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The fifty-seventhme~~lng Of Lhe Adv2soryCoium;:tee for Biologyand Medlclnewas held at the AEC ‘H!!Bui2.ding,Washlngcon,D,,C. on SepTember 21 arrd22, 1956. The meetingwas STAFF. DIVISION OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE * Present for fiartofrriieting The meetingwas turned ever to Dr. Duiihamfor the DBM program
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A brief review of the maFjorcurrent activities was made by DR. DUNHM, k. i?mpamt,jon for the oct,cikrM briefing of the mmmission by the .5. Preparation of cQntribut.ionPto the revision of the Handbook, weapons” l?ubl~cat..i-m m this is expected on or about January
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PROJECTS Merril Ef.st?nbvdCf the present status of the (continued) Sunshine study. This report will be circulated tm Committee members for endorsement prior to 8. The OUghterson Report of th “Joi.Lt Commission to Investigate the Effects of the Atomic Bombs in Japan” which was published in July as part of the NlW3. Cmnm..ntswhich have been received on this report were favorable DR. DUNHAM reported cm his address bef’orethe NATO Council on the substance and significance of the WLS report. At the same time agreements although the objectives of the British and American reports were directed slightly differently. DR. DUNHAM reported that questions raised after the two reviews indicated a preoccupation with waste disposal, particularly by the Germans, French, and A brief review of the DBM budget indicated that it was very tight for 1957 because of lmexpected demands on facilities which Ms also been experienced by other AEC divisions. The 1958 budget, however, looks better. Particular mention was made of the new education program which has been allot%d approximately $3 million for next A second International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy Is definitely planned for the Summer of 1958 In Geneva although details have not yet been decided upon. Brief mention was made of the status of the ABCC SECOND GENEVA Program but the major discussion was deferred until CONFERENCE the Executive Session.
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DR. SHILLING’S presentation was divided into two sections. One on the research evaluation and contract procedures and the second on the plans for establishing programmatic categories both of which had resulted from inquiries and suggestions made by the ACl?Mat previous meetings. The DBM RESEARCH principal points covered by DR. SHILLING are given PROGRAM in Appendix A. He explained the ma~or changes being EVALUATION made to previous methods of evaluating research con1. Contracts valued at $10,000 and under, of which there are very many, are being presented to the regular research meetings in a different manner. After review of such proposals by all branches, the contracts are presented to the Research Committee only if questions have been raised or if the Branch having jurisdiction requests it. Contract renewals in this class are reviewed by the Committee only at the third, sixth, and ninth renewal, unless specifically requested. In presenting contract proposals before the Committee, more attention will be paid to its overall integration in the entire program. Advisors or referees assisting in the evaluation may be invited to attend. DR. BURNETT and DR. GLASS raised questions about the use of categories and about advisory and referee groups. It was stated that there are plans to set up definite committees of referees for each major category. These will consist of two or three consultants which will visit major contractors together with DBM representatives and assist in evaluating each separate program. In response to questions by DR. BUGHER and DR. BURNETT, it was explained that such groups would be purely advisory and decisions would be made by the ACBM staff. DR. SHILLING concluded by givixsga breakdown of the number of current research contracts as follows: 204 of $10$000 and under DR. GLASS raised a question about the contract with Dr. Neel of the University of Michigan which was recentiy approved for renewal for a very brief period after which another application was received for a fourteen-month period at a considerably higher degree of support. This was explained by DR. SHILLING andIIEL EMERSON asbeing a technicality because of the fact the type of contract was changed to a cost reimbursement contract which had to be renewed on the first of October together with the fact that this department was moved into another building with plans for increasing the staff consi&rably. It was pointed out that Michigan now has a department of human genetics in the medical school, the first one in the United States. DR. SHILLING indicated that the formalization of the advisory group
