Archive – December, 2007
Princeton coaches and athletes to speak, Jan. 10
Posted December 28, 2007; 01:48 p.m.
Princeton varsity coaches and student-athletes will discuss their programs at a luncheon set for noon Thursday, Jan. 10, in the Class of 1956 Lounge, Princeton Stadium.
Finding a novel of her own: Gee inspired by story behind famed poem
Posted December 26, 2007; 10:00 a.m.
Not many college students who plan to be English majors can escape a careful study of Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock." "It's a mainstay of teaching 18th-century literature," said Sophie Gee, an assistant professor of English who specializes in the literature of that period. "Professors love teaching it."
Students exhibit work with professional artists
Posted December 21, 2007; 05:10 p.m.
"The Collotype and the Artist's Book," an exhibition showcasing the collaborative work of guest artists and students in the Princeton Atelier, will open with an event from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, in the Lucas Gallery at the Lewis Center for the Arts, 185 Nassau St.
Stern to discuss climate change, Jan. 7
Posted December 21, 2007; 04:45 p.m.
British economist Nicholas Stern will deliver a lecture titled "The Economics of Climate Change: Risk, Ethics and a Global Deal" at 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7, in McCosh 50.
University Center for Human Values names visiting faculty, fellows
Posted December 20, 2007; 12:01 p.m.
The University Center for Human Values has named its roster of visiting fellows and faculty for 2007-08. The visitors are devoting a year's residence at Princeton to research and writing about ethics and human values.
Move over, silicon: Advances pave way for powerful carbon-based electronics
Posted December 20, 2007; 11:44 a.m.
Bypassing decades-old conventions in making computer chips, Princeton engineers developed a novel way to replace silicon with carbon on large surfaces, clearing the way for new generations of faster, more powerful cell phones, computers and other electronics.
University to host Science Olympiad, Jan. 8
Posted December 20, 2007; 11:01 a.m.
On Tuesday, Jan. 8, the University will host more than 600 middle school and high school students who will be competing in a regional tournament of the New Jersey Science Olympiad.
Promoting a fresh look at history
Posted December 20, 2007; 10:52 a.m.
As he scribbled the names and dates of several Roman historians on the blackboard, Professor Marc Domingo Gygax challenged students in his freshman seminar to dig deeper. Instead of discussing facts and figures, the students analyzed the methods, biases and narrative strategies of those writers and many others to try to answer the question, "Is there any such thing as historical truth?"
Immigration is theme of King Day event, Jan. 21
Posted December 20, 2007; 09:58 a.m.
Princeton will commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with its annual King Day celebration Monday, Jan. 21, in Richardson Auditorium of Alexander Hall. The event, which is free and open to the public, will start with musical selections at 1 p.m. followed by the program at 1:30 p.m.
Alcohol coalition adds more students, plans information gathering sessions
Posted December 18, 2007; 08:00 a.m.
The new University-wide coalition announced last month to address high-risk alcohol use among undergraduates has added eight more students to its ranks, begun identifying focus groups with which it hopes to meet and set the dates for three workshops in February.
Lessons from a legend: Theater course offers 'eye-opening' insights on Albee from Albee
Posted December 17, 2007; 11:14 a.m.
Eight Princeton undergraduates are spending the fall semester examining the plays of theater legend Edward Albee with a guest lecturer who is uniquely qualified to provide insights into the award-winning writer: Albee himself. The students are getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to listen to, laugh with and learn from one of the country's leading playwrights in "Albee on Albee," a course in the Program in Theater and Dance covering Albee's body of work, which spans five decades.
PPPL Director Goldston to step down, search begins for successor
Posted December 13, 2007; 11:30 a.m.
After more than 10 years at the helm of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Robert Goldston has announced he will step down as director to focus on a broad range of domestic and international fusion energy initiatives. The University immediately will launch an international search for a new director, whose appointment will become part of Princeton's proposal when it competes for a new contract to continue managing the lab.
Yeung receives Sachs scholarship for study at Oxford
Posted December 13, 2007; 11:27 a.m.
Senior Pauline Yeung has been named the recipient of the 2008 Daniel M. Sachs Class of 1960 Graduating Scholarship.
