Featured Stories Archive – March, 2007
Major impact: Students gain more exposure to wealth of academic options
By Eric Quiñones · Posted March 28, 2007; 05:51 p.m.
From dinner discussions with faculty in numerous disciplines to cultural excursions to New York City museums and ethnic neighborhoods, freshmen and sophomores are benefiting from a greater array of perspectives as they shape their courses of study at Princeton.
Wheeler guides students into new creative waters
By Jennifer Greenstein Altmann · Posted March 26, 2007; 11:55 a.m.
For poet Susan Wheeler, the key to teaching writing is presenting students with all the possible ways to express themselves. "I try to encourage students to glimpse the entire field of possibilities," said Wheeler, a lecturer in the Council of the Humanities and the Program in Creative Writing. "Even if students have a preference already, I want them at least to be able to appreciate the spectrum. So, for instance, if they hate forms — what they really want to do is free verse — I encourage them to try a sonnet at least once, so they know what that experience is like and they're not afraid of it. I want them to exercise various muscles."
Middle schoolers explore wonders of science and engineering
By Chad Boutin and Hilary Parker · Posted March 23, 2007; 11:16 a.m.
The door to the tiny room in Princeton's Icahn Laboratory closes, and darkness covers everyone inside: Ben Tiede, a dozen middle school students and one mouse. "OK, what color is the Incredible Hulk?" asks Tiede, a graduate student in Princeton's molecular biology department. "Green!" several voices respond. With that, Tiede shines a blue flashlight into the cage on the table, and the mouse lights up like a green neon sign.
Telling it like it is: Harris-Lacewell draws on intellectual prowess and common sense
By Ushma Patel · Posted March 19, 2007; 05:38 p.m.
Melissa Harris-Lacewell encountered racial politics early. Her father is African American and her mother is white. Of the four children from her parents' previous marriages, three are black and one is white. In the 1970s in the South, the family drew attention.
"It's quite possible that having a white parent and growing up in a multiracial family makes me even more interested in trying to figure out what's going on in an ordinary black experience, in part because I didn't experience it,"said Harris-Lacewell, an associate professor of politics and core faculty member in the Center for African American Studies, who joined Princeton last fall after seven years at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on black political thought, religion and feminism.
Testing the boundaries of teaching science
By Chad Boutin · Posted March 15, 2007; 12:09 p.m.
Some of Princeton's most scientifically talented undergraduates are dedicating their years on campus to more than learning how to conduct experiments. They have elected to be part of a grand experiment themselves — one that is attracting attention nationwide. The students are enrolled in Princeton's Integrated Science Curriculum (ISC), a three-year-old effort to dramatically reorganize the manner in which scientific ideas are introduced to students. The goal is to prepare graduates for careers in a scientific world that requires a new level of expertise: next-generation scientists who have mastered their own discipline and can work closely with specialists from other fields to solve problems as a team.
Tilghman sees Princeton moving 'briskly into the future'
By Eric Quiñones · Posted March 13, 2007; 04:00 p.m.
Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman offered a view of the University's priorities and her perspectives on a wide range of issues in an open dialogue with campus community members Monday, March 12. "We absolutely must move briskly into the future," Tilghman said. "Universities that stand still fall behind."
'Sorcerers' exhibit highlights Mexican art
By Ruta Smithson · Posted March 10, 2007; 08:00 p.m.
A significant acquisition of rare art from ancient Mexico is the focus of an exhibition at the University Art Museum on view through April 28. "Sorcerers of the Fifth Heaven: Nahua Art and Ritual of Ancient Southern Mexico" is centered on a rare ceramic Mexican effigy censer from 1500 A.D., just prior to the European incursion. The display presents the results of 30 years of interdisciplinary investigation on ancient Mexican screenfold books and the ritual divinatory practices of the Nahua peoples of southern Mexico (1300-1500).
Raks Odalisque dance troupe to 'Hip.Notize' audience, March 8-10
By Eric Quiñones · Posted March 8, 2007; 12:31 p.m.
The student dance troupe Raks Odalisque will present dance styles from around the Middle East in its annual spring show, "Hip.Notize," Thursday through Saturday, March 8-10, at the Frist Campus Center theater. Show times are at 8 p.m., with an additional 4 p.m. matinee performance March 10.
Creative connections: 'Godunov' project driven by scholarly, artistic collaborations
By Eric Quiñones · Posted March 5, 2007; 11:49 a.m.
Honoring a legendary Russian director's unfulfilled vision for a classic tale of power and intrigue, an army of Princeton scholars and artists is working this semester to mount a world premiere production of “Boris Godunov.”
From atoms to Africa: Soboyejo tackles problems, inspires students
By Hilary Parker · Posted March 1, 2007; 12:30 p.m.
Wole Soboyejo's outlook is global not only in terms of geography, but in the challenges he addresses and the way he approaches them. His ongoing, and simultaneous, research projects address problems in the areas of human health, sustainable energy and nanotechnology, to name just a few. Many of these initiatives combine the talent and expertise of scientists throughout the world through the U.S./Africa Materials Institute (USAMI), which Soboyejo founded and directs.
When he is not abroad establishing collaborations and conducting research, Soboyejo can often be found in the EQuad Café, deep in conversation with students. He is known for his ability to imbue his protégés not only with engineering skills, but with the desire to use them to improve lives throughout the world. Based on student evaluations, he was named to the engineering school's Commendation List for Outstanding Teaching for the spring 2006 semester.