a c t i n g a n d i nc r ea s ing responsibiHties of e lec t r ic

28 Ewing—Student Branches of the AIEE E L E C T R I C A L E N G I N E E R I N G

Page 2: Student branches of the AIEE

s e r v i c e — m o r e m e n , b e t t e r m e n , I h a d t a k e n i t for g r a n t e d t h a t t h e I n s t i t u t e w a s t o p r o m o t e t h e a r t s a n d sciences r e l a t ed to t h e u t i l i za t ion of e lec t r ic i ty b y a d d i n g to k n o w l ­e d g e t h r o u g h p a p e r s , b y the i r discussion a n d p u b l i c a t i o n . H e r e was a n e w n e e d — m e n . S h o u l d n o t t h e I n s t i t u t e deve lop m e n as well as ideas? I h a d b e e n in te res ted in t h e t r a i n i n g of col lege g r a d u a t e s for o n e c o m p a n y . H e r e w a s a universa l n e e d for b e t t e r g r a d u a t e s . T h e fu ture m e n of t h e i n d u s t r y w e r e in t h e colleges b e i n g t r a i n e d in t h e o r y . W h y shou ld n o t t h e I n s t i t u t e give t h e m a n ins ight i n t o t h e p r o b l e m s a n d p rac t i ce s of t h e profession, w i t h o u t wa i t i ng for a s u d d e n p l u n g e f rom t h e o r y to p r a c t i c e o n g r a d u a t i o n ? So I asked several of m y professor f r i ends ; they a g r e e d ; Professor R y a n a t Co rne l l w r o t e ( condensed ) "Bul ly i d e a ; w e ' v e a l r e a d y s t a r t e d . "

A t a n o t h e r p o i n t in t h e a r t i c le , in a discussion of h o w Sect ions a n d B r a n c h e s s t a r t ed , h e s a i d :

T h e c o m m i t t e e o n loca l o r g a n i z a t i o n s a m o n g m e m b e r s a n d a m o n g s tuden t s h a d as c h a i r m a n C a l v i n W . R i c e . H e u n d e r t o o k to p r e p a r e a s t a t e m e n t w i t h ru les for o r g a n i ­za t i on a n d p r o c e d u r e ; b u t h e d i d n ' t h a v e it r e a d y , so I u n d e r t o o k to show h i m h o w o n t h e e v e n i n g before c o p y for t h e O c t o b e r a n n o u n c e m e n t h a d to b e r e a d y . U n t i l m i d n i g h t w e s imply devised ques t ions w i t h o u t ge t t ing answers . W h a t shou ld b e t h e I n s t i t u t e r e g u l a t i o n s a n d t h e local bylaws? W h a t h e a d q u a r t e r s superv i s ion a n d w h a t t h e local a u t h o r i t y ? S h o u l d I n s t i t u t e p a p e r s b e p resen ted local ly o r shou ld t h e r e b e loca l p a p e r s , a n d w h a t shou ld b e the i r s ta tus? F i n a n c e s — s h o u l d t h e r e b e dues? Every s i t ua t ion t h a t w e t h o u g h t of e n d e d in a n i n t e r r o ­ga t ion m a r k . T h e s t u d e n t en t e rp r i s e w a s e v e n m o r e difficult to precrys ta l l i ze . O n e a l t e r n a t i v e w a s to t a k e m o n t h s to m a k e b y l a w s ; t h e o t h e r w a s to s t a r t . So w e asked m e m b e r s to ge t t o g e t h e r in va r ious p l aces a n d s t a r t meet ings , w e asked professors t o h a v e s t u d e n t m e e t i n g s ; a n d they d id . Yea r s l a t e r t h e expe r i ences g a i n e d w e r e a basis for by laws . W e d i d n o t k n o w t h e n w h a t I d i scovered very recen t ly t h a t t w o pages of fine p r i n t ru les for local mee t ings h a d b e e n es tab l i shed m a n y years ear l ie r , a n d it was lucky w e d i d n ' t for ac t ive effort to m e e t v a r y i n g c o n d i ­tions is be t t e r t h a n passive c o m p l i a n c e w i t h p r e c o n c e i v e d a n d restr ic t ive rules .

