Science & Tech
Lecture honors Kyoto Prize-winning Grants
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted November 5, 2009; 04:30 p.m.
Princeton scientists Peter and Rosemary Grant, winners of this year's Kyoto Prize for their pioneering work in evolutionary biology, will be honored with a lecture by noted researcher Jonathan Losos at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, in 10 Guyot Hall.
NCI awards $15.2 million to create Princeton Physical Sciences-Oncology Center
By Hilary Parker · Posted October 26, 2009; 08:00 a.m.
Princeton University physical scientists will partner with researchers at four other institutions to explore the driving forces behind the evolution of cancer under a five-year, $15.2 million award from the National Cancer Institute.
Study: Accounting error undermines climate change laws
By Staff · Posted October 22, 2009; 02:00 p.m.
An important but fixable error in legal accounting rules used to measure compliance with carbon limits for bioenergy could undermine efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging deforestation, according to a new study by 13 prominent scientists and land use experts published in the Oct. 23 issue of the journal Science.
Four Princeton professors honored by American Physical Society
By Ushma Patel · Posted October 22, 2009; 10:18 a.m.
Four Princeton professors have been recognized with awards from the American Physical Society.
Professor calculates a cooler planet
By Chris Emery · Posted October 20, 2009; 10:31 a.m.
Some people fight global warming by driving fuel-efficient cars. Others weatherproof their houses or plant trees. Princeton's René Carmona does math.
Poor elected a fellow of the UK's Royal Academy of Engineering
By Chris Emery · Posted October 14, 2009; 07:55 p.m.
H. Vincent Poor, the dean of Princeton's School of Engineering and Applied Science, has been elected an international fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering of the United Kingdom, a professional organization composed of Britain's most eminent and distinguished engineers.
Like humans, monkeys fall into the 'uncanny valley'
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted October 13, 2009; 11:00 a.m.
Princeton University researchers have come up with a new twist on the mysterious visual phenomenon experienced by humans known as the "uncanny valley." The scientists have found that monkeys sense it too.
Schmidt Fund to advance science through support for transformative technology
By Staff · Posted October 13, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, have created a $25 million endowment fund at Princeton University for the invention, development and utilization of cutting-edge technology that has the capacity to transform research in the natural sciences and engineering.
Princeton awarded more than $21 million in Recovery Act funding
By Hilary Parker · Posted October 9, 2009; 02:20 p.m.
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Princeton University has received more than $21 million in research funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
Gunn, Fuchs receive National Medals of Science in White House ceremony
By Staff · Posted October 7, 2009; 06:55 p.m.
James Gunn, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Astronomy at Princeton, received the National Medal of Science in a ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the White House.
Princeton paleomagnetists put controversy to rest
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted October 2, 2009; 11:03 a.m.
Princeton University scientists have shown that, in ancient times, the Earth's magnetic field was structured like the two-pole model of today, suggesting that the methods geoscientists use to reconstruct the geography of early land masses on the globe are accurate. The findings may lead to a better understanding of historical continental movement, which relates to changes in climate.
Portable and precise gas sensor could monitor pollution and detect disease
By Chandra Shekhar · Posted September 25, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
A team of Princeton and Rice University researchers has demonstrated a new method of identifying the nitric oxide using lasers and sensors that are inexpensive, compact and highly sensitive. Such a portable device, suitable for large-scale deployment, could be of great value to atmospheric science, pollution control, biology and medicine.
Sigman, Zoli win MacArthur 'genius grants'
By Kitta MacPherson and Chris Emery · Posted September 22, 2009; 12:00 a.m.
Daniel Sigman, a Princeton University biogeochemist who has conducted pioneering work exploring the large-scale systems that have supported life on the planet throughout the millennia, has been selected as a 2009 MacArthur Fellow. Also chosen was Theodore Zoli, a 1988 alumnus and a visiting lecturer in Princeton's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering since 2003. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced that they are among 24 trailblazing artists, writers, scientists and others who each will receive a $500,000 no-strings-attached grant over a five-year period.
Gunn wins National Medal of Science
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted September 17, 2009; 03:57 p.m.
James Gunn, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Astronomy at Princeton University, has been chosen to receive a National Medal of Science, the nation's highest scientific honor, for his sweeping contributions to modern stargazing, from theory to observation to gadget-building.
Princeton engineering professor named top young innovator
By Chris Emery · Posted September 4, 2009; 01:51 p.m.
Andrew Houck, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and a past Princeton valedictorian, was named to Technology Review magazine's list of the top 35 young innovators for 2009.
Denitrification, its importance once diluted, may be back on top, Princeton-led team says
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted September 2, 2009; 01:00 p.m.
