Archive – July, 2008
Undergraduates chart path toward graduate school
Posted July 31, 2008; 12:21 p.m.
Nina Lauharatanahirun is one of four young research assistants working this summer in the lab of Princeton psychologist Daniel Oppenheimer, studying questions related to judgment, decision-making and learning. This experience serves a dual purpose: Not only is she learning more about how others make decisions, she is getting a clearer sense of how to chart her own educational path.
Hindu and Muslim life coordinators named
Posted July 31, 2008; 10:49 a.m.
The Office of Religious Life has appointed coordinators for Hindu and Muslim life as part of efforts to enhance support for Princeton students from a variety of backgrounds. Vineet Chander has been named coordinator of Hindu life, a newly created position, and Sohaib Sultan has been appointed coordinator of Muslim life, both effective Aug. 15.
Women in Theory summer workshop
Posted July 29, 2008; 11:48 a.m.
Responding to the need for more women in theoretical computer science, Princeton hosted the Women in Theory workshop in June.
Murphy dubbed Keck Young Scholar
Posted July 28, 2008; 06:31 p.m.
Coleen Murphy, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton, has been named a Distinguished Young Scholar in Medical Research for 2008 by the W.M. Keck Foundation.
Letter to the editor of the Star Ledger
Posted July 28, 2008; 01:56 p.m.
A slightly altered version of this letter to the editor was published in the July 28, 2008, Star Ledger: In his July 22 opinion piece, "For charities, it's a matter of trust," William Robertson presents blatantly misleading information about why it has taken so long to get to trial in the lawsuit he has brought against Princeton University.
Financial aid program provides access, affordability
Posted July 28, 2008; 11:22 a.m.
Princeton is more affordable to students from a wider range of economic backgrounds than at any other time in its history, according to Robin Moscato, the University's director of financial aid.
Scientists spy an electron dance in a magnetic field
Posted July 25, 2008; 04:57 p.m.
A team of scientists led by researchers from Princeton University has discovered a new way that electrons behave in materials. The discovery could lead to new kinds of electronic devices.
PPPL's Davidson to receive Maxwell Prize
Posted July 25, 2008; 04:24 p.m.
Ronald Davidson, a professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University and a physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), has been awarded the James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics.
Verdu honored for contributions to information theory
Posted July 25, 2008; 04:19 p.m.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has honored Sergio Verdu with the 2008 IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal "for fundamental contributions to information theory and the development of multi-user detection."
Michael S. Mahoney, historian of science and devoted faculty member, dies
Posted July 25, 2008; 04:03 p.m.
Michael S. Mahoney, who earned his Ph.D. from Princeton and then dedicated his 40-year academic career in the history of science to the University, died Wednesday, July 23, at the University Medical Center at Princeton. The 69-year-old professor of history did not recover from cardiac arrest suffered Friday, July 18, during his regular swim at Dillon Pool on campus.
Teachers find DNA and inspiration in summer program
Posted July 23, 2008; 05:41 p.m.
Twenty-three vacationing science teachers, who could be anywhere, have chosen to be in this room at Princeton University where they are learning to extract DNA from corn chips, cheese puffs and other forms of exotic cuisine. These men and women from places as diverse as Jersey City, N.J., and Lexington, Ky., are here to learn the most modern techniques available for studying the principles of molecular biology. The two-week program, sponsored by Princeton's Department of Molecular Biology and funded by a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is designed to help them return to school with a new vision of how to teach science.
Students in Spain soak up history, art and language
Posted July 21, 2008; 12:46 p.m.
The city of Toledo, Spain, became a summertime classroom for 33 Princeton undergraduates who spent a month there studying the Spanish language and immersing themselves in the local culture.
Prager to lead DOE's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Posted July 18, 2008; 01:00 p.m.
Stewart Prager, director of the Madison Symmetric Torus experiment at the University of Wisconsin and an internationally recognized leader in the field of fusion energy research, has been named director of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), effective this fall.
Financial Aid FAQs
Posted July 18, 2008; 12:37 p.m.
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Aït-Sahalia named fellow of American Statistical Association
Posted July 18, 2008; 11:13 a.m.
Yacine Aït-Sahalia, Princeton's Otto A. Hack 1903 Professor of Finance and Economics and director of the Bendheim Center for Finance, has been named a fellow of the American Statistical Association.
Princeton athletics ranked 13th among 330 in NCAA Division I
Posted July 18, 2008; 09:26 a.m.
Sports Illustrated has ranked Princeton as the No. 13 athletic program among the 330 NCAA Division I schools in the United States for the 2007-08 academic year.
Postcard collection offers historical views of Princeton
Posted July 17, 2008; 11:45 a.m.
A collection of more than 500 historical postcards depicting the Princeton University campus and the towns surrounding it made its online debut in July.
Young filmmakers present work at engineering school
Posted July 16, 2008; 11:05 a.m.
