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By A. D. SWISHER, Alpha Omicron A. R. Larur, .A 0
Henry Giese, A 0
For Highway Safety ~VHH R. LAUER, Alpha Omicron, as a member of the Advisory Committee on the Driver for the National Safety Council and a member of the ~sychology of the Highways Committee of the Natt?nal Research Council, has the task of making the htghways of America safe for you and me. Dr. Lauer, at present an associate professor of psychology at Iowa State College, graduated from McP~erson College, McPherson, Kansas, in 1922. PrcVtous to his graduation he spent six months at Le So~bonne, Paris. Later, in 1922 and 1923 he attend ed Chtcago University. After spendi ng two years at the State University of Iowa, in 1924 and 1925, he spent two more at Ohio State University from 1928 to 1929 as an instructor. He completed hi s doctorate work here and then spent one year as a National Research Cou nci l fellow in psychology. He came to Iowa State in 1930. He was honored by election to ~ernbership in Phi D elta Kappa (honorary educational fraternity devoted to research), Sigma Xi, (hon~rary scientific), Alpha Psi D elta and Psi Xi (both 10 norary psychology). Dr. Lauer, working for the State of Iowa and t~e United States D epartment of Agriculture, is at ~.1 e present moment particularly interested in the 1 • cense plates attached to your car. He says, "Our task 15 to. determine the best size, color, type of lettering, spacmg, and grouping of license plate numbers w ith respect to the background used. We have yet to measure the effect of the degree of illumination upon the hlates. This work is rapidly being completed and we ope to be able to announce the complete results in t he near future." Other major branches of Dr. Lauer's work include ~11 ~ ~easurement of the drivers' reactions to various rtvtng situations and the selection of traffic signs (Continued
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page 14)
OF PI KAPPA PHI
A Scientific Farm Building Program
TO
HENRY GIESE, Alpha Omicron, professor of ag ricu ltural eng ineering at Iowa State College, was given the ask of conducting a nation-wide survey for the purpose of stu dying the need for research, the work being carried on by the several states, and the need for the formation of a national program in connection with the relation of farm building and agricultural returns. Brother Giese, a graduate of Iowa State in 1919 as an architectural engineer, was a leader on the campus. In recognition of his ab iliti es as a student he was affi li ated w ith Tau Beta Pi, Gamma Sigma Delta, Phi Mu Alpha, and later wi th Sigma Xi. In 1927, Giese took his M.S. from Iowa State, and agai n in 1930 he was g iven the professional degree of Architectural Engineer. At present he holds the chair of second vice-president of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers and is vice-chairman of the structures division of the same society. The buildings on the farm constitute operating units of a manufacturing plant. The justification for building then must be on a production cost basis. Proper storage buildings are essenti al to the conservation of farm products. The quality of g rains depends to a large extent upon the method used in storing them. Fruits and vegetables need proper storage to keep them in condition for market. The buildings exert a large influence upon farm labor. In add ition to all these factors, it is genera lly recognized that better buildings on the farm breed contentment and pleasant surroundings inspire to better work. Farm buildings, then, must provide conditions essential to maximum production but at a cost for construction which wi ll permit of an adequate return on the investment. Because of the failure of the farmer to solve building problems for himse lf and because the architectual (Comhmed on page 14)
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