After more than a decade of inquiry, a Princeton-led team of scientists has turned the tables on a long-standing controversy to re-establish an old truth about nitrogen mixing in the oceans.
Princeton team learns why some drugs pack such a punch
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted August 20, 2009; 11:00 a.m.
By studying the intricate mechanisms at work in protein production, a Princeton-led team has discovered why certain kinds of antibiotics are so effective. In doing so, they also have discovered how one protein protects against cell death, shedding light on a natural cancer-fighting process.
Car wins Dirac Medal
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted August 13, 2009; 09:36 p.m.
Roberto Car, the Ralph W. Dornte *31 Professor in Chemistry at Princeton and a faculty fellow of the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science, has been named a winner of the 2009 Dirac Medal for his significant contributions to physics.
From top to bottom, Butler will be a living environmental laboratory
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted August 13, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
When 283 Princeton undergraduates move into Butler College this September, they will be entering a 113,000-square-foot complex integrating sustainability features from top to bottom, including the green roofs on more than half of its buildings and a stormwater cistern that will collect and recycle rainwater to irrigate courtyard landscaping.
Princeton pair sets world record in packing puzzle
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted August 12, 2009; 01:00 p.m.
Finding the best way to pack the greatest quantity of a specifically shaped object into a confined space may sound simple, yet it consistently has led to deep mathematical concepts and practical applications, such as improved computer security codes. Two Princeton University researchers have made a major advance in addressing a twist in the packing problem, jamming more tetrahedra -- solid figures with four triangular faces -- and other polyhedral solid objects than ever before into a space.
Report maps the future of U.S. energy technology
By Chris Emery · Posted August 11, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
The United States could meet projected growth in energy demand through 2030 with existing technologies, but the nation's long-term energy sustainability will require an enduring commitment, by both the public and private sectors, to developing, demonstrating and deploying new technologies and energy sources, according to a National Academy of Sciences committee chaired by Princeton Professor and President Emeritus Harold T. Shapiro.
Princeton scientists discover, visualize exotic electrons on surfaces of unique insulators
By Hilary Parker · Posted August 10, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
In two separate studies, Princeton-led teams of scientists have found a new type of "light-like" electron and visualized for the first time another type that doesn't bounce back when material imperfections are encountered on the surface of special insulators. The discoveries advance the fundamental understanding of condensed matter physics and may have implications for the development of computing devices millions of times faster than today's most powerful computers.
Princeton quantitative biology center awarded $15 million renewal grant
By Ushma Patel · Posted August 6, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
The Princeton Center for Quantitative Biology will receive $15.54 million over the next five years to continue its research and teaching in biological processes from aging to malaria by developing improved quantitative models, data sets and computational analysis equipment and methods.
Astronomers find hyperactive galaxies in the early universe
By Space Telescope Science Institute and Gemini Observatory · Posted August 5, 2009; 01:00 p.m.
Looking almost 11 billion years into the past, astronomers have measured the motions of stars for the first time in a very distant galaxy and clocked speeds upward of 1 million miles per hour, about twice the speed of the sun's revolution through the Milky Way.
PPPL will receive $13.8 million in Recovery Act funding
By Staff · Posted August 4, 2009; 04:17 p.m.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory will receive a two-year federal grant of $13.8 million as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Whether Sioux Falls or Sant'Angelo, love of science is bond
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted July 30, 2009; 05:14 p.m.
They come from two different parts of the world, more than 5,000 miles apart. Yet, working on a challenge to identify a gas through its basic characteristics, two groups of students from South Dakota and a central region of Italy joined forces on a...
Summer academy energizes future scientists
By Chris Emery · Posted July 24, 2009; 03:36 p.m.
As she surveyed two arrays of solar panels on an upper deck of Princeton's Engineering Quadrangle one recent morning, 12-year-old Olivia honed her skills of skeptical inquiry by peppering her tour guide with questions. A seventh-grader at Grice Middle School in Hamilton, she was among 11 students from Princeton-area middle schools who toured the solar facility as part of a pilot outreach program of the Princeton University Materials Academy.
Super tiny technology could power superfast airplanes
By Chris Emery · Posted July 17, 2009; 12:26 p.m.
Supersonic aircraft may get a boost in speed from the tiniest of manmade particles. An interdisciplinary team of scientists led by Princeton engineers has been awarded a $3 million grant to study how fuel additives made of tiny particles known as nanocatalysts can help supersonic jets fly faster and make diesel engines cleaner and more efficient.
Biofuels 'done right' can curb greenhouse gas emissions and provide other benefits
By Chris Emery · Posted July 16, 2009; 04:08 p.m.
