THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE

The regular monthly meeting was held this evening at 8:15 o’clock, Mr. Walton Forstall, Vice-President, in the Chair.

STATED MONTHLY MEETING, APRIL 17, 1940.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as published in the April issue of the Journal.

The additions to membership since last report were as follows:

Honorary. Active....................................::: ::I 1::: : Associate. 17 Student............................................. 12

Total........ :............... ._.... 37

The Secretary announced that the series of lectures, given on alternate Fridays during the past several months under the general title “ Meet Dr. Frank- lin” would terminate during the present week. Dr. R. A. Millikan would speak on “Dr. Franklin and Science” on Thursday evening and Dr. Carl Van Doren would close the series on Friday evening, his subject being “Dr. Franklin: Man of Letters.”

Attention was also called to the Medal Day Meeting which will be held on Wednesday, May rgth, next. The medals will be awarded at the meeting in the afternoon and this ceremony will be followed by a subscription dinner to the medalists in the evening.

There being no further business the Chairman introduced Dr. W. F. G. Swarm, Director of the Bartol Research Foundation, who presented his annual report of the work done during the past year. He described especially the following: researches upon the conduction of electricity in gases with particular relation to discharges initiated by different kinds of ionizing entities and to the properties of the Geiger-Mueller counters; researches on the nature of the field in magnetized iron; researches with cloud chamber and with Geiger counter systems on the characteristics of cosmic-ray mesotrons, particularly in their property of producing showers of charged particles; and the development of the Van de Graaff generator for investigations in nuclear physics.

The report was illustrated by lantern slides and experiments. On motion of Dr. Arthur L. Day, the thanks of the meeting were extended to Dr. Swarm for his comprehensive report.

Adjourned, HENRY BUTLER ALLEN

Secretary.

649