The School of Engineering and Applied Science will screen six short films on different aspects of engineering -- ranging from the reconstruction of ancient Greek frescoes to a summer program for students doing lab research in synthetic biology -- at 3 p.m. Thursday, July 17, in Bowen Hall Auditorium.
Creation of international 'bridge year' program endorsed
Posted July 15, 2008; 08:00 a.m.
A working group appointed by Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman has endorsed the creation of an international "bridge year" program for newly admitted undergraduates and has recommended that the University launch a pilot program with 20 students as early as fall 2009.
For summer students, the focus is on lasers
Posted July 14, 2008; 02:01 p.m.
A group of researchers gathers for a conference call to share the details of their current projects: David Tersegno discusses a new sensor system that may further the understanding of cloud formation; Anjali Bhatt describes efforts to optimize special lasers that detect minute amounts of substances in the air and human breath; and Nevin Raj explains work with a new kind of material that bends light "backward." They may be engaged in research projects on the cutting edge of engineering, but Tersegno and Bhatt haven't finished college yet -- and Raj is still in high school. They are among 26 undergraduates and six high school students working alongside researchers in the Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment center for the summer.
Steve Slaby, pioneer in interdisciplinary engineering education, dies
Posted July 11, 2008; 02:00 p.m.
Interdisciplinary scholar and educator Steve Slaby, an expert in descriptive geometry, engineering graphics and the impact of technology on society, died July 5. He was 86.
Financial Aid Director Moscato on Princeton's ground-breaking program
Posted July 11, 2008; 01:26 p.m.
Financial Aid Director Robin Moscato comments on Princeton's ground-breaking financial aid program for undergraduate students.
Native American students explore public policy at Wilson School
Posted July 9, 2008; 11:46 a.m.
Eighteen Native American high school students spent a week at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs this summer examining public policy and tribal community issues.
Annual Giving campaign raises record-breaking $54.1 million
Posted July 9, 2008; 08:00 a.m.
The 2007-08 Annual Giving campaign raised $54,109,304, with 59.2 percent of undergraduate alumni participating. This historic achievement -- Princeton's first-ever Annual Giving campaign in excess of $50 million, and $5 million more than last year's previous record -- represents strong performances across Princeton's broad range of constituencies, including major Reunion classes, non-major Reunion classes, graduate alumni and parents.
OIT Expressions at the Lucas Gallery
Posted July 8, 2008; 10:42 a.m.
The second annual OIT Expressions fine arts and crafts exhibit was on display in the Lucas Gallery at 185 Nassau Street through July 13.
Grant launches Tikvah Project on Jewish Thought
Posted July 7, 2008; 11:00 a.m.
A $4.5 million grant to Princeton University from the Tikvah Fund will help to strengthen undergraduate interest in Jewish thought and bring Jewish history and ideas into dialogue with other historical, philosophical and theological traditions.
Barrons' gift to support work that connects environment and humanities
Posted July 1, 2008; 02:00 a.m.
A gift from Currie and Thomas A. Barron, a 1974 alumnus, offers new support for work at the intersection of environmental issues and the humanities at Princeton University. The Barrons have given $4.5 million to the Princeton Environmental Institute (PEI) to establish an endowed professorship, a fund to support academic innovations and a student prize.
International business leader Gerhard R. Andlinger makes $100 million gift to transform energy and environment research at Princeton
Posted July 1, 2008; 02:00 a.m.
Gerhard R. (Gerry) Andlinger, an alumnus and noted international business executive, has made a gift to Princeton University to accelerate research on effective and sustainable solutions to problems of energy and the environment. Princeton will use the gift, which will total $100 million, to create the Gerhard R. Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment within the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Maeder fund to promote innovation in energy and environment research
Posted July 1, 2008; 02:00 a.m.
As a venture capitalist, Paul Maeder recognizes that investing in new ideas can enable tremendous progress in the business arena. Now he's seeking to spur similar transformations in academia -- he and his wife, venture capitalist Gwill York, have given $1 million to establish the Paul A. Maeder '75 Fund for Innovation in Energy and the Environment at Princeton.
Princeton students explore Lake Carnegie for nature's sake
Posted July 1, 2008; 02:00 a.m.
Three Princeton University students have embarked on a unique project this summer with others to study Lake Carnegie, its ecosystem and the streams that feed into it, part of a major, long-term effort that will complement University-wide goals to develop and expand in environmentally sustainable ways.
Anderson gift supports professorship in energy and environment
Posted July 1, 2008; 02:00 a.m.
A new professorship endowed by a gift from Dwight Anderson, a 1989 Princeton alumnus, is part of the University's comprehensive initiative to address critical issues of energy and the environment in the 21st century. The Anderson Family Professorship in Energy and the Environment will support a tenured faculty member in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
President Shirley M. Tilghman on energy and the environment
Posted July 1, 2008; 02:00 a.m.
President Shirley M. Tilghman comments on Princeton's focus on energy and the environment.