Biofuels derived from renewable sources can be produced in large quantities and address many problems related to fossil fuels, including greenhouse gas emissions, but only if they are made from certain sources, according to a new article by a team of scientists and policy experts that included several Princeton researchers.
Three Princeton scientists receive Presidential Award
By Staff · Posted July 14, 2009; 03:57 p.m.
U.S. President Barack Obama has named three Princeton scientists as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the federal government on young professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.
Shaevitz named as Pew Scholar
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted July 10, 2009; 02:53 p.m.
Joshua Shaevitz, an assistant professor of physics and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton, has been named a Pew Scholar for demonstrating excellence and innovation in his research.
New Princeton method may help allocate carbon emissions responsibility among nations
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted July 6, 2009; 05:00 p.m.
Just months before world leaders are scheduled to meet to devise a new international treaty on climate change, a research team led by Princeton University scientists has developed a new way of dividing responsibility for carbon emissions among countries.
Rodriguez-Iturbe to receive Bowie Medal
By Chris Emery · Posted July 2, 2009; 02:46 p.m.
Princeton's Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will receive the 2009 William Bowie Medal, the highest honor awarded by the American Geophysical Union.
Homeward bound: Princeton engineers promote science in their native countries
By Chris Emery · Posted July 2, 2009; 12:31 p.m.
The stories that Edgar Choueiri and Winston Soboyejo tell of their native countries and of their own careers are strangely similar. These two Princeton engineering professors came from societies where science blossomed for a time and then atrophied. Both left their native countries to earn their scientific credentials. And now both men find themselves drawn home again to give something back to the societies where they were first inspired.
Weinan E to receive Kleinman Prize for mathematics
By Staff · Posted July 1, 2009; 04:09 p.m.
Weinan E, a professor of mathematics and applied and computational mathematics at Princeton, has been selected by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) to receive the Ralph E. Kleinman Prize for his work connecting mathematics with applications outside the field.
Research offers new insights, and a new angle, on high-temperature superconductivity
By Hilary Parker · Posted June 29, 2009; 02:18 p.m.
A Princeton-led research team has revealed surprising information about how electron behavior influences the conduction of electricity in a class of high-temperature superconductors. An increased understanding of this mechanism could one day transform a number of technologies, including the transmission of electrical power.
Forever young: Murphy's worm studies may lead to new treatments to stop aging
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted June 24, 2009; 09:36 p.m.
Coleen Murphy is no daydreamer. Yet, this practical-minded biologist possesses the boldest of visions, one she insists is rooted in solid science. It may be technologically possible, she believes, to someday stall aging sufficiently so that people can live in their adult prime bodies until they die.
Noted Princeton husband-and-wife team wins Kyoto Prize
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted June 19, 2009; 03:00 a.m.
Princeton University's Peter and Rosemary Grant, whose legendary explorations on the bleak Galapagos island of Daphne Major over nearly four decades have produced an array of dazzling insights into evolutionary theory, have been named recipients of the Kyoto Prize.
New website to help translate genetic data into medical therapies
By Chris Emery · Posted June 10, 2009; 05:20 p.m.
Princeton researchers have created a Rosetta Stone for the human body, a website that offers clues to the role DNA plays in aging and disease by helping scientists make sense of the vast jumble of information emerging from genetics research.
Princeton researchers to lead major Pentagon-funded initiatives
By Steven Schultz · Posted May 27, 2009; 10:38 a.m.
The U.S. Department of Defense has selected Princeton engineers to lead two new multi-institutional research initiatives, one aimed at transforming wireless telecommunications networks and the other at inventing materials that adapt themselves to changing loads and environments.
Research team finds important role for junk DNA
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 20, 2009; 12:08 p.m.
Scientists have called it "junk DNA." They have long been perplexed by these extensive strands of genetic material that dominate the genome but seem to lack specific functions. Why would nature force the genome to carry so much excess baggage? Now researchers from Princeton University and Indiana University who have been studying the genome of a pond organism have found that junk DNA may not be so junky after all.
Plasma physics lab device has second life in homeland security
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 18, 2009; 09:39 a.m.
In 1999, faced with the task of decommissioning the legendary Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR), officials at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) realized they needed something that didn't yet exist -- a way to detect exactly what "hot" elements were lacing the inner vessel of the doughnut-shaped reactor. So they asked a team from the lab to invent a device that would identify each element in the reactor and how much was there. Ten years later, the group not only has successfully tackled that challenge, but it has won national recognition for a system that offers practical applications for homeland security and deterring radiological terrorist attacks.
Exhibition showcases the 'Art of Science'
By Teresa Riordan · Posted May 13, 2009; 10:21 a.m.
