Archive – December, 2010
Princeton at twilight
Posted December 27, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
In the subdued light just after sunset, Princeton's campus takes on a new look. Familiar buildings cast unusual shadows, and glowing lights provide distinctive beacons.
Snow delays opening for non-critical staff until 11 a.m.
Posted December 27, 2010; 05:11 a.m.
Due to the snow storm, Princeton University has delayed its opening until 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 27, for non-essential staff. All critical and essential employees should report to work at their normal duty times. There are no classes scheduled because of winter break.
FACULTY AWARD: Three at PPPL appointed to physical society
Posted December 20, 2010; 04:09 p.m.
Principal research physicists Jon Menard and Yevgeny Raitses of the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), along with Steven Sabbagh, a collaborating scientist on long-term assignment at the lab, have been elected fellows of the American Physical Society. The three are being honored for their work in plasma physics and fusion energy research. The honor is a lifetime appointment. The fellowship program was created to recognize original research and publication, contributions to the teaching of physics, and service and participation in the society.
Exhibition showcases paper money as art
Posted December 20, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
An effort to thwart currency counterfeiters in America's Colonial period spawned an outlet for creative expression that remains vibrant to this day: money as art. Because British Colonial policies resulted in a dearth of circulating coins, the Amer...
Inaugural Schmidt Fund awards enable innovative explorations in sensors and electronics
Posted December 17, 2010; 03:00 p.m.
A project that could enable the development of revolutionary electronics and a separate project that could dramatically improve diabetes monitoring and treatment are the first two research efforts to be supported at Princeton University from the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund. Google CEO and Princeton alumnus Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, created the $25 million endowment fund at Princeton in 2009.
Football standout Jordan Culbreath inspires by overcoming disease
Posted December 16, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
Sitting in a hospital room in October 2009, Princeton senior Cart Kelly came to a realization as he tried to come up with words to help his roommate, Jordan Culbreath, through a day of potentially shocking medical news. A senior in mechanical and aerospace engineering and a two-time All-Ivy League running back, Culbreath has fought a battle with life-threatening aplastic anemia that has become for those who know him on and off the field an inspiring story of a student-athlete's dedication.
Kidia wins Rhodes Scholarship in Zimbabwe
Posted December 15, 2010; 06:05 p.m.
Princeton senior Khameer Kidia, a French major from Harare, Zimbabwe, has been selected as one of Zimbabwe's Rhodes Scholars.
Video: Student focus: 'Pre-rade 2010'
Posted December 15, 2010; 01:21 p.m.
In this light take on the 2010 Princeton Pre-rade, students welcome the class of 2014 with University lore, sage advice and "cautionary tales" of local wildlife.
Valerie Smith named Princeton's dean of the college
Posted December 14, 2010; 04:00 p.m.
Valerie Smith, a distinguished scholar of literature who led a major expansion of Princeton's interdisciplinary Center for African American Studies, has been named the University's next dean of the college.
Sociologist Keller, Princeton's first tenured female faculty member, dies
Posted December 14, 2010; 02:37 p.m.
Sociologist Suzanne Keller, who conducted pioneering research on elite life and on community in America, and was the first woman to earn a tenured faculty position at Princeton University, died of a stroke Dec. 9 at Mercy Hospital in Miami. She was ...
BodyHype presents 20th anniversary show
Posted December 13, 2010; 05:29 p.m.
The BodyHype student dance troupe will present its 20th anniversary show, "Body Body!" at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6; 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7; and 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, in the Hamilton Murray Theater in Murray-Dodge Hall.
Children's holiday lecture explores 'How We Communicate'
Posted December 13, 2010; 05:22 p.m.
Princeton faculty members Howard Stone and Bonnie Bassler will present a holiday lecture for children age 7 and up titled "Good Vibrations: How We Communicate" at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, in the Frick Chemistry Laboratory's Taylor Auditorium. Registration is required.
Former ambassadors to discuss WikiLeaks
Posted December 13, 2010; 03:04 p.m.
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs will host a panel discussion titled "WikiLeaks: Woodrow Wilson School Ambassadors Weigh In" at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, in Robertson Hall, Room 16.
Class snapshot: 'Sociology of Technology'
Posted December 13, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
The course, new to Princeton this year, explores the ways in which culture and social structures shape the design and use of technology, and how technology in turn influences cultural and social experience. The three-hour weekly seminar introduces the field's theoretical underpinnings, gives students the opportunity to review case studies of topics such as medical technologies and virtual interactions, and culminates in individual research projects for final papers.
FACULTY AWARD: Economist Kiyotaki wins Ross Prize
Posted December 10, 2010; 09:00 a.m.
Nobuhiro Kiyotaki, a Princeton professor of economics, has been selected to receive the Stephen A. Ross Prize in Financial Economics with his longtime collaborator John Moore of the University of Edinburgh and London School of Economics. Kiyotaki and Moore received the prize, announced Dec. 10 by the Foundation for the Advancement of Research in Financial Economics and accompanied by $100,000, for their influential 1997 paper on credit conditions and asset pricing
Role of government is subject of Will lecture
Posted December 9, 2010; 05:04 p.m.
