Aman Sinha, the valedictorian of Princeton University's Class of 2013, pursued a concentration in mechanical and aerospace engineering. He will deliver the valedictory address at the University's Commencement ceremony Tuesday, June 4. Sinha, who also has completed certificates in applied and computational mathematics and applications of computing, plans to attend graduate school and seek a "more intelligent way" to handle the vast amount of data generated by modern society.
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Valedictorian Sinha finds inspiration in questions of balance
By John Sullivan, Office of Engineering Communications · Posted May 23, 2013; 12:00 p.m.
Programming a robot to perform like a plate spinner at a circus, making all the tiny adjustments needed to balance a thin stick perfectly upright, is associated with what engineers call the inverted pendulum problem. For most students, the tricky balancing act can be quite a challenge. For Princeton senior and valedictorian of the Class of 2013 Aman Sinha, it was an inspiration.
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Salutatorian finds keys to the present in classic texts
By Jamie Saxon, Office of Communications · Posted May 23, 2013; 12:00 p.m.
Amelia Bensch-Schaus' deep dedication to the study of classics at Princeton as well as her exceptional scholarship — she received the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence in 2010 — led to her being named salutatorian for the Class of 2013.
PPPL recognized as first in NJ environmental stewardship
By Jeanne Jackson DeVoe, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory · Posted May 23, 2013; 09:00 a.m.
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has been recognized as the top facility in the state for environmental stewardship by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Student Fulbright winners to study and teach abroad
By Karin Dienst, Office of Communications · Posted May 22, 2013; 09:00 a.m.
Fourteen members of Princeton's graduating Class of 2013, eight graduate students and three recent alumni were awarded Fulbright grants in the spring to study or teach abroad for the 2013-14 academic year.
New case of bacterial meningitis reported; precautions encouraged
By Office of Communications · Posted May 20, 2013; 04:00 p.m.
A Princeton University student who traveled to his home state Sunday is receiving treatment in a hospital there after he was diagnosed with meningitis Monday morning. University Health Services and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety are encouraging members of the University community to pay increased attention to personal hygienic practices.
Studying the unseen activity in bacteria chatter and a nation's bereavement
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted May 20, 2013; 12:00 p.m.
Princeton University senior Sofia Quinodoz took on two theses that pertain to an unseen and not fully understood action that is nonetheless felt by those it afflicts, be it in the form of an infection or the void of a loved one suddenly erased.
Four faculty members honored for excellence in mentoring graduate students
By Michael Hotchkiss, Office of Communications · Posted May 20, 2013; 01:50 p.m.
Four Princeton University faculty members have been named recipients of the Graduate Mentoring Awards by the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning and will be honored during the Graduate School's Hooding ceremony Monday, June 3, on Cannon Green.
University Public Safety, Princeton Police update operating procedures
By the Office of Communications · Posted May 17, 2013; 09:55 a.m.
The Princeton University Department of Public Safety and the Princeton Police Department have updated an agreement on operating procedures that also outlines best practices and processes for enhancing collaboration between the departments to best serve the entire Princeton community.
Freshmen dig into challenges facing urban education
By Michael Hotchkiss, Office of Communications · Posted May 15, 2013; 12:00 p.m.
The freshman seminar "The Dreamkeepers: Education Reform and the Urban Teaching Experience" is designed to help students develop an understanding of the social and political context of urban education and examine trends in urban education reform — all while focusing on the experience of the urban teacher.
Wilson School colloquium spotlights challenges for U.S. in the Middle East
By Jesse Jacobs, Wilson School Office of Public and External Affairs · Posted May 10, 2013; 02:00 p.m.
Former U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell urged patience for the region at a Princeton Colloquium on Public and International Affairs held recently at Princeton University. U.S. policy in the Middle East was the focus of the colloquium, which was sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs as part of its Graduate Alumni Weekend.
Thesis on Spain pushes senior to look within
By Michael Hotchkiss, Office of Communications · Posted May 15, 2013; 12:00 p.m.
A journey to explore the complex identity of southern Spain gave Princeton senior Rund Abdelfatah new insights into an overwhelmingly Catholic region that has an uneasy relationship with its Muslim past.
Williams will serve as acting executive vice president
By the Office of Communications · Posted May 10, 2013; 10:00 a.m.
Treby Williams, who has worked in Princeton University's Office of the Executive Vice President since 2007, has been named acting executive vice president. The appointment by President Shirley M. Tilghman is effective June 8, a day after Executive Vice President Mark Burstein departs to become president of Lawrence University.
Nine students receive 2013 Spirit of Princeton Award
By Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students · Posted May 8, 2013; 01:30 p.m.
Nine students have been named winners of the 2013 Spirit of Princeton Award, which honors undergraduates at Princeton University for their positive contributions to campus life. The award recognizes students who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the undergraduate experience through dedicated efforts with student organizations, athletics, community service, religious life, residential life and the arts.
Improvisation course takes students out of their musical 'comfort zone'
By Jamie Saxon, Office of Communications · Posted May 10, 2013; 12:00 p.m.
Through improvisational techniques influenced by sound, gestures, rhythm, poetry/spoken word and visual arts, 20 Princeton students in the new course "The Improvising Ensemble" are pushing the boundaries of their own concepts of what music is and can be.
Printable 'bionic' ear melds electronics and biology
By John Sullivan, Office of Engineering Communications · Posted May 8, 2013; 01:30 p.m.
Using 3-D printing tools, scientists at Princeton University have created a functional ear that can "hear" radio frequencies far beyond the range of normal human capability.
Finding 'promising' approaches to mass incarceration reform
By Jamie Saxon, Office of Communications · Posted May 8, 2013; 12:00 p.m.
