Archive – December, 2009
University employees join fire department in pilot program
Posted December 28, 2009; 06:00 p.m.
On the morning of Oct. 7, the Princeton Fire Department sent out a call -- firefighters were needed to respond to an alarm at 1 Monument Drive. Four University employees -- Bob Allen, Michael Christensen, Michael Kervan and Chris Machusak -- rushed to a University building on Alexander Road to pull on their fire jackets, fire pants, boots and helmets.
'Science-on-Saturday' lectures offered
Posted December 23, 2009; 03:16 p.m.
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's annual "Science-on-Saturday" program -- a series of nine talks on topics including fusion energy, the first electromagnetic machine and cell-to-cell communication -- is scheduled for Jan. 9 through March 13.
Orchestra concert to feature vocal competition winners
Posted December 23, 2009; 03:09 p.m.
The Princeton University Orchestra will present a concert featuring winners of the 2009 University Vocal Competition at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall.
Princeton Atelier showcases work by New Paradise Laboratories, Riot Group
Posted December 23, 2009; 03:06 p.m.
The Princeton Atelier will present staged readings of new work by New Paradise Laboratories in collaboration with the Riot Group on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 8-9, in the Frist Campus Center theater. The reading of "Freedom Club" will begin at 7 p.m. and the reading of "F@#k Computers" will begin at 9:30 p.m.
Concert features music from colonial America
Posted December 23, 2009; 02:49 p.m.
The Practitioners of Musick will perform a concert of colonial American selections, titled "Music for Colonists, Patriots and Presidents," at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3, in the main gallery of Firestone Library.
'Zach & Willie' presents long-form improv
Posted December 23, 2009; 02:45 p.m.
"Zach & Willie," a long-form improvisational performance featuring senior Zach Zimmerman and junior Willie Myers, will be presented at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, and 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 8-9, in the Class of 1970 Theater in Whitman College.
Bob Surace '90 named new head football coach
Posted December 23, 2009; 02:30 p.m.
Bob Surace, a key member of the 1989 Ivy League champion Princeton football team, has been named the Charles W. Caldwell Jr. '25 Head Coach of Football at Princeton University.
Video: Scientists use bacteria to power simple machines
Posted December 23, 2009; 11:09 a.m.
Bacteria turn a pair of microscopic gears.
Scientists use bacteria to power simple machines
Posted December 23, 2009; 10:23 a.m.
A scientist from Princeton University, working with researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University, has discovered that common bacteria can turn microgears when suspended in a solution, providing insights for design of bio-inspired dynamically adaptive materials for energy.
American Physical Society names three Princeton fellows
Posted December 22, 2009; 05:29 p.m.
Two research physicists at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and a Princeton faculty member have been named fellows by the American Physical Society.
Lecture explores meaning of King's letter from jail
Posted December 22, 2009; 04:06 p.m.
Barnard College sociologist Jonathan Rieder will present a lecture titled "Pauline Epistle or Telling the Man? White Talk, Black Talk and the Slap of Translation in Martin Luther King's 'Letter from Birmingham Jail'" at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18, in 101 McCormick Hall.
Workshop focuses on 'open government' and technology
Posted December 22, 2009; 03:58 p.m.
A workshop titled "Open Government: Defining, Designing, and Sustaining Transparency" is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 21-22, in the Friend Center Convocation Room.
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Paul Steinhardt, Salvatore Torquato and Marian Florescu
Posted December 22, 2009; 11:37 a.m.
A profile of Princeton inventors Paul Steinhardt, the Albert Einstein Professor in Science and director of the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science; Salvatore Torquato, professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials; and Marian Florescu, associate research scholar in physics
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Larry Peterson and Vivek Pai
Posted December 21, 2009; 01:56 p.m.
A profile of Princeton inventors Larry Peterson, the Robert E. Kahn Professor of Computer Science; and Vivek Pai, associate professor of computer science.
Celebrate Princeton Invention: John Groves
Posted December 21, 2009; 01:50 p.m.
A profile of Princeton inventor John Groves, the Hugh Stott Taylor Chair of Chemistry.
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Claire Gmachl
Posted December 21, 2009; 01:28 p.m.
A profile of Princeton inventor Claire Gmachl, professor of electrical engineering.
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Charles Gentile
Posted December 21, 2009; 01:20 p.m.
