Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-22
AWARD OF A MEDAL
ACTION OF THE AMERICAN ACAD-
ENVY OF SCIENCES.
Business Before the Body Now in SEES
sion in This City-Reception
This Evening.

meeting of the council of the American
Academy of Sciences was held at the Ma
uonal Museum this morning at 1870 o'clock
for the purpose of discussing the important
business of the institution. The officers of
the meeting state that the spring meeting
of the academy Is devoted almost solely
to the transaction of important business.
The academy has six medals at it's dis
posal to award to persons who have ma
terially advanced scientific researches. The
Draper medal, the gift Of the late Henry
Draper. was yesterday given to Prof. Geo.
E. Hall of the Yerkes observatory, Will
Jams Bay, Wis. for his researches in astro-
nomical physics. Mr.. Draper was a men,
Der of the academy for many years and was
especially interested In astronomy He died
in 1882 and beQueathed to the institution
sum of money sufficient to purchase medals
which it was authorized to bestow on per-
sons making the greatest advances in as
Economical research
The award Is made biennially and is open
to scientists of every nation of the globe.
The last medal was given to Sir William
Higgins of England for his work in the
case of astronomy. 1t is awarded by a
committee which includes Prof E. c. Pick
ering of Harvard University, Prof. Simon
Newcomb. Mr.. A. A. Michaelson, Prof. John
Trowbridge and Mr.. A. w. Wright. This
committee passed upon the merits of the
work performed by all the contestants and
this year awarded the medal to Prof. Hale.
The academy also decided yesterday that
the fall meeting should be held in Chicago,
November II. next
Biographical Memoir.
At the afternoon meeting yesterday Prof.
George F. Barker presented biographical
memoir of the late Matthew Carey Lea, DR..
]. M. Crafts read a paper on the law Of
catalyss in concentrated solutions. and Mr.
Il. A. Harris discussed the semi-diurnal tide
of the northern part of the Indian ocean.
Prof. Hale. the winner of the Draper
medal. will read a paper this afternoon on
the Rumford speetroheliograph of the
Yerkes observatory. This paper is expected
to be one Of the most interesting and in
structive of the entire meeting, as a great
deal of attention has been paid to the
Yerkes observatory work with this particu-
lar instrument. Prof. Hale is regarded as
one of the best authorities on this work,
and his paper will be listened to with
great deal of attention.
Another paper of great interest that will
be read this afternoon will be Mr.. George
f. Barker's address on the radio activity Of
the thorium minerals. Mr.. Barker was in
Paris at the time of the discovery of radium
and has made a special study of this new
element in science. 1t has been supposed
that radium existed in more or less quantity
In all the thorium minerals, but through re-
cent researches 1T has been discovered that
there was no radium in some of these min
erals. The third paper to be read this even
ing will be that Of Prof. Lewis Boss on the
determination of standard right ascensions
Tree from the personal equation for star
magnitude. This lecture will be illustrated
by series of stereoptfcon views.
Reception to Be Held This Evening.
The members of the academy will hold a
reception this evening at o'clock at the
Arlington Hotel to the scientists of Wash
10 how
the prominent scientific men of the city,
ana 1t Is probable that a large crowd will
attend. The following additional papers
nave been placed in the program for the
present meeting: Biographical memoir of
James E. Keller, Charles s. Hastings: THE
DlHuslo or Vapor into Nucleated Air" Carl
Barus; biographical memoir of Theodore
Lyman. H. p. Bowditch; 1.-The Nomencla-
ture OF the Topography of the Bottom of
the Oceans" Alexander Agassiz.