Princeton senior Danielle Pingue's thesis "Partners in Crime: Nonprofits' Promising Approach to Mass Incarceration Reform" shows how nonprofits are contributing to policy reform in the criminal justice system.
New analysis suggests wind, not water, formed mound on Mars
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted May 6, 2013; 12:00 p.m.
Researchers based at Princeton University, the California Institute of Technology and Ashima Research suggest that Mars' roughly 3.5-mile high Mount Sharp most likely emerged as strong winds carried dust and sand into Gale Crater where the mound sits. If correct, the research could dilute expectations that the mound is the remnant of a massive lake, which would have important implications for understanding Mars' past habitability.
Burnham and Schäfer receive Behrman Award for the humanities
By Karin Dienst, Office of Communications · Posted May 6, 2013; 09:30 a.m.
Princeton professors Scott Burnham and Peter Schäfer have received the University's Howard T. Behrman Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Humanities.
Growth of 'distributed' electricity generation could transform utility systems
By Steven Schultz, Office of Engineering Communications · Posted May 3, 2013; 01:30 p.m.
The U.S. electric utility industry faces a critical juncture as new technology and declining prices allow a more "distributed" system of small-scale generators, renewable energy installations and energy efficiency strategies, according to a group of high-level energy industry executives and regulators who met at Princeton University recently.
Welcome website for Class of 2017 available
By Staff · Posted May 1, 2013; 01:00 p.m.
Incoming freshmen and their families can find important information about attending Princeton, as well as interact with University staff and students, via the welcome website Your Path to Princeton.
New Global Collaborative Networks projects chosen
By Michael Hotchkiss, Office of Communications · Posted May 1, 2013; 11:20 a.m.
Princeton University's Council for International Teaching and Research has selected faculty proposals to create global networks to allow scholars to focus on interdisciplinary research in the humanities and experimental methods in political economy.
Three students win $250,000 Hertz Fellowship for graduate study
By John Sullivan, Office of Engineering Communications · Posted May 1, 2013; 10:00 a.m.
Three Princeton University students with diverse interests in computer networks, machine learning and the basic physical processes of the brain were among 15 recipients of this year's Hertz Fellowship for graduate studies in the sciences.
Weekend celebrates President Tilghman's passion for the arts
By Jamie Saxon, Office of Communications · Posted April 29, 2013; 04:00 p.m.
The first Princeton Arts Weekend, April 25-28, showcased the talents of hundreds of students with nearly 70 events. The last day of the festival coincided with Communiversity, an annual event that brings together thousands of members of the town of Princeton and the University community. Also on Sunday, a student tribute to President Shirley M. Tilghman honored her commitment to the arts.
Sinha named valedictorian, Bensch-Schaus selected as salutatorian
By Karin Dienst, Office of Communications · Posted April 29, 2013; 04:40 p.m.
Aman Sinha, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major from Ivyland, Pa., has been selected as valedictorian of Princeton University's Class of 2013. Amelia Bensch-Schaus, a classics major from Swarthmore, Pa., has been named the Latin salutatorian.
Physicists, biologists unite to expose how cancer spreads
By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research · Posted April 26, 2013; 01:00 p.m.
A multi-institutional study including researchers from Princeton University's Physical Sciences-Oncology Center found that cancer cells that can break out of a tumor and invade other organs are more aggressive and nimble than nonmalignant cells.
Princeton neuroscientists ready to play leadership role in federal BRAIN Initiative
By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research · Posted April 18, 2013; 02:45 p.m.
Princeton University neuroscientists are poised to play a leading role in revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain as outlined in President Barack Obama's BRAIN Initiative.
Slaughter to lead New America Foundation
By Michael Hotchkiss, Office of Communications · Posted April 4, 2013; 09:00 a.m.
Anne-Marie Slaughter, the Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and former dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, has been selected to serve as the next president of the New America Foundation.
Princeton University offers admission to 7.29 percent of applicants
By Mike Caddell, Office of Communications · Posted March 28, 2013; 10:00 a.m.
Princeton University has offered admission to 1,931 students, or 7.29 percent of the near-record 26,498 applicants for the Class of 2017 in what is expected to be the most selective admission process in the University's history. This compares with Princeton's admission rate of a record-low 7.86 percent last year.
Princeton University fencing team wins first NCAA championship
By Office of Communications · Posted March 25, 2013; 11:44 a.m.
The Princeton University men's and women's fencing team claimed its first joint National Collegiate Athletic Association title on March 24. Eliza Stone, Class of 2013, won an individual championship in the sabre.
FACULTY HONOR: Tilghman named president-elect of American Society for Cell Biology
By Staff · Posted May 3, 2013; 04:59 p.m.
Princeton University President Shirley M. Tilghman has been elected by the American Society for Cell Biology to serve as the society's president in 2015. A member of the society since 1991, Tilghman received the Women in Cell Biology Senior Award in 2000. She will take office as president for a term of one year in January 2015.
FACULTY AWARD: Three Princeton faculty members elected to the National Academy of Sciences
By Staff · Posted May 1, 2013; 11:38 a.m.
Three Princeton University faculty members are among the 84 newly elected members of the National Academy of Sciences. They are Manjul Bhargava, the Brandon Fradd, Class of 1983, Professor of Mathematics; Susan Fiske, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology, and professor of psychology and public affairs; and Juan Maldacena, a visiting lecturer with the rank of professor in physics.
FACULTY AWARD: Eight named to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
By the Office of Communications · Posted April 25, 2013; 12:44 p.m.
Eight Princeton faculty members have been named fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. They are among 198 leaders in scholarship, business, science, the arts and public affairs elected this year in recognition of their contributions to their specific fields.