Expressing identity through movement
Posted December 13, 2007; 10:52 a.m.
The afternoon began with each student revealing a distinctive physical trait: a birthmark on an arm, a bald spot caused by a childhood accident, a chicken pox scar. A few hours later, the class moved into the Wilson College dance studio, where the students and the professor took turns striding across the floor as if walking a catwalk. In Meghan Durham's freshman seminar, "What the Body Reveals: Identity, Culture and Difference in Movement and Dance," exploring one's own body and experiences are as essential to learning as the assigned readings and papers. The class examines how a person's body, and the way he or she moves, is a reflection of identity and culture.
New program will allow Princeton students to study at Royal College of Music
Posted December 13, 2007; 10:12 a.m.
Princeton University and the Royal College of Music in London have initiated a unique collaboration that will offer Princeton students the opportunity to spend the fall of their junior year at the Royal College of Music and the chance to return to London after graduation to complete a performance-oriented master's degree in one to two years.
Weather-related information available
Posted December 12, 2007; 09:01 p.m.
With a winter weather advisory in effect, Princeton students, staff and faculty members are advised to check the University home page for updates on any weather-related closings.
Farmer, Colbert chosen to address seniors
Posted December 11, 2007; 04:10 p.m.
Medical anthropologist and physician Paul Farmer will deliver the address at this year's Baccalaureate, and Emmy Award-winning actor and writer Stephen Colbert will speak at the annual Class Day ceremony, leaders of the senior class have announced.
Anthropologist Biehl wins major book award
Posted December 10, 2007; 06:00 p.m.
João Biehl, associate professor of anthropology, has won the 2007 Margaret Mead Award, one of the most prestigious honors for anthropological books.
John Willis, professor emeritus of Near Eastern studies, dies at 69
Posted December 10, 2007; 01:16 p.m.
John Willis, a longtime faculty member in Princeton's Department of Near Eastern Studies whose research and teaching focused on West African history and Islamic law, died of a heart attack Nov. 25 at his home in Hightstown, N.J. He was 69.
Jackson selected as director of parking and transportation
Posted December 10, 2007; 08:00 a.m.
Kim Jackson, an administrator with nearly 20 years of experience in the field, has been named director of parking and transportation at Princeton University. Her appointment is effective Jan. 1.
Orchestra performs with soloists, Dec 14-15
Posted December 6, 2007; 09:33 p.m.
The Princeton University Orchestra, under the direction of Michael Pratt, will perform with the co-winners of its 2007 Concerto Competition at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 14-15, in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall.
Winter Festival planned at Frist, Dec. 14
Posted December 6, 2007; 09:25 p.m.
Students, faculty and staff are invited to celebrate at the Frist Campus Center's annual Winter Festival from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, on the center's 100 level. This year's festival will include live music, a variety of desserts and beverages, a live cooking demonstration, classic holiday films, cookie and tote bag decorating, and a knitting circle.
NATO military official to speak, Dec. 13
Posted December 6, 2007; 09:20 p.m.
Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and a current NATO military official, will speak on "NATO: Afghanistan, Kosovo and the Alliance's Future" at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.
Talk focuses on Iranian bomb, Dec. 12
Posted December 6, 2007; 09:08 p.m.
"Preventing an Iranian Atomic Bomb: Sculpting Effective, Acceptable Strategies" is the topic of a lecture by international security expert David Albright set for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12, in 16 Robertson Hall.
Activist Mirante to speak on Burma, Dec. 11
Posted December 6, 2007; 09:05 p.m.
Activist and author Edith Mirante will present a lecture titled "Burma in Crisis: Background and Update on the Saffron Revolution" at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, in 16 Robertson Hall.
Colley to present President's Lecture, Dec. 11
Posted December 6, 2007; 08:53 p.m.
Princeton historian Linda Colley will speak on "Lives for Our Times: Biography and Global History" at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, in McCosh 10, in the second event of this year's President's Lecture Series.
'Israel Lobby' authors to speak, Dec. 10
Posted December 6, 2007; 08:41 p.m.
John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt will discuss their book "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.
Price to discuss education reform, Dec. 10
Posted December 6, 2007; 08:38 p.m.