T h e first q u o t a t i o n w a s c o n c e r n e d w i t h w h a t w e t o d a y cal l S t u d e n t B r a n c h e s ; t h e s e c o n d w i t h Sec t ions , a l t h o u g h they too w e r e ca l led B r a n c h e s i n those days . By M a y 1904, t he r e w e r e 15 r ecogn i zed S t u d e n t B r a n c h e s s ca t t e r ed over t h e c o u n t r y .

T h e object ives of t h e I n s t i t u t e as set for th in t h e C o n ­s t i tu t ion a r e : " I t s objec t shal l b e t h e a d v a n c e m e n t of t h e t heo ry a n d p r a c t i c e of E lec t r i ca l E n g i n e e r i n g a n d of t h e al l ied Ar t s a n d Sciences a n d t h e m a i n t e n a n c e of a h i g h professional s t a n d i n g a m o n g its m e m b e r s . " N a t u r a l l y t h e objectives of t h e S t u d e n t B r a n c h shou ld b e of a s imi la r n a t u r e . T o s tuden t s w h o ques t i on t h e v a l u e of A I E E S t u d e n t m e m b e r s h i p , o n e m i g h t give t h e fol lowing a n s w e r :

W h y shou ld y o u j o i n t h e A I E E ? Jus t to h a v e y o u r n a m e in the Y e a r Book a l o n g w i t h t h e 42 ,220 o t h e r m e m b e r s of this g r e a t o rgan i za t i on? T h a t is a n i m p o r t a n t r e a s o n b u t no t t h e mos t s ignif icant o n e . I t is a n i m p o r t a n t r e a s o n

b e c a u s e i t p l aces y o u r n a m e , y o u r c o m p a n y affiliation, t h e n a t u r e of y o u r w o r k , a n d y o u r a d d r e s s in a p e r m a n e n t r e c o r d — a r e c o r d m u c h used b y those w h o a r e looking for m e n w i t h specia l skills a n d specia l k n o w l e d g e or for possible c o m m i t t e e m e m b e r s , o r possible co l l abo ra to r s in a g iven field of e lec t r ica l e n g i n e e r i n g . T h e A I E E is t h e larges t e n g i n e e r i n g o r g a n i z a t i o n in t h e wor ld , a n d it is d e c i d e d l y w o r t h w h i l e t o h a v e y o u r n a m e in its Y e a r Book. As a s t u d e n t , of cour se , y o u will n o t b e l isted, b u t b y b e c o m i n g a S t u d e n t m e m b e r y o u wi l l h a v e m a d e t h e p r o p e r s t a r t t o w a r d e v e n t u a l inc lus ion w h e n y o u h a v e r e a c h e d t h e s t a tus of Associa te M e m b e r .

T h e rea l ly i m p o r t a n t r ea son , h o w e v e r , is t h e o p p o r t u n i t y for professional g r o w t h t h a t t h e I n s t i t u t e affords t h e en g i n ee r . E a c h y e a r Sec t ion , Dis t r ic t , a n d n a t i o n a l g e n e r a l m e e t i n g s p r o v i d e fo rums a t w h i c h h u n d r e d s of p a p e r s d e a l i n g w i t h t h e la tes t d e v e l o p m e n t s in e lec t r ica l e n g i n e e r i n g a r e p r e s e n t e d a n d discussed. A t these m e e t ­ings y o u c a n k e e p u p to d a t e in k n o w l e d g e , m e e t fellow m e m b e r s of y o u r profession, discuss p r o b l e m s of m u t u a l in te res t , a n d b r o a d e n y o u r professional a c q u a i n t a n c e s h i p w i t h o t h e r e lec t r ica l eng inee r s a n d w i t h y o u r ve ry p r o ­fession itself.

