THE SCRIPPS INSTITUTION FOR BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH OFFICERS OF THE INSTITUTION DAVID P. BARROWs, Ph.D., LL.D., President of the University. RESIDENT OFFICERS WILLIAM E. RITTER, Ph.D., Scientific Director and Professor of Zoology. W. C. CRANDALL, A.B., Business Agent. F. B. SUMNER, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology. GEORGE F. MCEWEN, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Oceanographer, and W. E. ALLEN, M. A., Biologist and Publicity Secretary. R. R. HUESTIS, B.S.A., Assistant in Zoology. E. G. MOBERG, M.S., Fellow in Zoology. NON-RESIDENT OFFICERS C. A. KOFOID, Ph.D., Sc.D., Assistant Director of the Scripps Institution for Biological Research, Professor of Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. C. O. ESTERLY, Ph.D., Zoologist, Professor of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, California. HISTORY, SUPPORT, AND MANAGEMENT The institution grew out of the efforts in the Department of Zoology at the University to promote researches on the animal life of the Pacific Ocean. Since 1901 these efforts have been continuous, more or less definitely organized, and specifically supported financially. During the first years the financial support came in small sums from numerous persons interested in the work, alumni of the University, and to a slight extent the University itself. The interest of Miss E. B. Scripps and Mr. E. W. Scripps in the undertaking began in 1903, when the itinerant equipment was moved from San Pedro to San Diego. At present all the funds for physical upbuilding and a considerable part of those for maintenance come from this source, though since 1912 the State of California has contributed liberally to the support of the scientific work. For several years the enterprise was carried on as the Marine Biological Station of San Diego, a corporation which had no official connection with the University of California, though such a relation was looked forward to and provided for in the articles of incorporation. In accordance with this provision, the property and management were transferred to the Regents of the University in 1912, the name of the foundation being then changed to that by which it is now known. The institution is, consequently, an integral part of the University of California. LOCATION The institution occupies a 177-acre "pueblo lot' situated on the ocean front about sixteen miles north of the center of San Diego City and two miles north of the suburb of La Jolla. Both suburb and institution are within the corporate limits of the city. Although this site on the open ocean, considerably isolated from human habitation and transportation facilities, has introduced rather difficult and expensive elements into the problems of development, the great and unique advantages of the location for researches on the life. of the open sea and on the sea itself, which researches have a central place in the institution's scientific program, and the further advantages of ample grounds on which to build, are fully justifying and, it is confidently believed, will continue to justify the hazards that have been taken. HOUSING AND EQUIPMENT A fire-proof research laboratory capable of accommodating about twentyfive investigators. All the laboratory rooms, seven in number, on the first floor, are provided with salt water aquaria, thus furnishing large facilities for indoor experimentation on marine organisms. The circulatory system is of lead and hard rubber. The aquaria are of concrete and plate glass. A fire-proof library-museum building. The first floor is devoted to the natural history and oceanographic exhibits and administration offices. The library, and the reading room used also as an essembly room, are on the second floor. The stack room now in use has a capacity of about 25,000 volumes. The old and new buildings are forty feet apart, but are connected through the second floors by a closed-in passageway. A wharf, the piles and beams of concrete, the decking of wood, 1000 feet long and 20 feet wide. At the seaward end are placed the pump for the salt-water system, a naturalist's house, various pieces of scientific apparatus for observations in oceanography and marine biology, and other aids to scientific work. A concrete storage and settling tank, capacity 40,000 gallons, at the base of the sea cliff under the wharf. The sea water for the aquaria is pumped directly into this and from this into an elevated delivery tank, also of concrete, capacity 20,000 gallons. The tank house under this contains two rooms, used mostly for the storage of zoological material. A public aquarium building of wood, containing nineteen concrete tanks with plate-glass fronts. A mousehouse or "murarium" of wood, but entirely isolated and specially constructed, with living quarters for about 1000 mice. This is for the cages of mice the individual pedigrees of which are kept for experimental purposes. A mouse yard, a small area of native earth enclosed by concrete walls and wire screening. The purpose of this is to give captive mice of local and foreign species as nearly natural conditions as possible. The last two mentioned structures are used by Dr. Sumner in his extensive experiments on environmental influence and heredity. A commons, with kitchen and dining-room capacity - for about forty persons, with a half-basement containing a number of bathrooms and a laundry. Twenty-seven cottages, homes for members of the biological colony. THE LIBRARY The library, which has been moved into its permanent quarters on the second floor of the new building, contains over 7400 bound volumes and some 8000 pamphlets and unbound journals. The entire collection is well catalogued and available for use. BOATS AND WORK AT SEA The Alexander Agassiz, the institution's largest boat, having been found unsuitable for the marine exploration work now being carried on, has been sold. Although the funds realized from the sale are to be used in securing another boat, while the present unfavorable condition of the boat building industry lasts, boats are being hired from time to time for the heavier work. A small high-power boat, the Ellen Browning, with speed capacity of thirty miles an hour, furnished to the institution by E. W. Scripps, was commandeered by the United States Navy during the war. At present the Kemah, Mr. E. W. Scripps' private yacht, is available part of the time for the Institution's work at sea. |