A panel of distinguished judges has selected the best pieces of art to come out of the University's research labs. Now it's everyone else's turn. Winners of the 2009 Art of Science competition were announced at a gallery opening in the Friend Center May 8. The show features 48 works chosen from more than 200 submissions and will be on display in the Friend Center atrium for a year.
Princeton team's analysis of flu virus could lead to better vaccines
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 12, 2009; 02:39 p.m.
A team of Princeton University scientists may have found a better way to make a vaccine against the flu virus.
Seven faculty members among inaugural group of SIAM fellows
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 11, 2009; 09:45 a.m.
Seven Princeton faculty members have been elected to the inaugural group of fellows of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).
Hopfield wins IEEE's Rosenblatt Award
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 8, 2009; 10:23 a.m.
John Hopfield, the Howard A. Prior Professor Emeritus in the Life Sciences, will receive the 2009 Frank Rosenblatt Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for his seminal contributions to the understanding of information processing in biological systems.
Princeton to receive $20 million to establish Energy Frontier Research Center
By Chris Emery · Posted May 5, 2009; 12:03 p.m.
Princeton University will be home to a new $20 million energy research center for combustion science as part of a federal initiative to spur discoveries that lay the groundwork for an economy based on clean replacements for fossil fuels.
Princeton geoscientist offers new evidence that meteorite did not wipe out dinosaurs
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 4, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
A Princeton University geoscientist who has stirred controversy with her studies challenging a popular theory that an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs has compiled powerful new evidence asserting her position. Gerta Keller, whose studies of rock formations at many sites in the United States, Mexico and India have led her to conclude that volcanoes, not a vast meteorite, were the more likely culprits in the demise of the Earth's giant reptiles, is producing new data supporting her claim.
Gould honored by Royal Society for brain research
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted April 30, 2009; 10:11 a.m.
Elizabeth Gould, a Princeton professor of psychology, has been awarded the 2009 Benjamin Franklin Medal by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce for her groundbreaking brain research.
Two elected to National Academy of Sciences
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted April 29, 2009; 10:42 a.m.
Two Princeton faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences this year. They are among 72 new members and 18 foreign associates chosen in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
Chyba, two alumni named to Obama's science and technology council
By Staff · Posted April 28, 2009; 12:42 p.m.
President Barack Obama has named Christopher Chyba, professor of astrophysical sciences and international affairs at Princeton, to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).
New technique that scrambles light may lead to sharper images, wider views
By Chandra Shekhar · Posted April 24, 2009; 08:00 a.m.
When photographers zoom in on an object to see it better, they lose the wide-angle perspective -- they are forced to trade off "big picture" context for detail. But now an imaging method developed by Princeton researchers could lead to lenses that show all parts of the scene at once in the same high detail. The new method could help build more powerful microscopes and other optical devices.
Mission of crossing disciplines resonates at Keller Center dedication
By Chris Emery · Posted April 20, 2009; 01:31 p.m.
Dennis Keller, who graduated from Princeton in 1963 with a degree in economics, and his wife, Constance Templeton Keller, were honored during a dedication ceremony Thursday, April 16, for endowing a center in Princeton's School of Engineering and Applied Science. The Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education is a cross-disciplinary initiative focused on preparing Princeton students to be leaders in an increasingly complex and technology-driven society. Members of the University community gathered to celebrate the naming of the center for the Kellers, who made a $20 million gift last year to support it.
Crossing engineering and policy by examining clean energy options
By Hilary Parker · Posted April 8, 2009; 12:57 p.m.
Knowing he will spend the next two years working in the U.S. State Department, mechanical and aerospace engineering major Michael Konialian wanted to prepare himself by working on a senior thesis project at the intersection of engineering and policy. He focused on one of today's most demanding problems: climate change.
Mexican health care program successful at reducing crippling health care costs
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted April 7, 2009; 06:00 p.m.
In results from the largest health policy study of its kind, a Mexican health care program created in 2003 has been found effective in reducing crippling health care costs among poorer households. The results reflect the success of the Seguro Popular program, and arise from an evaluation conducted by researchers, including a Princeton University faculty member, in collaboration with researchers in Mexico.
Princeton and Munich university launch collaboration on cosmological computational science
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted April 2, 2009; 03:45 p.m.
Scientists at Princeton University have formalized a collaboration with researchers at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich that will employ supercomputers to aid them in arriving at a better understanding of galaxy formation.
Four awarded Sloan Research Fellowships
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted March 24, 2009; 02:47 p.m.
Four Princeton scientists have been selected to receive 2009 Sloan Research Fellowships, highly competitive grants given to outstanding scholars who are conducting research at the frontiers of their fields.