S t u d e n t B r a n c h e s of t h e I n s t i t u t e afford o p p o r t u n i t i e s for a c o n s i d e r a b l e a m o u n t of i n d e p e n d e n t ac t iv i ty a n d in i t i a t ive o n t h e p a r t of s t u d e n t s for c u l t i v a t i n g those qua l i t i e s n e e d e d b y t h e e n g i n e e r b u t n o t usua l ly a c q u i r e d in t h e c lass room. T h e s e qua l i t i e s m a y b e d e v e l o p e d t h r o u g h t h e t e c h n i c a l , social , a n d l i t e r a r y act ivi t ies of B r a n c h w o r k .

O n l y a smal l a n n u a l fee is r e q u i r e d of s t u d e n t s a n d o n e of t h e t a n g i b l e th ings w h i c h t h e y r ece ive in r e t u r n is t h e m o n t h l y m a g a z i n e . Electrical Engineering. T h i s m a g a z i n e c o n t a i n s m a n y p a g e s in e a c h issue d e v o t e d t o t e chn ica l ar t ic les in easi ly r e a d a b l e fo rm, as wel l as t h e c u r r e n t n ew s of t h e profession. A n o t h e r t a n g i b l e r e t u r n is t h e remiss ion of e n t r a n c e fees w h e n t h e S t u d e n t m e m b e r m a k e s a p p l i c a t i o n for t h e n e x t h i g h e r g r a d e of m e m b e r s h i p .

All of t h e B r a n c h Counse lo r s a n d s t u d e n t officers rece ive r e g u l a r l y e a c h y e a r p u b l i s h e d i n f o r m a t i o n re l a t ive t o S t u d e n t B r a n c h e s a n d t he i r act iv i t ies , a n d u n d o u b t e d l y al l of t h e o lde r profess ional eng inee r s in t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n a r e g r e a t l y i n t e re s t ed i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of s t u d e n t act iv i t ies . T h e B o a r d of D i r e c t o r s ha s set u p a n a t i o n a l c o m m i t t e e d e a l i n g w i t h S t u d e n t B r a n c h e s a n d t h e B o a r d devo te s c o n s i d e r a b l e t i m e to d iscuss ing S t u d e n t B r a n c h m a t t e r s . N e a r l y ha l f of t h e session t i m e a t t h e m e e t i n g of t h e B o a r d in J u n e in M i n n e a p o l i s , M i n n . , w a s g iven to this subjec t , a n d i t w a s discussed a g a i n a t t h e P h o e n i x , Ar iz . , m e e t i n g in A u g u s t 1952 . As a resul t , t h e fol lowing ac t i on w a s t a k e n b y t h e B o a r d a t t h e P h o e n i x m e e t i n g :

VOTED t h a t t h e a c t i o n of t h e B o a r d of D i rec to r s , o n J u n e 26 , e s t ab l i sh ing a n e w p l a n for S t u d e n t B r a n c h a p p r o p r i a t i o n s , be i n t e r p r e t e d as p r o v i d i n g t h a t t h e n u m b e r of S t u d e n t m e m b e r s in e a c h B r a n c h b e those in g o o d s t a n d i n g o n N o v e m b e r 1 p lus t h e n u m b e r of app l i ca t i ons , a c c o m p a n i e d b y fees, o n file a t A I E E h e a d q u a r t e r s as of N o v e m b e r 1 ; t h a t one -ha l f of t h e $1 p e r m e m b e r po r t i on be sen t as soon as p r a c t i c a b l e after N o v e m b e r 1, a n d t h e

J A N U A R Y 1953 Ewing—Student Branches of the AIEE 29

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second half b e sen t b y F e b r u a r y 1 5 ; a n d t h a t a s t u d e n t whose a p p l i c a t i o n a n d fee h a v e b e e n r e c e i v e d a t h e a d q u a r t e r s b e el igible for p r i z e c o m p e t i t i o n .