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DBM RESEARCH plan, together with establishment of categories, PROGRAM would facilitate supplying the ACBM with the inEVALUATION formation in a more orderly manner with a better (continued) sense of relative importance of the various projects in the programs. DR. SHILLING then described the new plan for establisbi~g programmatic categories within the ACBM program. The general plan and categorical listing is shown in Appendix B. He stated that the plan represented considerable effort covering many months under the leadership of Dr. Paul Henshaw. It was explained that the PROGRAMMATIC category titles in many instances were not always CATEGORY PLAN the best choices from a scientific point of view, but were believed to be of use in presenting the program to Congress, the Bureau of the Budget, or other groups consisting substantially of laymen. It is planned to have o~e DBM representative for each particular category for the purpose of reviewing programs, visiting contractors, and attending scientific meetings in order for him to have a complete picture of the entire scope of the subject. It was explained that although this plan had been applied to date only to offsite research in order to be aware of the entire program at any time. DR. BUGHER raised a question as to the meaning of Category 15 entitled, “Basic Research”. This question stimulated considerable discussion of the meaning of basic research, which depends greatly upon the user> most research scientists believing that they are doing basic research. DR. SHILLING explained that the principal purpose of the “Basic Research” category was for pro~ects that could not be placed in any one of the other categories. DR. GLASS raised the question as to the appropriate category for such things as Biochemistry which, although not listed itself, often could be listed under various other categories shown. DR. BUGHER again raised the matter of “Basic Research” category and warned of the problems which might arise because of the use of the term which depends so much on the point of view of the individual. After considerable discussion of the semantics of the problemj it was agreed that the term “Basic Research” would make Item 15 a vulnerable item for budgetary as well as other reasons and it was generally agreed that the category designation should be changed to “Non-Categorized”. DR. SHILLING pointed out the fact that the term “Atoms for Peace” currently has been used only for foreign programs although, in fact, the entire DBM research program is an “Atoms for Peace”
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category classification system which & has Men working on for :>ometime. It has been agreed that the research Mithin the IX34program should be classified and recorded in e.man~er that would make the information Scientific read%l.yavailable. After much study, it was decided CATl?’iXRY to employ Mc%ee Keysort cards at least as a beginning CLASSIFICATION and then if ths volume of material and its use of the card IA be used is included as Appendix C. It is estimated that there are betwee~ five hundred and one-thousand pro~ects in operat.ia~within the national laboratories in addition to between a thouaard a~ldfifteen hundred in research contracts. DR. HENSHAW I’WLWW5. similar card systems used at Brookhaven (in the field of the Effects of Radiation on Plants) and by Dr. Hollander in Oak Ridge. He also told of the effort of the Bureau of Standards to simplify patent searches employing a similar method. DR. BUGHER pointed out that the keysort type of card is very helpful and practicable for comparatively small operations, but for large programs, even the IBM type of card can become inadequate because of the high scanning speeds required. He pointed out the high rate at which scientific literature is being increased. DR. GLASS told of his experience in editing SCIENCE. In this case it was found advantageous to obtain identifying key terms, phrases, and ideas from the authors for the purpose of classifying the report for indexing. liesuggested that it might be useful to require the contractors and their adviscms to classify their own work rather than depending upon the DBM staff to do it. DR. HENSHAW proposed supplying contractors with a catalo~e of activities for the purpose of assisting the contractors in classifying their own programs. References were made to thdlibrary service to be initiated by the Ford Foundation in Wadxington and also the Biological Chemical Information Services also in Washington with which this program might DR. SHILLING and hia staff were congratulated on their efforts and on the great amount of work which had been done within the last four months to solve a number of problems raised at the last ACBM (The meeting was adjourned for a brief recess.)
