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Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1240, 23 September 1911, Page 6

The science laboratories at Victoria College were thrown open to the public last evening, tho occasion being a soienco "conversazione," arranged by the professors as a means of interesting people in general in the work of the college. Four lecturettes wore delivered during the evening. Professor Easterfield spoke on the "Value of Research," illustrating his remarks with experiments and exhibits; Mr. Cotton, Lecturer on Geology, gave a lecturette on "Modern Physiography"; and "Living Micro-organism," and "Brennan's Mono-rail" were the subjects of short addresses by Professor KiTk and Professor Laby. .Lantern slides showing ono of Brennan's latest mono-rail cars, "gyroscopes, wero screened, and a working model of tho mono-rail running on a wireropo was shown to explain the stability of the mono-rail car. A number of the exhibits were prepared by tho students in tho laboratories. The experiments in the chemical laboratory included the refining of Taranaki oil, preparation of dyestuffs low temperature experiments, crystallisation, distillation in vacuo, electro-deposi-tion, measurement of heat value of gases, and preparation of volatile components of nickel. . Apropos of the discovery a few months ago of a new form of nitrogen, tho gas which forms four-fifths of (.he air, tho preparation of this gas, which is a beautiful demonstration, was carried out by ono of tho collego science students. Among the experimental exhibits by the students of physics were the analyses of the complicated air waves which constitute music (the gramophone for this experiment was kindly lent for the purposo by tho Dresden Piano Company); demonstrations of electro-magnetism; properties of the gamma rays ?f radium; deflection of cathode rays; high frequency alternating currents; and simple forms of elcctrio actor pair at,