George Will -- a Washington Post columnist, author and television commentator -- will give a lecture titled "Can Someone From the Class of 1771 Save the Nation From Someone From the Class of 1879?" at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Friend Center, Room 101. Will, who also is a Princeton University trustee and 1968 graduate alumnus, is giving the lecture as part of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions' 10th anniversary celebration.
Scholar to speak on 'Racial Imagination and the Trope of Chinese Opera'
Posted December 9, 2010; 01:00 p.m.
Scholar Nancy Rao will speak on the topic "From Chinatown Opera to The First Emperor: Racial Imagination and the Trope of Chinese Opera" at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 13, at Woolworth Music Center, Room 102.
Engineering after Princeton: Catherine Toppin
Posted December 9, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
In this profile, 2002 alumna Catherine Toppin discusses how her Princeton engineering education helped prepare her for a thriving career as a patent attorney.
Video feature: 'Engineering After Princeton: Catherine Toppin'
Posted December 9, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
In this video profile of Catherine Toppin, she discusses how her Princeton engineering education helped prepare her for a flourishing career as a patent attorney.
Wildlife Fund's Roberts to speak on endangered species
Posted December 9, 2010; 10:00 a.m.
Carter Roberts, a 1982 alumnus and president and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund, will present a lecture titled "Animal Magnetism: Is It Time to Stop Saving Endangered Species and Start Saving Ourselves?" at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 13, in Robertson Hall, Room 16.
African Americans in Obama era is subject of Urban League panel
Posted December 9, 2010; 09:54 a.m.
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs will host a panel discussion titled "Empowering African Americans in the Age of Obama" at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall. The event will commemorate the National Urban League's 100th anniversary and is the third in a series of lectures in the Wilson School's Race and Public Policy series.
Nassau Street entrance closed Dec. 17-Jan. 3
Posted December 8, 2010; 03:19 p.m.
The Nassau Street entrance to campus for vehicles will be closed during the University's winter recess, from 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17, until 7 a.m. Monday, Jan. 3.
Frist hosts 10th anniversary Winterval
Posted December 8, 2010; 03:16 p.m.
Princeton students, faculty and staff are invited to celebrate the upcoming winter season at the Frist Campus Center's 10th anniversary Winterval celebration from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, on the center's 100 level.
Shi receives Sachs Scholarship
Posted December 8, 2010; 03:00 p.m.
Senior Veronica Shi, a scholar of Greek and Latin, has been awarded the 2011 Daniel M. Sachs Class of 1960 Graduating Scholarship, one of the highest awards given to Princeton undergraduates.
National Security Council's Beardsley to discuss biological threats
Posted December 8, 2010; 11:06 a.m.
Kristine Beardsley, director of biological counterterrorism and domestic security policy at the U.S. National Security Council, will give a talk titled "The National Strategy for Countering Biological Threats" at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17, in Icahn Laboratory, Room 280, as part of the Program on Science and Global Security's Biosecurity Seminar Series.
Video: Student work: 'diSiac presents "Flux"'
Posted December 7, 2010; 07:11 p.m.
Student troupe diSiac Dance Co. continues to cross genres with its production, "Flux," which will be performed Dec. 9 and 10 in Berlind Theatre.
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Event Program PDF
Posted December 7, 2010; 11:20 a.m.
Campus community invited to CPUC meeting
Posted December 7, 2010; 09:46 a.m.
The Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) will meet at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 13, in East Pyne, Room 10. All members of the campus community are invited to attend.
Sinfonia will perform works by Rachmaninoff and Borodin
Posted December 6, 2010; 12:46 p.m.
Sinfonia will perform works by Rachmaninoff and Borodin at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, at Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall.
Creative writing students read from their work
Posted December 6, 2010; 12:39 p.m.
Students in the Program in Creative Writing will read excerpts from their work at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Stewart Theater at the Lewis Center for the Arts at 185 Nassau St.
Celebrate Princeton Invention: David MacMillan
Posted December 6, 2010; 12:39 p.m.
A profile of Princeton inventor David MacMillan, the A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Organic Chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Kai Li and Moses Charikar
Posted December 6, 2010; 12:31 p.m.
A profile of Princeton inventors Kai Li, the Paul M. Wythes '55 P86 and Marcia R. Wythes P86 Professor in Computer Science, and Moses Charikar, associate professor of computer science
Celebrate Princeton Invention: James Sturm
Posted December 6, 2010; 12:25 p.m.
A profile of Princeton inventor James Sturm, the William and Edna Macaleer Professor of Engineering and Applied Science and director of the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials, and Robert Austin, professor of physics and director of the Princeton Physical Sciences-Oncology Center
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Hilary Coller
Posted December 6, 2010; 12:19 p.m.