Y o u will n o t e t h a t this ac t ion p rov ides " s i n e w s of w a r " for t h e S t u d e n t B r a n c h e s . I t s hou ld inc i t e S t u d e n t B r a n c h officers a n d the i i Counse lo r s t o p u t o n v igorous m e m b e r ­sh ip c a m p a i g n s w h i c h shou ld enro l l a l a r g e r n u m b e r of s t uden t s ea r l i e r in t h e school y e a r . Y o u wil l n o t e also t h a t it gives a def ini t ion for t h e officially en ro l l ed s t u d e n t , a def ini t ion w h i c h prev ious ly h a d b e e n l ack ing . T h e B o a r d of Di rec to r s , t h e v ice-pres idents , a n d o t h e r Dis t r i c t officers h a v e t h e welfare of e a c h S t u d e n t B r a n c h ve ry m u c h in m i n d . T h e r e is possibly a selfish r e a s o n in this b e c a u s e t h e Associate M e m b e r , t h e M e m b e r , a n d t h e Fe l low of t o m o r r o w is t o d a y in s o m e o n e of t h e S t u d e n t B r a n c h e s in t h e c o u n t r y . T h e s e B r a n c h e s a r e t h e la rges t s ingle source of n e w m e m b e r s .

U N I V E R S I T Y B A C K G R O U N D

EVEN BEFORE t h e r e w e r e S t u d e n t B r a n c h e s m a n y of t h e schools a n d d e p a r t m e n t s of e lec t r ica l e n g i n e e r i n g in

t h e colleges a n d univers i t ies of t h e c o u n t r y a l r e a d y h a d o rgan i zed g r o u p s or electr ical e n g i n e e r i n g societies of a local c h a r a c t e r . W h e n t h e I n s t i t u t e m a d e it possible for these societies to b e c o m e a n i n t eg ra l p a r t of t h e I n s t i t u t e , t h e r eac t i on of t h e e lectr ical e n g i n e e r i n g facult ies was en thus ias t i ca l ly f avorab le a n d it ha s a lways r e m a i n e d t h u s . H o w e v e r , the p r o b l e m s invo lved in B r a n c h o p e r a t i o n a r e \ e r y different in 1952 t h a n t h e y w e r e in 1902.

I n 1902 a u t o m o b i l e s w e r e few a n d far b e t w e e n a n d w e r e t h e p l ay th ings of t he r i ch . T h e r e w e r e n o good r o a d s . M o v i n g p i c t u r e shows w e r e conf ined to t h e o l d - t i m e n icke lod ians w h e r e t h e q u a l i t y of t h e p ic tu res was so p o o r t h a t o n e cou ld n o t gaze a t t h e m l o n g w i t h o u t severe eye s t ra in . T h e r e was n o television, n o r a d i o ; even t h e n e w s p a p e r s , excep t in m e t r o p o l i t a n a reas a n d l a rge r cit ies, w e r e pub l i shed b iweekly o r on a twice -a -week basis. Un ive r s i t y a th le t ics w e r e n o t in t h e b ig business class as t h e y a r e n o w . F ra te rn i t i e s a n d s imi la r o r g a n i z a t i o n s w e r e n o t c o m m o n on t h e c a m p u s e s , a n d so t h e s t uden t s h a d t ime to s p e n d o n such w o r k as was i nvo lved in t h e o p e r a t i o n a n d p l a n n i n g of In s t i t u t e B r a n c h p r o g r a m s . T h e cond i t ions of t o d a y a r e v e r y different a n d t h e n u m b e r of e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r act ivi t ies ha s g r o w n so g rea t l y t h a t s tuden t s d o n o t find e n o u g h t i m e to s p e n d t h e a m o u n t of w o r k on the i r class exercises t h a t t h e y shou ld . B r a n c h w o r k t o d a y has m a n y compe t i t o r s a n d a t t e n d a n c e con ­s t i tu tes o n e of t h e m a j o r B r a n c h p r o b l e m s .