Princeton innovations named top emerging technologies for 2009
By Steven Schultz and Chris Emery · Posted March 18, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
Technology Review magazine has named two innovations by Princeton researchers -- a method for dramatically improving Web access in developing nations and a technique for sequencing DNA more cheaply and quickly -- to its 2009 list of "10 technologies that can change the way we live."
Financial security, more than money alone, may be key to happiness, Princeton study says
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted March 17, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
A study of the mental state of the modern American woman by a Princeton University psychologist has found a powerful link between concerns over financial security and satisfaction with one's life.
Olympic air-quality study tests lasers and scientists' political savvy
By Chris Emery · Posted March 16, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
Most people traveled to the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the sporting events and pageantry. Anna Michel went for the smog. Michel traveled to China as part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers from Princeton and Rice universities to study changes in Beijing's air quality during the Olympics, when the Chinese government dramatically cut vehicle and factory emissions.
Princeton's Mirzakhani honored by American Mathematical Society
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted March 6, 2009; 11:23 a.m.
Maryam Mirzakhani, a professor of mathematics at Princeton, has been awarded the 2009 Leonard M. and Eleanor B. Blumenthal Award for the Advancement of Research in Pure Mathematics by the American Mathematical Society.
Frank Shoemaker, leading high-energy physicist, dies
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted March 2, 2009; 11:59 a.m.
Frank Shoemaker, a leader in the development of high-energy particle accelerators during a highly revelatory era for physics and a founding member of the experimental particle physics group at Princeton, has died at age 86.
Brain science matters: Wang engages public through book, lectures, op-eds, website
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted March 2, 2009; 11:00 a.m.
It's a busy afternoon in the Tap Room at Prospect House, with the buzz of a dozen lunch conversations rising above the filled tables. At a center spot, though, all is quiet. Sam Wang, Princeton neuroscientist, author, Internet geek, politics junkie, op-ed writer and public speaker, is sitting sideways. He is hunched over and looking down, as if he has dropped something. For once, the loquacious associate professor of molecular biology and neuroscience is at a loss for words.
Forget the freezer: Research suggests novel way to control water behavior
By Hilary Parker · Posted February 20, 2009; 08:00 a.m.
Researchers may be able to "freeze" water into a solid, not by cooling but by confining it to narrow spaces less than one-millionth of a millimeter wide, according to new results from an interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers.
Malaria parasite zeroes in on molecule to enhance its survival, team finds
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted February 19, 2009; 11:55 a.m.
A team of researchers from Princeton University and the Drexel University College of Medicine has found that the parasite that causes malaria breaks down an important amino acid in its quest to adapt and thrive within the human body. By depleting this substance called arginine, the parasite may trigger a more critical and deadlier phase of the disease.
Quantum dance: Discovery led by Princeton researchers could revolutionize computing
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted February 18, 2009; 12:32 p.m.
An international team of scientists, led by a Princeton University group, has observed an exciting and strange behavior in electrons' spin within a new material that could be harnessed to transform computing and electronics.
Princeton computer scientists guide Internet transparency project
By Chris Emery · Posted February 18, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
Princeton computer science and technology policy experts are playing key roles in a new project intent on illuminating the mysterious inner workings of Internet traffic.
Car honored with Humboldt award
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted February 16, 2009; 05:24 p.m.
Roberto Car, the Ralph W. Dornte *31 Professor in Chemistry at Princeton, has been selected to receive a Humboldt Research Award.
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects selected to design new Andlinger Center
By Ruth Stevens · Posted February 11, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, a New York firm known for its careful attention to context, creative use of materials and innovative modernist work, has been chosen to design Princeton University's new Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment.
Walter Kauzmann, chemistry pioneer, dies at 92
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted February 9, 2009; 12:53 p.m.
Walter Kauzmann, whose deep insights into the water-loathing properties of greasy molecules paved the way for the modern study of proteins, has died at age 92.
Bassler earns Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted February 3, 2009; 06:22 p.m.
Bonnie Bassler, the Squibb Professor in Molecular Biology at Princeton, will receive the eighth annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences.
American Physical Society names three Princeton fellows
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted January 29, 2009; 08:38 a.m.
A research physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and two Princeton faculty members have been named fellows by the American Physical Society.
DOE awards University PPPL contract
By Cass Cliatt · Posted January 15, 2009; 06:41 p.m.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced Jan. 15 that Princeton University has been awarded a five-year management and operating contract to continue managing the DOE's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. The contract runs from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2014, with a 60-day transition period beginning this month, and with a provision that permits the University to earn up to five additional years of management of the lab.