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The meeting was reconvened at 3:30 P.XI, with Admiral Paul F. Foster and some of his staff of the recent developments in the introduction of to present a review the Atoms for Peace program. ADMIRAL FOSTER described the recent expansion in the Office of International Affairs which has been made into a Division. There are now thirty-two agreements of cooperation with other friendly countries in the field of atomic research and seven agreements in the field of nuclear power. In addition, there are eight research agreements and four power agreements under discussion or negotiation. The President one half of the cost of research reactors (up to $350,000) under this program and so far, the United States has made commitments with four countries; Brazilj Spain, The Netherlands, and Denmark. ADMIRAL FOSTER also described several recent missions of the X)IAto foreign countries and some of its future plans. Dr. Milton Eisenhower recently announced a program of assistance to the University of Puerto Rico. A grant of $350,0)0 is to be made to provide a very small training research reactor together with some laboratory equipment for the School of Medicine, the Agricultural Medical Station, and the School of Science. It is hoped that Congress will authorize an expapsion of this program to provide several million dollars to establish.a regional research and training center at Puerto Rico vhere it will be readily available to Central and South American Countries. A 20,000 kilowatt nuclear power plant is also planned for the university area subject to Congressional Plans are also being made for accelerating and facilitating the distribution of radioisotopes to foreign countries and a symposium is planned for Central and South American scientific leaders to be held at BNL next Spring. Admiral Foster introduced MR. JOHN P. TREVITHICK who discussed the bilateral agreement program. A recent change in scope relates to a provision by which research agreements may involve the transfer by the AEC of limited amounts of special nuclear material material, highly enriched U-233, U-235, and Plutonium. During the last year nuclear power agreements have been made with Australia, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and to a certain extent France. The French agreement is a compromise between a research and a power agreement’$and limits the
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BILATERAL amount Of fuel to be provided tO 40 kilograms, AGREEMENT whereas the other three agreements allow fuel up to PROGRAM ~00 ldlograms of U-235 for the ten-year life of the (continued) the agreement. Tlxseeare, therefore, for power demonstration programs rather than for the support A significant new provision in the Australian, Swissj and Dutch agreements permits up to 6 Id.lcgmms of the 500 to be enriched up to 90 percent for use in the materials testing reactor. In the case of’the Eelgian agreement, it has been agreed to allow thsm 8 kilograms (apparently for political reasoas in order to demonstrate the preferred position of Belgium). All a.greement~require reprocessirigof spent fuel elements in the United States or in facilities designated by the United States. Recent developments in Europe have been the negotiations among six coal and steel community regions; 13elgium,Luxembergj The Netherlands} France, Italy, and Germany. DR. BUGHER asked if subcritical assemblies could be made available under the existing program. DR. VANDER WEYDEN answered that they could under existing policies Another question by DR. BUGHER was the manner in which a foreign university could initiate a request for a reactor. MR. TREVITHICK explained that the university should make its proposal to the Atomic Energy organization existing in its own country~ if one in fact did exist. If not, arrangements should be made through diplomatic channels since the AEC would accept such a request only from a foreign government but not from the university itself. DR. GLMS asked the criterion for defining a foreign government as a friendly o~e. MR. TREVITHICK stated that~ in general, any country not within the “Iron Curtain” could be considered friendly. DR. GLASS also askedif there were any comparable agreements between the USSR and any other country or satellite to which MR. TREVITHICK answered that t,heUSSR had bilateral agreements with some of its satellites; including, Czechoslovakia$ East Germany, and Yugoslavia. MR. VANDER WEYDEN pointed out that in all the peaceful uses of the atom, the Biology and Medicine programs have been among the first advances and still are the means by which opportunity and promise can be offered This view was endorsed and emphasized by DR. W.RREN. Admiral Foster and his staff were thanked by DR. WARREN for the
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DR. SHILLING stated that a $5 million item for research equipment and support has been provided in the budget which should aid materially in assisting cooperative countries in establishing their own research training programs. Such funds could be used for small accelerators, FOREIGN mass spectrometers, radioactive laboratories, gamma EDUCATIONAL sources, subcritical assemblies, low-cost computing PROGRAM devices, and so forth. An illustration of the type of activity planned by the DBM for 1958 h the expenditure of $31.0,000 to assist five countries in the establishment of isotope training facilities and a half-million dollars for the establishment of facilities for training personnel for the five foreign countries in the principals of radiological safety. Two additional items of interest were the training of foreign nationals ($2 million) and a scientific and technical conferences Another budget item of interest is the provision of $350,000 for a contract with the engineering group in Fuerto Rico for a reactor with a view of setting up sort of a Puerto Rican BNL for $3.9 million includtng laboratory buildings for agricultural, medical, biological, and physical sciences. The extended use of Cobalt-60 teletherapy as well as other radioisotopes would be of great help to many South American countries because of difficulties in maintaining x-ray equipment in good operation. On extremely short notice Dr. Pearson visited Costa Rica with Newton, Division of International Affairs. He gave a detailed account of his visit and observations and TRIPS TO COSTA again pointed out the importance of its location in RICA, ITALY, Costa Rica. One reason for selecting Costa Rica Is …
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