Research Topics in Computer Science (27 Dec.) Arranged by A. J. Perlis (Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh). The three papers of this symposium treat some of the more important phenomena surrounding computers. Each, while specific, can be thought of as exemplary of problem, point of view, and technique. Every use of the computer requires translation into a symbolic representation which is adequate, that is, sufficient for the solution of the problem, and mechanical, and capable of being correctly manipulated entirely within the computer by resident programs. When the problems have a classical mathematical flavor, the choice of representa- tion is so familiar that it need not be studied. When the problems are related to problem-solving itself, the computer representation of data and tools becomes crucial and worthy of deep study. The first paper deals with this phenomenon. While each computer program is specific, the concept of a program and a task can be abstracted to study important properties common to all programs. Thus each program requires the resource of storage and utilizes time. It is important to determine lower bounds on the time and storage required by certain classes of programs and, conversely, to study the properties of programs which have such lower bounds. The second paper considers this aspect of computer science. . The computer with its programs is a part of the apparatus of scientific research. As our understanding of symbolic modeling deepens, it is natural to expect the computer to become increasingly imbedded in the research process and more dedicated to automatic response to the demands of the user discipline. Nowhere is this more ap- parent than in the studies where the refining of bulk data is necessary to reveal the “precious” result. High-energy physics relies on such extraction processes for which the computer is crucial. The third paper treats the artistic imbedding of the computer in the process of high-energy physics research. Finally, the chairman will summarize and relate these three aspects to each other, since each uses phenomena studied by the other two, and to the other phenomena which now occupy the attention of computer scientists. Saul Gorn, Allen Newell, Juris Hartmanis, and William Miller. the current theories are either incapable of predicting the experimental results or allow for so many possible results that the true answer may only be obtained by controlled experimentation. There are many examples, of discoveries which directly affect our day-to-day lives. A long interrelated series of theoretical and experimental trials designed to more fully understand the behavior of solids resulted in the invention of the transistor. Our electrical power and communications systems have been substantially improved by discoveries resulting from research in plasma physics. In one of the most recent examples, the study of the structure of molecules and the mechanism which binds them in solids resulted in the invention of the Maser and the Laser. The speakers at the symposium on “New and Useful | Developments Resulting from Pure Research in Physics” will show how research designed to study a specific phe- nomenon can produce useful and unexpected results. The four speakers are well acquainted with their respective speCialties, which are nuclear physics, solid state physics, plasma physics, and atomic and molecular physics. Each speaker will give illustrations of how the curiosity of physicists resulted in new and useful developments in the past and in what areas such developments might occur in the future. Polykarp Kusch, W. W. Havens, Jr., Folin Marshall, Rolf Landauer, and Charles H. Townes. Exobiology: the Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Its Biological and Sociological Implications (30 Dec.) Arranged by Martin M. Freundlich (Airborne Instruments Laboratory, Deer Park, N.Y.). The panel will discuss the physical environment of the planets of the solar system with reference to their habitability by indigenous organisms and give a critique of groundbased attempts to detect extraterrestrial life with particular attention to the planet Mars. The speakers will discuss the integrated experiments that must be performed in order to determine whether life exists on any of the planets. Life detection packages that can serve as automated laboratories to perform metabolic experiments will be described. The problems of preventing contamination of extraterrestrial bodies and their impact on space programs will be discussed. The electromagnetic processes that are of importance in PHYSICS(B) New Useful Developments Derived from Recent Pure Research in Physics (29 Dec.) Arranged by W. W. Havens, Jr. (Columbia University). The new devices and technologies resulting from pure research in physics often come as a surprise to the scientists investigating the phenomena. Unfortunately, the benefits society ultimately realizes are not and cannot be predicted when the research is begun. The motivation behind the physicist doing basic research is obtaining a better understanding of the phenomenon heis investigating. He would like to be able to exactly predict the results of an experiment on the basis of some reasonable theory which assumes no more than the fundamental Iaws of physics. 1348 On the forefront of research, the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life will be reviewed. The possibility of exploiting the 1420 Mhz line of atomic hydrogen and the four lines of OH at approximately 1700 Mhz for interstellar communication will be scrutinized. The present status of techniques and observations in this field will be summarized and possible future refinements will be reviewed. Methods of distinguishing information from intelligent beings from signals of natural origin will be discussed. The panel will speculate on the forms that life may have taken outside of our planet. Our present concepts on unicellar development will be applied to this problem. Assuming that extrater- restrial life does indeed exist, a variety of philosophical, sociological, and biological implications arise. To what ex- tent is our society prepared for these problems? Bernard Wagner, Carl Sagan, Richard S. Young, Gilbert Levin, Everett M,. Hafner, Henry D. Isenberg, and Wolf Vishniac. SCTENCE, WOL. 158