Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

out to return to technical employ- ment at the company's plants. The seven who withdrew altogether did so for personal and health reasons. Though nothing like this class had ever been attempted before, and in many ways it was contrary to pedagogic tradition, Purdue fac- ulty members gave their full sup- port and cooperation to the idea that intensive training for a spe- cific objective was feasible. Postwar Effect Studied Educators and industrialists look- ing to the future for the supply of college trained men and women are giving a great deal of thought to- day to the effect RCA's pioneering educational project may have on college courses after the war. Al- though the Cadettes followed an exacting schedule of forty hours a week of class and study hours for the ten months they were at Pur- due, they were also regular mem- bers of the student body and en- joyed the privileges of college life. They lived in regular dormitories and participated in many college activities. Under the terms of the contract made between RCA and the Uni- versity, the Cadettes were responsi- ble to the University Administra- tion. A great deal of credit must be given to Miss Frances M. Tall- madge, who was RCA's representa- tive on the campus, but her re- sponsibility concerned itself with counseling and company relations. Discipline, had there been any need for it, was a faculty matter. As a consequence, the most harmonious relations between RCA and Purdue were maintained and the girls were loyal and enthusiastic employees of RCA as well as ardent Purdue supporters. The question now being asked is whether many other young men and women — and their parents — may not set up a demand in the future for similar short training courses in other fields of technical study. Also what effect this is likely to have on the social and economic patterns of the nation. There is no doubt that many traditional edu- cators might feel, in that event, that we would be turning out too many students whom they would regard as having only a pai'tial en- gineering education, although for many kinds of work it would be very adequate. There are some who feel that true education is a process which ends only with death, and starts with actual experience. They hold that technical work in college is only preliminary training to the real essence of education -— which lies ahead on the job. RCA is happy to welcome these young women to its shops and lab- oratories. They are tackling their jobs confidently, with poise and as- surance. What is even more impor- tant, with ambition and enthu- siasm. It will not be surprising if many of them advance rapidly within the next few years. There is plenty of room at the top, and few barriers to brains and ambi- tions. Buy War Bonds POSTWAR FACSIMILE EXPANSION POSSIBLE RCA Rese<7rcli Director Says Neu) Brondct7sting Seruice h Readij for Wide Use. Foreseeing effective and reliable home and office type radio facsimile recorders capable of printing news at the rate of several hundred words a minute and pictures equal in quality to the best found in news- papers, E. W. Engstrom, Research Director of RCA Laboratories, Princeton, N. J., on February 17 ranked this new kind of radio serv- ice at the side of television and frequency modulation (FM) broad- casting as a definite possibility for expansion early in the post-war period. Addressing several h u n d r e d members of the American Market- ing Association at a "Radio-in- Wartime" luncheon at the Hotel Sheraton, New York, Mr. Engstrom said: "Facsimile is a service that can now be made available. There is still needed a comprehensive market survey to indicate the form it should take and the kind of serv- ices it should render. Mr. Engstrom expressed it as his belief that television, FM, and radio facsimile are the three most signifi- cant trends in broadcasting. "Television is a new service ready for public use," he explained. "Frequency modulation broadcast- ing is in addition to the already established and accepted sound broadcasting service. Facsimile is a new service which awaits knowl- edge of how it should be introduced and used." EACH RCA ENGINEERING AIDE IS ASSIGNED TO AN ENGINEER OR SUPERVISOR. AT LEFT, DOROTHY WILLIAMS IS WORKING WITH E, D. BLODGETT ON A SOLENOID DEVELOPMENT AT CAMDEN; MARION BEDE (CENTER) GETS POINTERS ON TUBE CHARACTERISTICS CURVE TRACER FROM DAVID HEACOCK AT HARRISON PLANT; AND MARIE SAMMON (RIGHT) WORKS ON SPECIAL PURPOSE ACORN TUBE DESIGN WITH MATTHEW JINETOPULOS, ALSO AT HARRISON.