Evening star., 1933-01-12
DR.. BOWIE GIVEN
PRIZE BY BELGIUM
Academy Rewards Geodetic
Survey Official for Mathe- :
maticaI Work.

The Belgium Royal Academy of Sci
ence, Letters and Fine Arts has be-
slowed the Charles Lagrange prize upon
DR.. william Bowie, chief of the Coast
and Geodetic Surveys Division Of Ge-
odesy, for, according to the citation
made public today. 1.-The best mathe-
matical or experimental work consti-
tuting an important progress in the
mathematical knowledge of the earth. "
The prize is 100 francs and was
awarded to DR.. Bowie at the conclu-
sion of an international competition
for the complete homegeneity that this
Government official obtained in the tri-
angulation of the United States, Can
ada and Mexico.
For 81 years DR.. Bowie has been
among the leaders in Uncle Sans sur
vey work. He has carried his instru-
ments into every State in the Union
and into Puerto Rico, the Philippines,
Alaska, Canada and Mexico. He is
largely responsible for the adjustment
of level nets of the United States, Can
ada and Mexico into single net.
Great Network Over U. S.
Triangulation is based on the mathe-
matical principle that when the length
of one side of a triangle and two of its
angles are known, computations will
furnish the other angle and the lengths
of the other sides. Then the new sides
can be used as bases of other triangleS.
The triangulation executed by the
Coast and Geodetic Survey in the early
years of its existence, for the purpose of
strengthening the charting of this coun-
try's coasts, has spread in a great ret
work over the United States. Arcs nc =
gridiron the country, with no State
without at least few first-order tri-
angulation stations, furnishing exact
latitudes, longitudes, distances and true
bearings.
Prior to the World War, the United
States was one of the adhering coun-
tries to the old International Geo.
detic Association. After the war a
new association was formed and DR..
Bowie has been its president for 13
years. He has been first vice presi-
dent of the International Geophysical
Union since 1919 and was chairman
Of the Board of Surveys and Maps OF
the Federal Government from 1922 TO
1924.
Lectures at Lehigh.
DR.. Bowie was in charge of the Sum-
mer courses in practical astronomy and
geodesy at Columbia University from
1912 to 1917. He served as a major
in the Corps of Enginee s during the
World War and has been named as a
delegate from the United States to a
number Of international scientific con-
ferences. Since 1922 he has been a
special lecturer at Lehigh University.
He is member of the National Aca-
deny Of Sciences, the Philisophic Soci-
ETY. of Washington, of which he was
president in 1925; Washington Acad-
emy of Science, of which he was presi-
dent in 1880; Washington Society of
Engineers, of which he was president
in 1914; American Society of Civil
Engineers, American Astronomical Soci-
ETY. and other leading national and
international scientific organizations.
He is the author of a number of pub
licationS of the Coast and Geodetic
Survey on the varied branches of geo.
deSy, including measurements of base
lines, triangulation, gravity, isostasy.
Maj. and Mrs. Bowie make their
home at 1888 Church street.