"Nobody goes "Do you wantJOUT slices there anymore; ojpizza, 01' eight?" it's too "foul'; I don't think I crowded. " could eat eight. " Volume XCVII, Number 3 Pasadena, California Friday, October 6, 1995 from Public Relations postdoctoral fellows in ,the field personality, and eventually work during their postdoctoral human welfare, and alleviate ofneurobiology, where their re­ causes patients to lose control of training period because they are pain and suJffelcing PASADENA-The Henry L. search in fields related to bodily functions and speech. Its able to devote their full attention tion applies its resources Guenther Foundation of Los Alzheimer's disease could lead to cause is unknown and there is to research without the addi­ to benefit California residlerlts, Angeles has awarded $120,000 to a better understanding of the no effective treatment. tional responsibilities that ac­ especially those in Southern Cali­ the California Institute of Tech­ causes ofthe disease and help to Postdoctoral fellows are company a faculty appointment. fornia, by means of in."rn·cm'prl nology to establish the Henry L. develop treatments to combat its . critical to the function of every The Henry L. Guenther and expanded medical <p,'"i,,'''< Guenther Postdoctoral Fellow­ effects. research group at Caltech. Foundation is a private nonprofit opportunities for youth, and ships. About 4 million Americans These young scientists often do corporation organized to im­ other humanitarian or commu­ The award will allow Caltech have Alzheimer's disease, which their most creative, productive prove social conditions, promote nity projects. to recognize and support several affects memory, judgment, and c by Caltech Public Relations with the magnetic polarity ofthe new spots reversed. PASADENA - The first sun­ That's exactly the point the sun spot in the new sunspot cycle was is at now; it has been in a quiescerH identified on Saturday, August 12, by period through much of 1994 and astronomers at the California Insti­ this year, with a few spots s!1()wiln2: tute of Technology's Big Bear Solar up near the equator. The new sun­ Observatory in Big Bear City, Cali­ spot photographed on Saturday ap­ fornia. The new sunspot marks the peared at a solar latitude of 21 de­ end ofthe sun's quiescent period and grees, and its magnetic polarity is op­ the beginning ofa new surge ofsun­ posite to that seen over the last de- spot activity. a to identifYing it as the "This makes us happy," said Hal manifestation of the start of a new Zirin, professor of astrophysics at Caltech and director ofthe Big Bear This new sunspot a bit Solar Observatory. "The sun is a lot earlier than astronomers eX1pe(:ted. more interesting to study when Typically, as a solar cycle winds things are going on." down, late bursts ofsunspot Sunspots are relatively dark spots will appear near the equator before that typically appear in groups on the the new cycle starts. Scientists had surface of the sun. They are associ­ seen these late pulses of sunspots in ated with strong magnetic fields and 1984, but saw little late activity this with solar flares, and follow an ap­ time and therefore expected an proximately II-year cycle ofincreas­ beginning to the new cycle, but not ing activity followed by a slow decline this early. into a quiescent period. Sunspots have effects far beyond Early in the cycle, sunspots ap­ the sun itself, so while solar astrono­ pear rarely and at relatively high so­ mers are excited by this news, people lar latitudes around 30 to 35 degrees, in many other fields are keenly in­ then increase in frequency and appear terested as well. Solar flares often at lower latitudes until they reach occur above sunspots, and can dis­ sunspot maximum. After this peak in rupt radio communications on earth activity, the number of sunspots and sometimes even cause wide­ slowly declines, and they appear ever spread power outages. Flares also closer to the sun's equator until they cause the colorful celestial displays reach a relatively quiet phase called known as the northern (or southern) sunspot minimum. lights, and cause unusual behavior in There is typically some overlap satellites, such as increased drag and berween successive sunspot cycles. As disabled orientation. the last sunspots ofone cycle appear Sunspots in the new cycle near the equator, at latitudes ofabout should rapidly become more com­ 7 degrees, the next cycle starts again mon and reach a high level of activ­ with sunspots near 30 degrees, but ity in 1998 or 1999. St{~ptlen D. Van Hooser dents and teachers. Currently, detailed plans March 9 is the day it all hap­ are being drawn up for the Next spring, tens of thou­ pens. The agenda starts early, installations. Volunteers are sands of volunteers will de­ with installation of network ca­ being solicited on the World scend upon California's pri­ bling at nine; school libraries, Wide Web at http:// LEITER TO THE EDITOR 2 mary