Obv ious ly , B r a n c h p r o b l e m s involve b o t h t h e B r a n c h Counse lo r a n d his associates o n t h e facul ty, t h e B r a n c h officials, a n d t h e B r a n c h S t u d e n t m e m b e r s h i p . T h e counse lors h a v e to be advisers a n d d i p l o m a t s . I t is also obvious t h a t t h e p r o p e r m e n shou ld b e e lec ted to t h e official posi t ions in t h e B r a n c h . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e s t u d e n t c a n elect a p o p u l a r s t u d e n t to m a n y offices. T h e m a n w h o is a good B r a n c h c h a i r m a n or p r e s iden t is possibly also good m a t e r i a l for t h e p re s idency of T a u Be ta Pi , E t a K a p p a N u , his social f ra te rn i ty , o r for a s imi la r pos i t ion in a r e s idence ha l l . Possibly also h e m a y be p r o p e r m a t e r i a l for t h e ed i to r sh ip of a s t u d e n t d a i l y p a p e r o r a

s t u d e n t e n g i n e e r i n g p a p e r . C e r t a i n l y h e c a n n o t d o a l l of these th ings a n d a t t h e s a m e t i m e successfully c a r r y o n h is class w o r k as a s t u d e n t . M a n y univers i t ies , of c o u r s e , h a v e r e g u l a t i o n s l im i t i ng t h e n u m b e r of s t u d e n t ac t iv i t ies in w h i c h a s t u d e n t m a y b e e n g a g e d a t a n y o n e t i m e . O n e of t h e p r o b l e m s of a B r a n c h C o u n s e l o r is d i p l o m a t i c a l l y t o discuss e lec t ion m a t t e r s w i t h s t u d e n t s a n d t h u s a t leas t a t t e m p t t o s ecu re t he e lec t ion of p r o p e r l y quah f i ed s t u d e n t s a n d those w h o a r e n o t o v e r l o a d e d w i t h o t h e r ac t iv i t i e s ; t h a t is, to s ecu re p r o p e r s p r e a d i n g of t h e w o r k a m o n g qual i f ied s t u d e n t s . T h i s w h o l e p r o b l e m , of cour se , involves s t u d e n t poli t ics, a n d l ike poli t ics e v e r y w h e r e , t h e m a t t e r m u s t b e h a n d l e d w i t h g r e a t d i p l o m a c y .

H o w e v e r , o n c e a g r o u p of officials is e lec ted , t h e n t h e sponsor has t h e p r o b l e m of t r y i n g to insp i re these y o u n g m e n a n d to bu i ld u p t h e i r e n t h u s i a s m for B r a n c h w o r k , a n d for I n s t i t u t e w o r k i n g e n e r a l . H e r e h e m u s t exercise his t a len t s as a r e a l t e a c h e r , a n d h e s h o u l d b e t h o r o u g h l y fami l ia r w i t h I n s t i t u t e r e g u l a t i o n s p e r t a i n i n g to S t u d e n t B r a n c h e s . H e m u s t b e a sou rce of i n sp i r a t i on w h e n it comes to such m a t t e r s as p r o g r a m a r r a n g e m e n t a n d e v e n p r o g r a m schedu l ing . I n mos t colleges a n d univers i t ies t h e r e a r e m a n y act ivi t ies in w h i c h s u c h o r g a n i z a t i o n s as A I E E B r a n c h e s m a y e n g a g e , a n d m a n y of these ac t iv i t ies c o n c e r n t h e e v e r y d a y life of a c a m p u s c o m m u n i t y . I n t h e pas t t h e funds a v a i l a b l e f rom t h e I n s t i t u t e h e a d q u a r t e r s h a v e b e e n so smal l t h a t B r a n c h officials a n d m e m b e r s h a v e b e e n p r o n e to set u p m o n e y - m a k i n g act ivi t ies v e r y m u c h l ike those of w o m e n ' s c h u r c h o r g a n i z a t i o n s . S o m e of these act ivi t ies c e r t a i n l y h a v e n o t b e e n professionally w o r t h wh i l e , a n d t h e r e c e n t a c t i on of t h e B o a r d of D i r ec to r s in p r o v i d i n g a g r e a t e r a l l o w a n c e for B r a n c h act ivi t ies shou ld b e v e r y helpful in this r e spec t .

