Repository: UIHistories Project: Reference Folder - 1958 [PAGE 6]

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In research, the whole world knows of the Morrow Plots on the University of Illinois campus at Urbana-Champaign. These have been in continuous cultivation since I876. Today they are the oldest soil experiment plots in America and sedond oldest in the world. They are the oldest corn plots in the world. Their lessons of how to preserve and to restore soil fertility are of incalculable value. In l88l Prof. T. J. Burrill—the same who in 1877 pioneered in bacteriology teaching—gave the world the first evidence that bacteria cause disease. He found this true in plants before Pasteur and Koch found that bacteria cause disease of animals and humans. He founded the science of bacterial plant pathology. Also of great importance to health was the statewide study pf water-borne epidemics made by the University in 1896—the first such study of its kind. While the University's Agricultural Experiment Station when established in 1888 was not the first, Illinois pioneered when in 1903 it extended this idea to another field by establishing the nation's first Engineering Experiment Station. In 1908 it opened another area by making Miss Nellie E. Goldthwaite the country's first full-time research worker in home economics. In 1913 Prof. Jakob Kunz at Illinois made the first modern sensitive photoelectric cell. This was used in 1922 by Prof. J. T. Tykociner, research professor of electrical engineering at Illinois, when he devised and first demonstrated to the world modern sound-on-film motion pictures. In 1924 the world's first house specially for home heating research was built at the campus. This provided a new type of laboratory for a research field in which Illinois pioneered and has led the world. In 19^0 Prof. D. W. Kerst invented the betatron—an "atom-smasher" for physics research and source of high-energy x-rays for medicine and industry. The first betatron entirely for medical use was installed in 19^9 on the University's medical campus. The world's largest betatron-of 3^0-million volts energy--was put into operation in 1950 at UrbanaChampaign. In the field of health sciences, one of many far-reaching accomplishments was the development in 19^8 at the College of Dentistry of # the first formula for ammoniated dentifrice. As with teaching, so with research the list could go on and on—from soil to crops, railways and highways to aviation, veterinary medicine to medicine for humans, heating, mining, business, psychology, archeology, the social sciences--on and on. In public service, the University of Illinois always has been, as their own institution, turned to by the people of the state. Organized meetings started fairly early. Of special interest today is the holding in 191^ of the world's first short course in highway engineering. In 1925 Illinois had the first short course for firemen. Conferences and short courses now dot the calendar--and state. Extension services in agriculture and home economics had long aided citizens of this and many other states, when in X9kd Illinois piotieered again by extending this idea to a new area by establishing the world's first Bureau of Business Management.