Astronomers from Princeton and Japan unite to explore the universe, near and far
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted January 15, 2009; 03:00 a.m.
Scientists from Princeton University and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) have agreed to collaborate over the next 10 years, using new instrumentation on the Hawaii-based Subaru Telescope to peer into hidden corners of the nearby universe and ferret out secrets from its distant past.
Chiang receives Presidential Early Career Award
By Chris Emery · Posted January 14, 2009; 03:31 p.m.
Mung Chiang, a Princeton engineering professor who studies the communications networks integral to modern society, has received a 2007 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the White House.
Team finds breast cancer gene linked to disease spread
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted January 5, 2009; 12:00 p.m.
A team of researchers at Princeton University and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey has identified a long-sought gene that is fatefully switched on in 30 to 40 percent of all breast cancer patients, spreading the disease, resisting traditional chemotherapies and eventually leading to death.
AAAS selects three fellows at Princeton
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted December 24, 2008; 12:15 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.
Princeton researchers discover new type of laser
By Chandra Shekhar · Posted December 23, 2008; 11:32 a.m.
A Princeton-led team of researchers has discovered an entirely new mechanism for making common electronic materials emit laser beams. The finding could lead to lasers that operate more efficiently and at higher temperatures than existing devices, and find applications in environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics.
Students plan green makeover for old factory
By Chris Emery · Posted December 18, 2008; 10:00 a.m.
A group of Princeton engineering students is reimagining a 19th-century textile factory as a modern, energy-efficient headquarters for a Trenton nonprofit. Their goal: Save money; save the planet.
Zarnstorff, Prager earn Dawson Award
By Staff · Posted December 16, 2008; 02:05 p.m.
Michael Zarnstorff of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Stewart Prager, who has been named the next director of the lab, have received the American Physical Society's 2008 Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics.
Science key to helping the economy, leaders say
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted December 15, 2008; 04:40 p.m.
National leaders in politics, business, research and education, including Princeton University President Shirley M. Tilghman, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, met on campus today and called for renewing America's commitment to science and technology. Such an effort, they said, may be the best long-term cure for the nation's ailing economy.
Sugar can be addictive, Princeton scientist says
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted December 10, 2008; 06:00 a.m.
A Princeton University scientist will present new evidence today demonstrating that sugar can be an addictive substance, wielding its power over the brains of lab animals in a manner similar to many drugs of abuse.
Princeton-led team finds secret ingredient for the health of tropical rainforests
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted December 9, 2008; 09:00 a.m.
A team of researchers led by Princeton University scientists has found for the first time that tropical rainforests, a vital part of the Earth's ecosystem, rely on the rare trace element molybdenum to capture the nitrogen fertilizer needed to support their wildly productive growth. Most of the nitrogen that supports the rapid, lush growth of rainforests comes from tiny bacteria that can turn nitrogen in the air into fertilizer in the soil.
Treisman wins Grawemeyer Award for Psychology
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted December 2, 2008; 10:00 p.m.
A Princeton University scientist whose work has explored how brains build meaningful images from a sea of visual information has won the 2009 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology.
Eyes on the environment
By Hilary Parker · Posted December 1, 2008; 10:36 a.m.
In studying the ecological concerns related to oil palm, Princeton ecologist David Wilcove also is analyzing the industry's economic and social impact -- an approach that defines his mission as a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and public affairs, and as director of the Program in Environmental Studies. In his research and teaching, Wilcove marries scientific expertise with policy studies in trying to identify solutions to some of the world's most pressing environmental problems.
Princeton scientists win Blavatniks
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted November 26, 2008; 09:53 a.m.
Princeton researchers have garnered three of the top five Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists bestowed by the New York Academy of Sciences.
Billington receives Distinguished Award of Merit for engineering achievements
By Chris Emery · Posted November 21, 2008; 01:30 p.m.
David Billington, a Princeton professor of civil and environmental engineering, has received the 2008 Distinguished Award of Merit from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC).
Pondering the differences between minds and machines
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted November 13, 2008; 10:13 a.m.
Princeton neuroscientist Asif Ghazanfar is asking students in his freshman seminar to do nothing less than rethink the way the brain and body interact and to deeply consider a new science underlying what he calls "the biology of thought."
Evolution's new wrinkle: Proteins with cruise control provide new perspective
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted November 10, 2008; 10:00 a.m.
A team of Princeton University scientists has discovered that chains of proteins found in most living organisms act like adaptive machines, possessing the ability to control their own evolution.
Nelson, Petta awarded prestigious Packard Fellowships
By Staff · Posted October 31, 2008; 11:38 a.m.