A profile of Princeton inventor Charles Gentile, head of tritium systems at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL.
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Andrew Bocarsly
Posted December 21, 2009; 01:15 p.m.
A profile of Princeton inventor Andrew Bocarsly, professor of chemistry.
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Craig Arnold
Posted December 21, 2009; 01:08 p.m.
A profile of Princeton inventor Craig Arnold, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Taylor earns ACS accolades
Posted December 21, 2009; 12:53 p.m.
Princeton chemist Edward Taylor, whose discoveries led to the development of the blockbuster anti-cancer drug Alimta, has been inducted into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame and chosen to receive the 2010 Alfred Burger Award in Medicinal Chemistry from the American Chemical Society. Taylor also will be inducted into the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame next year.
Showcasing Princeton inventions
Posted December 21, 2009; 12:47 p.m.
The University's rich research tradition and guiding spirit of intellectual curiosity was celebrated Friday, Dec. 18, at an event that showcased faculty members' cutting-edge ideas in a broad range of disciplines.
Tilghman awarded Du Bois Medal from Harvard
Posted December 18, 2009; 10:35 a.m.
Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman has been awarded the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, the highest honor bestowed by Harvard University's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, for her leadership in strengthening Princeton's commitment to African American studies.
From terrorism to HIV, it's all about the network
Posted December 18, 2009; 09:49 a.m.
Similarities between webs of terrorists and networks of rescue personnel may seem unlikely. To an eclectic collaboration of engineers and social scientists, the connections are not only possible, but a potential source of deep insights.
AAAS selects three fellows at Princeton
Posted December 17, 2009; 02:00 p.m.
Three members of the Princeton University faculty have been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow, an honor bestowed upon members of the science society by their peers.
Sandweiss unearths a compelling tale of secret racial identity
Posted December 17, 2009; 01:19 p.m.
For three decades, history professor Martha Sandweiss had wondered about a little-noticed detail in the life of Clarence King, a well-known figure in the history of the American West. King, a 19th-century geologist and author, was a leading surveyor who mapped the West after the Civil War.
Study: Earth's polar ice sheets vulnerable to even moderate global warming
Posted December 16, 2009; 01:00 p.m.
A new analysis of the geological record of the Earth's sea level, carried out by scientists at Princeton and Harvard universities and published in the Dec. 16 issue of Nature, employs a novel statistical approach that reveals the planet's polar ice sheets are vulnerable to large-scale melting even under moderate global warming scenarios. Such melting would lead to a large and relatively rapid rise in global sea level.
Cellular postmasters: Biological tethers direct cargo delivery
Posted December 15, 2009; 03:04 p.m.
The precise distribution of materials within a cell is essential for life, but the way the movements of cellular cargo are choreographed is largely unknown. Taking an unprecedented look at special biological tethers that help transport materials within cells, a Princeton-led team of biologists has provided the first detailed glimpse at how these tethers coordinate cargo delivery, suggesting they play a far more comprehensive role in the process than previously imagined.
Children's lecture, demonstrations explore science of germs
Posted December 15, 2009; 10:15 a.m.
A holiday science lecture for parents and children ages 7 and up will explore the science behind germs at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, in McCosh 10.
Pioneering social entrepreneur to speak
Posted December 15, 2009; 10:11 a.m.
Pioneering social entrepreneur Bill Drayton will speak at the kickoff of the Princeton Entrepreneurship Club's new Social Entrepreneurship Initiative at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, in the Friend Center Convocation Room. His lecture is titled "How Will You Do in an 'Everyone a Changemaker' World?"
Grehan receives Sachs Scholarship
Posted December 15, 2009; 09:48 a.m.
Josh Grehan, a senior with a lifelong interest in social justice advocacy, has been awarded the 2010 Daniel M. Sachs Class of 1960 Graduating Scholarship, one of the highest awards given to Princeton undergraduates.
Students present dance workshop
Posted December 14, 2009; 05:03 p.m.
A performance workshop featuring students in the Program in Dance in the Lewis Center for the Arts will be held at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, in the Hagan Dance Studio, 185 Nassau St.
Reading series features student writers
Posted December 14, 2009; 05:01 p.m.
Students in the Program in Creative Writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts will read from their work as part of the Althea Ward Clark Reading Series at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, in the Stewart Theater, 185 Nassau St.
