Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-01
Washington Called Capital Of Science
AS U. S. and Private Funds SpurReseorch

Club. Its present director is DR..
Allan Waterman, a physicist.
who says its the foundations job
to Coordinate science. not
dominate it."
| The private companies that
have settled here like the place
for its readily available techni-
cal information and the city's
great wealth in libraries. The
Library OF Congress is con-
Isidered the best scientific library
in the world.
Bait for Companies
The Washington Board OF
Trades Economic Development
iComrnittee has offered Wash
iington,s research atmosphere
and facilities as bait for private
companies considering settling
here. 1t has paid off. At the
last listing, there were SO private
concerns here, engaged in re-
Isearch--mainly research apply
ing to electronics.
I Typical Of these companies Is
Melpar, started in 1y45, and now
located on a 44-acre tract In
Fairfax County. A subsidiary OF
lWestingllouse Air Brake Com
Ipany. It employees more than
Il.700 people. including some 400
engineers. physicists, mathema-
Iticians. chemists. and specialists
Melpar, at one time or another,
has done research on antennae,
!radar systems. flight simulators
direction finders, acoustics. audic
and ultrasonic systems. Much OF
its work is under Government
contract.
Another company is the At
lantic Research Corp, started bS
two scientists in l949 with
$1,000. They turned it into a 81
million business. Atlantic's con-
tracts are with the armed forces
primarily. on items like develop
Iment of propellants for rockets
The main Office is at 90l North
columbus street in Alexandria.
$500 in the Work
/ The Board of Trade estimates
scientific research and develop
iment In the Washington area
now employs 1880 persons. with
10000 Of them employed by pri-
ivate organizations.
i What pure research Is done
locally is carried on mainly b.
the Carnegie Institution. which
Operates the Geophysical Lab.
oratory at 1901 Upton street
NV. and the Department OF
Terrestrial Magnetism at 5241
Broad Branch road NV.
! The Geophysical lab bores into
geological problems. It's CHIEF
Interest is in the processes In
volved in the formation and
evolution Of the earth's crust.
At the Terrestrial Magnetism
lab. scientists are examining
ideas in physics, cosInic rays
Iisotopes. nuclear. physics ant
biosynthesis.
An example of their work turns
up in a recent report on 1.-THE
Upper Atmosphere
"Radio-star scintillation Of tbs
radio waves from descrete celes.
tial sources has been observed a,
consistently as possible during
1.-THE year, using simple technique'
at SO mcfsec. The scintillatlor
results from irregularities in tn,
upper ionosphere. and to under
. stand the origin of the irregular
titles one must investigate Their
behavior over different parts o.
the earth and their incidence al
different times"
Pure Type Research
This is pure research
Smithsonian scientists-ther'
. Iare about 100, and also of tn,
Ipure-type-are looking into tn,
mysteries of photosynthesis II
the basement of the old Smith
Isonian Building. Its museum
curators are doing research OF
; the side in biology and geology
! Their chief concerns are the lif,
sciences and many are the re-
cipients of scientific grant
awarded, sometimes by tn,
Atomic Energy Commission o
'.the National Science Foundation
4 The National Academy O
Sciences, which investigate
problems for either the Govern
Iment or private industry. doe
mot conduct research locally
more, 1t rounds UP the SCIENTIST
: who are best informed on a giver
subject to answer problems
; brought up. -
Working arm Of the Nationa
J Academy--its members are th'