O n e of t h e m a j o r p r o b l e m s of a facu l ty sponsor is t h e e v e r - c h a n g i n g p e r s o n n e l of s t u d e n t officials a n d m e m b e r s . T h e B r a n c h v e r y closely follows t h e classes. E a c h y e a r t h e sponsor m u s t s t a r t in w i t h a n e w g r o u p a n d g u i d e t h e m a l o n g t h e p r o p e r p a t h w a y of k n o w l e d g e a n d efficiency.

If a B r a n c h facul ty C o u n s e l o r h a s his p r o b l e m s , so also d o t h e B r a n c h s t u d e n t officers. T h e I n s t i t u t e r e g u l a t i o n s a r e v e r y d e m o c r a t i c as far as these officials a r e c o n c e r n e d a n d t h e B r a n c h e s c a n h a v e as m a n y officers o r as few as t h e y wish . U s u a l l y t h e r e is a c h a i r m a n , a s ec re t a ry , w h o also poss ib ly d o u b l e s as a t r ea su re r , a n d a p r o g r a m c o m ­m i t t e e c h a i r m a n . Of t en t h e r e a r e a n u m b e r of o t h e r m e m b e r s of t h e officialdom of t h e B r a n c h . All of these p e o p l e h a v e s o m e n e w th ings t o l e a r n . Usua l ly , t h e c h a i r m a n a n d o t h e r t o p officials h a v e s t a r t e d in t he i r ea r l i e r yea r s in col lege as m i n o r officials a n d a l r e a d y k n o w s o m e ­t h i n g a b o u t B r a n c h o p e r a t i o n s ; b u t w h e n e lec ted to a n e w j o b t h e y m u s t l e a r n t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s of t h a t pos i t ion . O f course , it is u p t o t h e B r a n c h officers to b u i l d u p s t u d e n t e n t h u s i a s m . I n s o m e a r ea s of w o r k this is fa ir ly easy . I n o t h e r a r ea s it is no t . I n a n y case , t h e r e a r e c e r t a i n fields w h i c h for a t i m e h a v e a n a u r a of g l a m o u r . C u r ­r e n t l y t h e m o s t g l a m o r o u s fields s e e m to b e te levis ion, s e r v o m e c h a n i s m s , a n d c o m p u t o r s , closely fol lowed b y r a d a r a n d i ndus t r i a l e lec t ron ics .

A n o t h e r s t u d e n t p r o b l e m is t h a t of p r o g r a m s . F o r best resul ts it w o u l d seem t h a t t h e p r o g r a m s s h o u l d b e

30 Ewing—Student Branches of the AIEE E L E C T R I C A L E N G I N E E R I N G

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given by t h e s tuden t s themse lves , b u t t h e r e is also t h e des i ra ­bil i ty of h a v i n g c e r t a i n p r o g r a m s p r e s e n t e d b y ou t s ide speak­ers. Also, first-class m o t i o n p i c tu re s of i ndus t r i a l o p e r a t i o n s a r e des i rab le . N o t t h e least of t h e t r o u b l e of s o m e of t h e Branches is t h a t of se lec t ing a p r o p e r m e e t i n g p l a c e . Gene ra l l y i t is possible for S t u d e n t B r a n c h m e e t i n g s to b e he ld in the e lect r ica l e n g i n e e r i n g b u i l d i n g o r o t h e r q u a r t e r s occup ied b y t h e school o r d e p a r t m e n t of e lec t r ica l eng i ­nee r ing . H o w e v e r , in s o m e cases t h e r e a r e c e r t a i n diffi­cult ies in the w a y of f inding des i r ab l e m e e t i n g p laces o r facilities w h e r e l a n t e r n slides o r m o t i o n p i c t u r e facilities a r e ava i l ab le , or possibly w h e r e a d e m o n s t r a t i o n l e c t u r e c a n be m a d e p a r t of t h e p r o g r a m .

