Northwest Scientific Association

The first meeting of the Northwest Scientific Association took place in the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington on the evening of February 9, 1923. The organizing committee had formed at the urging of Spokane's Superintendent of Public Schools, Orville C. Pratt to organize a scientific association for the Inland Empire. The first general meeting was held at the Lewis and Clark High School April 6, 1923 and it was attended by a small group of regional scientists. In April of 1924, the first NWSA program meeting was held in conjunction with the Inland Empire's Teacher's Association Annual Meeting. Forty-seven papers were presented in the categories of Botany-Zoology, Chemistry-Physics, Education, Geology--Geography, Medicine-Bacteriology and Plant Pathology. Membership was $1.00 annually.

Many prominent Northwest scientists contributed to the leadership of the NWSA including: Dr. M.F. Angell, University of Idaho; Dr. Curtiss Meriman, Cheney Normal; Dr. F.D. Heald, Washington State College; E.A Bryan, Washington State College, and W.C. Hungerford. It was due largely to the efforts of these men and other dedicated regional scientists that NWSA began to publish a quarterly journal which included publication of the papers presented at the NWSA Annual Meetings.

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