and secondary schools to science and computer labs, and www.w3.com/netday96/.Com­ EDITORS CORNER 2 install networking hardware. several classrooms will be wired panies and schools that have ASCIT MINUTES 5 In a massive collaborative up. In the afternoon, industry already signed on include SPORTS 6,7 YNEWS 8 effort among individuals, pri­ professionals will volunteer the America On-Line, Apple, DILBERT 9 vate companies, and colleges, testing equipment oftheir com- Caltech, DEC, QUESTION OF THE MONTH 9 the Schools on the Net project to verifY that all installa­ La,s Aillg~el(:s Times, CALENDER 1O,H ANNOUNCEMENTS promises to put the educa­ tions have gone successfully. By and UCLA. 12 tional resources ofthe Internet evening, all schools will have into the hands ofCalifornia stu- been and certified. 1995 Geologist Wyllie Elected President ofthe International Union ofGeodesy and Geophysics by Caltech Public Relations climate, global change, and en­ earth elements for superconduc­ ors in geology, and his Ph.D., also ofLondon in 1982, and the high­ vironmental issues, and the tors. in geology, in 1958. est honor ofthe German Miner­ PASADENA - Peter Wyllie, IUGG is an obvious organization Before launching his scien­ Wyllie taught at the Univer­ alogical Society, the Abraham­ Professor ofGeology at Caltech, to coordinate such an effort. tific career, Wyllie was the 1949 sity of St. Andrews, Penn State, Gottlob-Werner Medaille in was elected president of the In­ Many problems also surround Royal Air Force, Scotland, heavy­ and Leeds University, England, 1987. ternational Union of Geodesy the growth of megacities, and weight boxing champion. He at­ before joining the University of He has written hundreds of and Geophysics in July at the IUGG member associations have tended college at the University Chicago faculty in 1965. He scientific articles and three IUGG's XXI General A,>sembly scientific information that could of St. Andrews in Scotland, came to Caltech in 1983 as a pro­ books, including two basic text­ in Boulder, Colorado. be very useful in solving them. where he received a BS in phys­ fessor ofgeology and to serve as books. Wyllie also served as the Wyllie, who was vice presi­ The IUGG is in a good position ics and geology in 1952, and then the chair ofthe Division ofGeo­ chair ofthe committee convened dent of the IUGG from 1991 to to gather, coordinate, and apply spent two years as a geologist logical and PlanetarySciences, a by the U.S. National Academy of 1995, will serve a four-year term this information to post he held until Sciences to produce the first na­ as president, from 1995 to 1999. these problems ifprac- 1987. tional disciplinary review of the He is the first American to head tical policies can be es­ Wyllie was earth sciences, a 346-page vol­ the lUGG since 1967. tablished. Wyllie will explore two elected a Foreign As­ ume titled Solid-Earth Sciences The IUGG is made up of Wyllie is an inter­ possible areas offuture sociate of the United and Society, published in 1993. seven international scientific as­ nationally known au­ States' National Acad­ The volume recommends priori­ sociations and is dedicated to the thority on the forma­ activity: the coordination emy of Sciences in ties for future research and dis­ scientific study of the earth and tion ofigneous rocks­ ofglbbal monitoring, and 1981, a Fellow of the cusses the scientific challenges the application of knowledge those created when American Academy of facing our society. gained to the .needs of society. molten material solidi- the impact that Arts and Sciences in The IUGG was founded in The IUGG convenes a general fies. He has been par­ "megacities "-sprawling 1982, a Fellow of the 1919 and is made up of seven assembly every four years, and ticularly involved with Royal Society (Lon­ semi-autonomous International last met in the United States in the origin of andesites metropolitan areas­ don) in 1984, a For­ Associations: Geodesy; Seismol­ 1963, at Berkeley, California. (volcanoes that tend to eign Member of the ogy and Physics of the Earth's As president of the IUGG, explode as Mount St. have on the earth. USSRAcademy ofSci­ Interior; Volcanology and Chem­ Wyllie will explore two possible Helens did in 1980); ences in 1988, a For­ istry ofthe Earth's Interior; Geo­ areas offuture activity: the coor­ with granites that form eign Fellow of the In- magnetism and Aeronomy; Me­ dination of global monitoring, the core of mountain ranges with the British North dian National Science Academy teorology and Atmospheric Sci­ and the impact that such as the Sierra Nevada; with Greenland Expedition. He re­ in 1991 and of the National ences; Hydrological Sciences; "megacities"-sprawling metro­ kimberlites, which transport dia­ ceived the Polar Medal from Academy of Sciences, India, in and Physical Sciences of the politan areas-have on the monds to the earth's surface; Queen Elizabeth in 1954 for his 1992.