A n o t h e r p r o b l e m for t h e s t u d e n t s is t h a t of l iv ing u p to A I E E regu la t ions re la t ive to B r a n c h e s a n d a t t h e s a m e

t i m e l iv ing u p to c a m p u s r e g u l a t i o n s r e l a t ive to s t u d e n t o r g a n i z a t i o n s . O n s o m e c a m p u s e s t h e r e is a t e n d e n c y to obse rve a fair ly s t r ic t c o n t r o l o v e r s t u d e n t o p e r a t i o n s of a n y k i n d p a r t i c u l a r l y w h e r e ou t -o f - town speakers o r m o n e y , o r b o t h , a r e invo lved .

All of these p r o b l e m s m u s t b e fami l ia r to t h e Counse lo r s a n d s t u d e n t officers of o u r B r a n c h e s ; o r poss ibly t h e y a r e con f ron ted w i t h o t h e r s e q u a l l y as difficult. T h e i m p o r t a n t t h i n g , h o w e v e r , is t h a t o u r p r o b l e m s a r e c o n t i n u a l l y b e i n g solved, as e v i d e n c e d b y t h e g r o w t h r e c o r d of t h e A I E E S t u d e n t Branches—^fi^om b u t 15 in 1902 t o 132 j u s t a ha l f c e n t u r y l a t e r .

R E F E R E N C E

1. The Institute*8 First Half Century, C F. Scott. Electrical Engineering, May 1934, pages 645-70.

Electric Glass Welding M . R . S H A W M E M B E R A I E E

Γ - Γ Ί Ι Η Ε E L E C T R I C w e l d -1 i n g of m e t a l is a r e l a ­

t ively n e w a n d r a p i d l y g r o w i n g process in t h e m e t a l fabr ica t ion indus t r i es . E v e n n e w e r a n d c u r r e n t l y en joy ing a m o r e r a p i d e x p a n s i o n is t h e e lectr ic w e l d i n g of glass. W h i l e t h e r e is s o m e s imi la r i ty b e t w e e n t h e t e c h n i q u e s e m p l o y e d , t h e wide ly differ ing phys ica l p r o p e r t i e s of t h e t w o ma te r i a l s m a k e t h e e lec t r ica l r e q u i r e m e n t s q u i t e dis t inct .

T Y P E O F E L E C T R I C H E A T U S E D

IT MAY B E SAID t h a t all forms of e lec t r ic heat^"^ h a v e b e e n used in w e l d i n g glass. P r o b a b l y t h e mos t expens ive

t y p e of electr ic e n e r g y is t h a t in t h e u l t r a h i g h - f r e q u e n c y po r t i on of t h e s p e c t r u m . E lec t r i c e n e r g y a t this f r e q u e n c y h a s t he ab i l i ty to p r o d u c e a p p r e c i a b l e h e a t in m o s t d i ­electr ics a n d h a s b e e n so u s e d o n glass u n d e r c e r t a i n c i r ­c u m s t a n c e s . T h e h a r d e r glasses m a i n t a i n t he i r d ie lec t r i c charac te r i s t i cs u p t o m o d e r a t e l y h i g h t e m p e r a t u r e s . I t is in this r eg ion t h a t d ie lec t r ic loss m e t h o d s of h e a t i n g m a y b e used as p a r t of a n e lec t r ic w e l d i n g process . Rad io - f r e ­q u e n c y e n e r g y also m a y b e used for m a g n e t i c i n d u c t i o n h e a t i n g of m a t e r i a l s h a v i n g fair c o n d u c t i v i t y . S ince glass a t ve ry h i g h t e m p e r a t u r e h a s m o d e r a t e c o n d u c t i v i t y i t