A profile of Princeton inventor Hilary Coller, assistant professor of molecular biology
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Michael McAlpine
Posted December 6, 2010; 12:11 p.m.
A profile of Princeton inventor Michael McAlpine, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Lynn Loo
Posted December 6, 2010; 11:56 a.m.
A profile of Princeton inventor Lynn Loo, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Paul Prucnal
Posted December 6, 2010; 11:45 a.m.
A profile of Princeton inventor Paul Prucnal, professor of electrical engineering
Celebrate Princeton Invention: Niraj Jha
Posted December 6, 2010; 11:19 a.m.
A profile of Princeton inventor Niraj Jha, professor of electrical engineering.
Scientists find gene linked to congenital heart defect
Posted December 5, 2010; 01:00 p.m.
A gene that can cause congenital heart defects has been identified by a team of scientists, including a group from Princeton University. The discovery could lead to new treatments for those affected by the conditions brought on by the birth defect.
University celebrates Princeton inventions
Posted December 3, 2010; 11:59 a.m.
The annual "Celebrate Princeton Invention" event, held Dec. 3, honored the accomplishments and contributions of more than 200 Princeton University scientists and engineers who participated in the technology transfer process in 2010. Additionally, the celebration recognized the importance of collaboration between the University research community and industry to develop fundamental discoveries into beneficial technologies and applications.
Noted literary theorist and blogger Stanley Fish to deliver public lecture
Posted December 3, 2010; 10:00 a.m.
Stanley Fish, the well-known literary theorist whose theories of interpretation became standard fare in law schools, will deliver a public lecture at Princeton University on at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, in Lewis Library, Room 120. He will be speaking about his new book "The Fugitive in Flight: Faith, Liberalism and Law in a Classic TV Show" (University of Pennsylvania Press, November 2010).
Literary theorist Fish to discuss 'The Fugitive'
Posted December 2, 2010; 05:44 p.m.
The well-known literary theorist and blogger Stanley Fish will deliver a lecture about his new book "The Fugitive in Flight: Faith, Liberalism and Law in a Classic TV Show" at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, in Lewis Library, Room 120.
Video: Student work: 'It Gets Better'
Posted December 2, 2010; 01:21 p.m.
Jack Thornton '13 and fellow Princeton students created this video contribution for the "It Gets Better" video campaign to inspire hope for young LGBT people facing harassment.
Conference on teachers unions and the future of teaching
Posted December 2, 2010; 11:00 a.m.
A conference on "Teachers Unions and the Future of the Teaching Profession" will be held at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, in Dodds Auditorium in Robertson Hall.
L'Avant-Scene to present 'La Cantatrice Chauve'
Posted December 1, 2010; 06:14 p.m.
L'Avant-Scene, Princeton's French theater workshop, will perform Eugene Ionesco's "La Cantatrice Chauve" at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 2-4, in the Whitman College Class of 1970 Theater.
Holiday outreach initiatives planned
Posted December 1, 2010; 05:47 p.m.
Members of the University community will have the opportunity to share the holiday spirit through a series of community service initiatives and special events planned for December and January.
Open houses set on library renovation
Posted December 1, 2010; 05:45 p.m.
Faculty, graduate students and undergraduates will have an opportunity to learn more about and provide feedback on the renovation of Firestone Library at open houses planned for Wednesday, Dec. 8, in the library. The schedule is: noon to 2 p.m. for faculty in the De Long Reading Room; 4 to 5:30 p.m. for graduate students in the De Long Reading Room; and 8 to 9:30 p.m. for undergraduates in the Trustee Reading Room. Refreshments will be provided.
Chin, Fuchs to receive top alumni awards
Posted December 1, 2010; 04:50 p.m.
Princeton University will present its top honors for alumni to Denny Chin, a federal judge who has overseen high-profile cases including the trial of financier Bernard Madoff, and to Elaine Fuchs, a cellular biologist who has conducted pioneering re...
Symposium to honor Patricia Fortini Brown
Posted December 1, 2010; 04:41 p.m.
A symposium honoring professor of art and archaeology emeritus Patricia Fortini Brown on the 500th anniversary of the death of Giorgione will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, at McCormick Hall, Room 101.
Princeton's phone app provides mobile resource
Posted December 1, 2010; 01:07 p.m.
Students and visitors to Princeton's campus looking for everything from course schedules to University news and events can finally say there's an app for that. Princeton's Office of Information Technology (OIT) has launched iPrinceton, a free smartphone mobile application that comprises a diverse suite of 10 interactive features
Class snapshot: 'East Asian Humanities'
Posted December 1, 2010; 11:11 a.m.
The course "East Asian Humanities I: The Classical Foundations" is an introduction to 2,000 years of the art, literature, philosophy and religion of China, Japan and Korea, from antiquity to the 18th century. This semester the course, which was first taught in 2006, is organized around conceptual dualisms common to the Western tradition -- such as good and evil, natural and supernatural, and truth and memory -- to explore the way that those concepts are reaffirmed, blurred or rejected in other traditions.