Artist Burr to discuss work
Posted December 14, 2009; 04:58 p.m.
Artist Tom Burr will discuss his work in a talk scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, in Room 219, 185 Nassau St.
Exhibition presents perspectives on hope
Posted December 14, 2009; 10:58 a.m.
Princeton community members present photographic perspectives on the question "What Is Hope?" in an exhibition opening Monday, Dec. 14, in the Murray-Dodge Hall lobby.
Charge: Steering Committee on Undergraduate Women's Leadership at Princeton
Posted December 14, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
The charge to the Steering Committee on Undergraduate Women's Leadership at Princeton from President Shirley M. Tilghman.
Tilghman appoints committee on undergraduate women's leadership
Posted December 14, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
Princeton University President Shirley M. Tilghman has charged a new committee of faculty, staff and students with developing a better understanding of how undergraduate students perceive and seize the opportunities available to them to assert leadership both inside and outside the classroom.
Martonosi named fellow of leading engineering societies
Posted December 14, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
Margaret Martonosi, a Princeton professor of electrical engineering, has been named a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and of the IEEE, an international professional association for the advancement of technology.
Going underground for a climate solution
Posted December 14, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
Hoping to help fix the Earth's atmosphere, Catherine Peters recently found herself 4,100 feet underground. Peters, a Princeton associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, rode an elevator down a deep shaft into the Homestake Mine, a defunct South Dakota gold mine being transformed into an underground science laboratory. She toured the mine to plan for a research project that will explore whether factories that emit carbon dioxide, the gas primarily responsible for global warming, could instead safely pump it into the ground.
University to celebrate King's legacy
Posted December 10, 2009; 04:44 p.m.
Princeton will commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with its annual King Day celebration Monday, Jan. 18, 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.
Princeton scientists find way to catalog all that goes wrong in a cancer cell
Posted December 10, 2009; 01:26 p.m.
A team of Princeton University scientists has produced a systematic listing of the ways a particular cancerous cell has "gone wrong," giving researchers a powerful tool that eventually could make possible new, more targeted therapies for patients.
Giving voice to the voiceless: Chen depicts life in poverty in early 20th-century China
Posted December 10, 2009; 11:12 a.m.
When assistant professor Janet Chen decided to write her dissertation on the experience of poverty in early 20th-century China, fellow scholars warned her of the difficulties she would face. But Chen didn't want to study only what bureaucrats had to say about life in workhouses and shantytowns. She wanted to know what the experience was like for those who lived it.
Exhibition features portraits of famed authors
Posted December 9, 2009; 05:49 p.m.
An exhibition opening Friday, Jan. 22, will fill Firestone Library's main gallery with 100 portraits of poets, novelists and essayists, pulled from the holdings of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.
Talk focuses on software licensing and policy
Posted December 9, 2009; 05:45 p.m.
A lecture titled "Legislation by Software License: Is It Time to Click 'Disagree'?" is set for 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, in 300 Wallace Hall.
Theologian to discuss democracy and torture
Posted December 9, 2009; 05:43 p.m.
Theologian and activist George Hunsinger will present a lecture titled "Violence Finds Refuge in Falsehood: American Democracy and the Future of Torture" at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, in 16 Robertson Hall.
Frist Campus Center hosts winter celebration
Posted December 9, 2009; 05:41 p.m.
Princeton students, faculty, staff and their families are invited to attend the Frist Campus Center Winterval, a celebration of the upcoming winter season, from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16.
Panel to address Pakistan's troubled democracy
Posted December 9, 2009; 05:38 p.m.
"Pakistan: Dilemmas of a Troubled Democracy" is the title of a panel discussion scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14, in 16 Robertson Hall.
Senior thesis production of 'God’s Country' set
Posted December 9, 2009; 05:36 p.m.
A senior thesis production of Steven Dietz's "God's Country," based on the true story of the white supremacist group known as The Order, will be held at 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Dec. 11-13, and Tuesday through Thursday, Dec. 15-17, in the Matthews Acting Studio, 185 Nassau St.
Video: Eric Schmidt: Engineering after Princeton
Posted December 9, 2009; 04:28 p.m.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt discusses the need to embrace change, styles of leadership and why he chose to study at Princeton.
L'Avant-Scène to perform 'Le Tartuffe'
Posted December 9, 2009; 10:20 a.m.