Celeste Nelson, an assistant professor of chemical engineering, and Jason Petta, an assistant professor of physics, have been chosen to receive the highly selective David and Lucile Packard Foundation's Fellowships for Science and Engineering.
As a citizen scientist, Mian informs South Asian nuclear debate
By Emily Aronson · Posted October 30, 2008; 11:30 a.m.
Zia Mian has embraced the role of citizen scientist since he began pondering nuclear disarmament issues more than two decades ago. A research scientist with the Program on Science and Global Security in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Mian uses his training as a physicist to inform international policymakers, government officials and the general public about the dangers of nuclear weapons.
Yazdani named one of 'Brilliant 10' by Popular Science magazine
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted October 29, 2008; 10:54 a.m.
Popular Science magazine has named Princeton's Ali Yazdani, a professor of physics, one of its "Brilliant 10" in its seventh annual listing of top young scientists.
Holmes to receive 2009 Lyapunov Award
By Chris Emery · Posted October 27, 2008; 05:53 p.m.
Philip Holmes, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has won the 2009 Lyapunov Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Princeton scientists create a 'cauldron of brainstorming'
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted October 27, 2008; 11:07 a.m.
The Princeton Center for Theoretical Science, which formally opened its new quarters on the fourth floor of Jadwin Hall in September, serves as a meeting place for scientists of disparate backgrounds. Mathematics and the principles of physics are the common language spoken here. And the willingness to cross the boundaries of various scientific disciplines -- either to find answers that relate to one's own area or to seek out new questions elsewhere -- is the price of admission.
Choueiri elected president of the Lebanese Academy of Sciences
By Chris Emery · Posted October 20, 2008; 12:08 p.m.
Edgar Choueiri, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has been elected president of the Lebanese Academy of Sciences.
BP and Princeton renew partnership to tackle climate problem
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted October 15, 2008; 10:00 a.m.
Energy company BP has committed to a five-year renewal of a joint research partnership with Princeton University that identifies ways of tackling the world's climate problem. It will support Princeton to at least its current level of funding for the years 2011 to 2015.
Princeton materials science center wins $20 million NSF award
By Chris Emery · Posted October 13, 2008; 09:00 a.m.
The National Science Foundation has awarded nearly $20 million to the Princeton Center for Complex Materials, an interdisciplinary research program dedicated to improving and developing materials for uses ranging from alternative energy production to quantum computing.
Nobel goes to former Princeton researcher for discovery made here
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted October 8, 2008; 01:34 p.m.
Osamu Shimomura, who today was named a winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry, will receive the award for a discovery he made while working at Princeton.
Torquato honored as outstanding contributor to materials physics
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted October 7, 2008; 04:35 p.m.
Salvatore Torquato, a professor of chemistry at Princeton, has been selected to receive the 2009 David Adler Lectureship Award by the American Physical Society (APS).
Sorensen to receive national chemistry award
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted September 30, 2008; 10:32 a.m.
Erik Sorensen, the Arthur Allan Patchett Professor in Organic Chemistry at Princeton, has been recognized by the American Chemical Society (ACS) for his research excellence.
Sherrerd funds new building at intersection of engineering and social science
By Chris Emery · Posted September 29, 2008; 12:00 p.m.
A major donation to the University by the late John J.F. Sherrerd, a 1952 alumnus and longtime Princeton supporter, has funded construction of a building for emerging fields of study at the intersection of engineering and the social sciences. The building, to be named Sherrerd Hall, will provide a home for the Department of Operations Research and Financial Engineering (ORFE) and the Center for Information Technology Policy, two rapidly growing areas aimed at improving decision-making in business and government related to risk and information technology.
Princeton's newest building a study in light
By Chris Emery · Posted September 29, 2008; 12:00 p.m.
Dusk renders Sherrerd Hall invisible. Princeton's newest building, a deceptively simple glass cube nestled into the east side of campus, dissolves into the silhouette of nearby sycamore trees and the fiery clouds of a late summer sunset.
Princeton faculty win prestigious NIH awards
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted September 25, 2008; 01:14 p.m.
Four Princeton faculty members have been awarded grants from the National Institutes of Health for work deemed "high impact" by the federal medical research agency.
Best way to treat malaria: Avoid using same drug for everyone, scientists say
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted September 5, 2008; 10:53 a.m.
A team of scientists employing a sophisticated computer model pioneered at Princeton University and Resources for the Future has found that many governments worldwide are recommending the wrong kind of malaria treatment.
A light bulb and a few chemicals: Scientists find a way to help make new reactions
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted September 4, 2008; 02:00 p.m.
Princeton scientists have discovered a way of stimulating organic molecules that they expect will prompt researchers to create materials from new kinds of chemical reactions.