Hugh Price, former head of the National Urban League, will discuss ideas on tackling academic underachievement among American youth at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10, in 16 Robertson Hall.
Testing the waters in Bermuda for global warming
Posted December 6, 2007; 04:21 p.m.
Snorkeling practice in DeNunzio Pool may be an unusual activity for a freshman seminar, unless the class is going to the Sargasso Sea. Over fall break, 12 freshmen in the seminar "Signals, Yardsticks and Tipping Points of Global Warming" went to Bermuda to get a firsthand look at how climate change is expected to affect ocean systems.
'Theatrical Design' takes class from script to center stage
Posted December 6, 2007; 11:58 a.m.
In some classrooms around campus, students are analyzing Euripides' Greek tragedy "Bacchae" from a literary perspective. In Robert Brill's "Theatrical Design" class, 10 students are physically translating it to the stage. The theater course pushes the boundaries of their abilities to express themselves visually, just as a literature class might test the limits of their powers of interpretation.
University expands options for TigerCard, Paw Points
Posted December 6, 2007; 09:05 a.m.
The University's TigerCard Office is introducing a new way for students to buy Paw Points for the TigerCard, and is expanding the number of places where students, faculty and staff can make purchases with their cards.
Senior Vander Ploeg wins Marshall Scholarship
Posted December 5, 2007; 05:35 p.m.
Princeton senior Sarah Vander Ploeg -- a Woodrow Wilson School major who also is an accomplished lyric soprano and violist -- is one of 37 American college students awarded 2008 Marshall Scholarships.
Rodríguez-Iturbe named to Pontifical Academy
Posted December 5, 2007; 10:41 a.m.
Ignacio Rodríguez-Iturbe, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been named a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
Blairstown revamps programming to better serve urban youth
Posted December 4, 2007; 10:15 a.m.
The Princeton-Blairstown Center is in the process of a major transition with a goal of providing the nonprofit organization with sustained and better structured opportunities to empower urban youth. Wardell Robinson-Moore, who has been connected with the center since her appointment to its board of trustees in 1995, has been selected to guide the transition as interim executive director.
CPUC meeting scheduled, Dec. 10
Posted December 4, 2007; 09:47 a.m.
The Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) will meet from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10, in Betts Auditorium, School of Architecture. All members of the University community are invited to attend.
Implications of blackface examined, Dec. 6
Posted December 3, 2007; 06:27 p.m.
A town hall meeting on the historical significance and contemporary implications of blackface and other exploitative images will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, in Liberation Hall at the Fields Center.
Lecture examines 'Pakistan in Crisis,' Dec. 4
Posted December 3, 2007; 06:22 p.m.
"Pakistan in Crisis: Law, Power and Politics Under Pervez Musharraf" is the title of a lecture by Pakistani scholar Osama Siddique scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, in 2 Robertson Hall.
Research Notes - Fall 2007
Posted December 3, 2007; 11:54 a.m.
Welcome to Research Notes, an online publication highlighting recent Princeton University research in the physical and social sciences, engineering, and the humanities.
For neuroscientist Sabine Kastner, the eye is a window to mind's workings
Posted December 3, 2007; 11:50 a.m.
Sabine Kastner likes to show people that the difference between Darth Vader and Yoda is largely a matter of perception. "Put these glasses on," she says, offering a pair of goggles with two different-colored lenses, "then look at the screen and tell me what you see." Kastner, who is a medical doctor as well as a research scientist, hopes that relatively simple experiments like the Vader-Yoda test can offer a window into the mind's workings that might one day lead to a treatment for ADHD and other cognitive problems. She also hopes they will prove the initial steps toward answering questions that have piqued philosophers' curiosity for millennia: What is self-awareness, and how does the mind accomplish it?
Postdoctoral scholars join interdisciplinary community
Posted December 3, 2007; 08:00 a.m.
Five new postdoctoral fellows have joined the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts this year.
Princeton economics processing project completed
Posted December 3, 2007; 08:00 a.m.
Princeton University's Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library has completed a two-year project to process all of its economics-related public policy collections to modern standards. These collections provide a rich resource about American economic thought and policies in the 20th century and the impact of American economic policy and the ideas of some of the leading economic thinkers on the emerging world economy, especially in developing nations.