University Lecturer Back After Year In California

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30338, 14 January 1964, Page 16

University Lecturer Back After Year In California

Up to a master’s degree, tire standard of education provided at New Zealand universities was comparable to that provided at the University of California, said Mr R. S. Long, senior lecturer in mathematics at the University of Canterbury, in an interview yesterday. Mr Long has just returned from a year’s study and research at the University of California. “At the Ph.D. level they have a high standard at the University of California. They have a very large staff which provides experts in a wide variety of fields, and this is where they have the advantage,” said Mr Long. “Below university level our academic education in schools is certainly superior to California’s. They spend more time on social aspects.” “Hustle and Bustle”

There was a great air of hustle and bustle about Los Angeles. California was now first in population of the states. Californians took great pride in their state andaimed to have it first in everything. It had been estimated that 2000 persons moved into California every day and 1000 left It was a huge turn over, and created a lot of problems. But everything was geared for a fast, smooth flow of traffic of all kinds.

‘They are gifted in producing and using material tilings of all kinds,” Mr Long said. “Cars are quite cheap, and this makes transport easy, though it brings problems. They have been farsighted enough to make freeways. The Santa Monica freeway will cost 10m dollars a mile, including the cost of the land. That is the kind of expense they are prepaired to go to so that things can be kept going smoothly. “It is the same with the University of California.

They are determined to make it a front-ranking institution and are prepared to spend the money to do this. “A New Zealander finds it far from restful, though it is a tremendous experience to spend a year there,” said Mr Long. Six Campuses The University of California had six campuses, the two main ones being at Berkeley and Los Angeles with others scattered around the state. It was a huge institution with about 50,000 students, 20.000 of them being in the Los Angeles campus, he said. Mr Long went there to study astrodynamics, calculations connected with the paths of planets and satellites. It was, lie said, essentially a mathematical theory, that was, the study part of it. His work at the University of Canterbury, with Professor D. F. Lawden, had been on calculating rocket paths so that they used the least fuel in getting to their destination in the shortest time. His intention was to pursue tiiat as research work at the University of California. He was asked to lecture on it there, and he did so. His research work developed into a study of a new method which had been suggested for calculating planetary and satellite paths. This involved the use of a big, fast computer at the university. “They have three of these computers on the campus there. Each is quite a big installation. That gives some idea of the way they are prepared to pour in the money. They have smaller machines such as we have here. To Continue Work “I will be able to carry on the work here, but I will just have to adapt it to the smaller machine, as I used the big computer at the Uni-

versity of California” Mr Long said. “The method I have been using has quite a wide variety of applications, and I hope to be able to use it in the calculation of rocket paths. At the University at California I was working with Professor S. Herrick, who is in charge of astrodynamics.” Generally, students at the University of California were about the same age as university students in New Zealand, though California tended more to have a contingent of older students. A number of students returned from industry to complete Ph.D. degrees at the University of California. Most of his contacts were in the engineering school. and he did not see a great deal of other departments. “They have a smog problem in Los Angeles," Mr Long said. “You get up in the morning and there is this bluish haze. It is not a dirty smog like that of London, but it can be quite unpleasant. I expect they will get it licked in time. One is not allowed to light a rubbish fire in Los Angeles. All new cars now have to be fitted with a device to help cut down exhaust fumes.”