Full text of paper 52-320, "Electric Glass Welding," recommended by the AIEE Com­mittee on Electric Welding and approved by the AIEE Committee on Technical Operations for presentation at the AIEE Middle Eastern District Meeting, Toledo, Ohio, October 28-30, 1952. Scheduled for publication in AIEE Transactions, volume 71, 1952.

M. R. Shaw is with Corning Glass Works, Corning, N. Y.

A h u g e n e w a r e a h a s b e e n a d d e d to t h e e l e c ­trical ar t t h r o u g h t h e e x t e n s i o n o f t h e e lectr ic w e l d i n g p r o c e s s to g lass . T h e m a s s m a r k e t c a n b e r e a c h e d as i t is u n n e c e s s a r y to h a v e h i g h l y sk i l l ed p e r s o n n e l , a n d b e t t e r q u a l i t y

re su l t s w i t h m o r e a c c u r a t e h e a t contro l .

m a y b e h e a t e d for w e l d i n g b y t h e h i g h - f r e q u e n c y i n d u c t i o n m e t h o d . G e n e r a l l y , h o w e v e r , un less t h e d ie lec t r i c loss o r i n d u c t i o n h e a t i n g m e t h o d is u n i q u e l y su i t ed for t h e app l i ca ­t i o n , o t h e r t y p e s of e lect r ic h e a t i n g wi l l b e m o r e p rac t i ca l .

T h e k ind of e lec t r ic h e a t i n g f o u n d m o s t useful for glass w e l d i n g o n a p r o d u c t i o n basis is t h e s i m p l e res i s tance loss a c c o m p a n y i n g t h e pas sage of c u r r e n t t h r o u g h t h e glass b e t w e e n o p p o s e d e l ec t rodes . T h e sou rce of e n e r g y for th is t y p e of res i s t ance h e a t i n g m a y b e t h e 60-cycle p o w e r Une or , u n d e r c e r t a i n c i r c u m s t a n c e s , a h i g h - f r e q u e n c y g e n e r a ­tor . U n d o u b t e d l y t i m e wil l see t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of e n e r g y sources for d ie lec t r i c a n d i n d u c t i o n h e a t i n g w h i c h wil l g r ea t l y c h a n g e t h e i r e c o n o m i c s . F o r t h e p re sen t , good use is b e i n g m a d e of t h e s i m p l e r m e t h o d w h i c h is t h e s u b ­j e c t of t h e r e m a i n d e r of th i s a r t i c l e .

R E S I S T A N C E H E A T I N G I N G L A S S

SINCE RESISTANCE HEATING is to b c e x a m i n e d closely,

it is a p p r o p r i a t e t h a t t h e e lec t r i ca l p r o p e r t i e s of glass b e k n o w n . A r e s i s t i v i t y - t e m p e r a t u r e c u r v e for a b o r o -si l icate glass is s h o w n in F i g u r e 1. T h i s g r a p h covers t h e i n t e r v a l of r o o m t e m p e r a t u r e t o 1,500 deg ree s c e n t i g r a d e , w h i c h is a p p r o x i m a t e l y t h e s a m e as t h a t invo lved in w e l d i n g this p a r t i c u l a r glass. T h e e x t r e m e r a n g e of resis t ivi ty is i m m e d i a t e l y e v i d e n t . T h e res i s t ance of a g iven p a t h wi l l d e c r e a s e b y a factor of 10^* as t h e t e m p e r a t u r e increases d u r i n g t h e w e l d i n g cyc le f rom t h e r o o m t e m p e r a t u r e v a l u e

J A N U A R Y 1953 Shaw—Electric Glass Welding 31