L'Avant-Scène, Princeton's French theater workshop, will perform Molière's "Le Tartuffe" at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-12, in the Sterling Morton Gallery of the Princeton University Art Museum.
Orchestra concerts feature Jazz Ensemble
Posted December 9, 2009; 10:16 a.m.
The Princeton University Orchestra, under the direction of Michael Pratt, will present concerts at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-12, in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall. The performances, which focus on works about "bad boys," will feature the University Concert Jazz Ensemble, directed by Anthony D.J. Branker.
Discussion marks 40th anniversary of black studies
Posted December 9, 2009; 10:12 a.m.
"Black Studies At 40: The Ivy League" is the title of a panel discussion set for 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, in Betts Auditorium, School of Architecture.
Campus community invited to CPUC meeting
Posted December 9, 2009; 09:02 a.m.
The Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) will meet from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14, in 10 East Pyne. All members of the campus community are invited to attend.
Princeton awarded $23 million in Recovery Act funding
Posted December 8, 2009; 11:28 a.m.
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Princeton University has received $23 million in research funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
Name change highlights links between engineering and biology
Posted December 8, 2009; 09:58 a.m.
Reflecting the growing intersection of biology and engineering, the Department of Chemical Engineering will change its name as of July 1, 2010, to the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Video: Coming Back and Moving Forward
Posted December 7, 2009; 05:57 p.m.
At the largest gathering of black alumni in Princeton's history, emotions overflowed as participants talked about change and planned for progress.
Perspective on: Climate change
Posted December 7, 2009; 04:17 p.m.
Robert Socolow, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, discusses solving the climate change problem.
Nassau Street entrance closed, Dec. 18-Jan. 4
Posted December 7, 2009; 12:24 p.m.
The Nassau Street entrance to campus for vehicles will be closed during the University's winter recess, from 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, until 7 a.m. Monday, Jan. 4.
Perspective on: Inspirations of African art
Posted December 7, 2009; 09:55 a.m.
Chika Okeke-Agulu, assistant professor of art and archaeology and African American studies, discusses "Life Objects: Rites of Passage in African Art," an exhibition he co-curated at the Princeton University Art Museum. He also talks about his work as an art historian and practicing artist from Nigeria.
Student work: diSiac 'Borderlines'
Posted December 4, 2009; 04:57 p.m.
Sophomore Jeffrey Kuperman documented diSiac's next dance performance, "Borderlines," which will take place at Berlind Theater Dec. 10 and 11.
Lindenstrauss selected for Fermat Prize
Posted December 4, 2009; 09:54 a.m.
Elon Lindenstrauss, a Princeton professor of mathematics, has won the Fermat Prize for Mathematics Research for his work in number theory.
Team using Subaru Telescope makes major discovery
Posted December 3, 2009; 02:00 p.m.
An international team of scientists that includes an astronomer from Princeton University has made the first direct observation of a planet-like object orbiting a star similar to the sun.
Video: The Philosopher Kings (excerpt)
Posted December 3, 2009; 12:14 p.m.
Josue Lajeunesse is featured in the documentary "The Philosopher Kings," which tells the stories of eight janitors at U.S. universities. Special screenings will take place Dec. 9.
'Life's wisdom in unlikely places': Documentary features University janitor's efforts to help others
Posted December 3, 2009; 09:54 a.m.
From 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each weekday, Josue Lajeunesse is one of Princeton University's 220 Building Services janitors. But off campus, Lajeunesse is a taxi driver, a father, a philanthropist, a community organizer and now the subject of a documentary film.
H1N1 flu vaccine clinic set for eligible students and employees
Posted December 1, 2009; 11:37 a.m.
University Health Services will hold a H1N1 flu vaccine clinic on Thursday, Dec. 3, in Multipurpose Rooms A and B of the Frist Campus Center for eligible faculty, staff, students and their dependents.
Documentary features University janitor's efforts to help others
Posted December 1, 2009; 10:51 a.m.
From 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each weekday, Josue Lajeunesse is one of Princeton University's 220 Building Services janitors. But off campus, Lajeunesse is a taxi driver, a father, a philanthropist, a community organizer and now the subject of a documentary film.
Lanney wins Marshall Scholarship
Posted December 1, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
Princeton senior Jessica Lanney, who is majoring in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and pursuing a certificate in urban studies, is one of 35 American college students awarded 2010 Marshall Scholarships.