Seven scientists advise

The Scientific Advisory Committee of the International Atomic Energy Agency held its second series of meetings in Vienna on 4-5 June 1959. The members of the Committee are seven distinguished scientists from different countries: Dr. H.J. Bhabha (India), Sir John Cockcroft (UK), Professor V.S. Emelyanov (USSR), Dr. B. Goldschmidt (France), Dr. B. Gross (Brazil), Dr. W.B. Lewis (Canada) and Professor I.I. Rabi (USA). The function of the Committee is to provide the Director General and through him the Board of Governors with scientific and technical advice on questions relating to the Agency's activities. Subjects for consideration by the Committee can be submitted by the Director General either on his own behalf or on behalf of the Board. At its recent session, the Committee considered several aspects of the Agency's scientific programme, including the proposed conferences, symposia and seminars for 1960, scientific and technical publications, and the research contracts which had been or were to be awarded by the Agency. The programme of conferences for the current year had been approved earlier by the Board of Governors on the recommendation of the Committee. A provisional list of 17 conferences, symposia and seminars for 1960 was examined by the Committee and recommendations were made to the Director General. The Committee also examined the Agency's policy on the award of contracts for research work and studies. An important subject before the Committee was the principles and regulations for the application of Agency safeguards. Another subject considered by the Committee was the possibility of a project for an exchange of knowledge on controlled thermonuclear fusion. The Committee also examined a proposal for the determination of the world-wide distribution of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in water. Exact information on the distribution of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in rain, in rivers, in ground water and in oceans would be important for areas with limited water supply, and would add to the present knowledge of potential water resources in arid and semi-arid regions. Among other subjects considered by the Committee was the preparation of a basic manuscript on atomic energy and its peaceful uses, which could serve as an aid to teachers in secondary schools, particularly in the technically less advanced countries. The IAEA Board of Governors has already approved the project for such a manual, which will be prepared in co-operation with UNESCO.