22 September 1954

Mr. A. F. Reid

Auckland Teachers College

Auckland SE3, New Zealand

Dear Mr. Reid:

It is my understanding that the Dean of Graduate Studies is sending information about the regulations of the California Institute of Technology and application forms that you might use. I shall attempt to answer some of the questions in your letter to me.

The Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering has available some graduate assistantships, which are ordinarily given to men who are working for the Ph.D. degree. The assistantships provide about $1166, for the period of 9 months. In addition, some graduate students are given tuition grants of $600, income-tax free, which cover the annual tuition.

I may say that in the case of a foreign student some of the stipend of a graduate assistant is withheld until the time when he leaves the country.

Graduate assistantships are usually allocated to applicants during the month of March. Applications should be submitted about the first of the year.

Graduate students whose research is proceeding satisfactorily may receive a tax-free research grant of $300, to permit them to carry on their thesis research during the summer period.

The Institute requires three years of residence after the bachelor's degree, in order to fulfill residence for the Ph.D. I judge that your M.S. degree would excuse you from one year, and accordingly you would need at least two years to obtain a Ph.D. degree.

The work that you have been carrying on is such that you might be interested to do your research with Professor John D. Roberts. On the other hand, you mention molecular structure and valence-bond theories, and accordingly might be interested in work along these lines.

As to Miss Barwell, I would say that she might be able to obtain appointment as a research assistant, in connection with some research project being carried out in our laboratories. According to the regulations, she might be admitted as a graduate student. We have a girl

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graduate student now, working in chemistry for the Ph.D. degree. She was admitted last year - the first woman to be admitted as a candidate for any degree in the California Institute of Technology for forty years. I think that the chances are reasonably good that Miss Barwell could get an appointment as a research assistant, and not very good for her being admitted as a candidate for a Ph.D. degree.

If she were to be given an appointment as research assistant her salary would be about $250 per month.

A decision about her appointment as research assistant could not be made for some time. We shall not know for several months what the need for research assistants will be in the fall of 1955.

Please write again about any matters that you want to have clarified.

Sincerely yours,

Linus Pauling:W

cc & Reid's letter to Grad office