$10 million NSF grant to fund research on fundamental questions in computer science
By Teresa Riordan · Posted August 20, 2008; 05:20 p.m.
Princeton University is the lead institution for a new $10 million National Science Foundation grant that will fund research on "intractability" -- a concept that has profound implications for a broad range of fields, from e-commerce to quantum computing.
Debenedetti receives chemical engineering honor
By Steven Schultz · Posted August 19, 2008; 12:40 p.m.
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers has selected Pablo Debenedetti to receive the 2008 William H. Walker Award for Excellence in Contributions to Chemical Engineering Literature.
'Virtual archaeologist' reconnects fragments of an ancient civilization
By Chandra Shekhar · Posted August 13, 2008; 04:09 p.m.
For several decades, archaeologists in Greece have been painstakingly attempting to reconstruct wall paintings that hold valuable clues to the ancient culture of Thera, an island civilization that was buried under volcanic ash more than 3,500 years ago. This Herculean task -- more than a century of further work at the current rate -- soon may get much easier, thanks to an automated system developed by a team of Princeton University computer scientists working in collaboration with archaeologists in Greece.
Whom do we fear or trust? Faces instantly guide us, scientists say
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted August 5, 2008; 09:57 a.m.
A pair of Princeton psychology researchers has developed a computer program that allows scientists to analyze better than ever before what it is about certain human faces that makes them look either trustworthy or fearsome. In doing so, they have also found that the program allows them to construct computer-generated faces that display the most trustworthy or dominant faces possible. Such work could have implications for those who care what effect their faces may have upon a beholder, from salespeople to criminal defendants, the researchers said.
Murphy dubbed Keck Young Scholar
By Kitta MacPherson · 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.
Scientists spy an electron dance in a magnetic field
By Kitta MacPherson · 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
By Staff · 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
By Staff · 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."
Teachers find DNA and inspiration in summer program
By Kitta MacPherson · 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.
Prager to lead DOE's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
By Ruth Stevens · 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.
Princeton students explore Lake Carnegie for nature's sake
By Kitta MacPherson · 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.
Maeder fund to promote innovation in energy and environment research
By Hilary Parker · 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.
Anderson gift supports professorship in energy and environment
By Staff · 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.
International business leader Gerhard R. Andlinger makes $100 million gift to transform energy and environment research at Princeton
By Steven Schultz · 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.
Barrons' gift to support work that connects environment and humanities
By Staff · 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.
Couzin named Searle Scholar
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted June 26, 2008; 03:20 p.m.
Iain Couzin, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton, has been named a 2008 Searle Scholar for his innovative research.
Princeton selected by NOAA for climate research program
By Staff · Posted June 12, 2008; 10:00 a.m.
After a competitive review process, Princeton University's Cooperative Institute for Climate Science has been selected as a collaborative research partner by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Four faculty selected as Howard Hughes investigators
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted June 9, 2008; 12:20 p.m.
Four Princeton faculty members are among 56 researchers who have been selected as the newest class of Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators. Being selected is one of the highest honors in biomedical research.
Thinking ahead: Bacteria anticipate coming changes in their environment
By Chandra Shekhar · Posted June 9, 2008; 10:47 a.m.
A new study by Princeton University researchers shows for the first time that bacteria don't just react to changes in their surroundings -- they anticipate and prepare for them. The findings, reported in the June 6 issue of Science, challenge the prevailing notion that only organisms with complex nervous systems have this ability.
Gilbert Hunt, probability expert, dies at 92
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted June 9, 2008; 10:19 a.m.
Gilbert Hunt, a professor emeritus of mathematics at Princeton University and one of the world's recognized authorities in the fields of probability theory and analysis, has died. He was 92.
Seeing stars: Princeton University scientists witness once-in-a-lifetime event
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 21, 2008; 01:00 p.m.
When she peered into the screen of her computer one day in January, Alicia Soderberg was supposed to see a small, dull glowing smudge in one corner, the evidence of a month-old supernova that would help her better understand the mystery of these huge exploding stars. Instead, she and her Princeton University colleague Edo Berger became the first astronomers to catch a star in the act of exploding. The once-in-a-lifetime event, described in a paper published in the May 22 issue of Nature, has transfixed the worldwide astronomical community.
Levin chosen as member of Italian academic institute
By Staff · Posted May 21, 2008; 09:16 a.m.
Princeton ecologist Simon Levin, who has made major contributions in the areas of biological conservation and ecosystem management, has been selected as a foreign member of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, a venerable Italian academic institute.
What's bugging locusts? It could be they're hungry -- for each other
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 8, 2008; 12:17 p.m.
Since ancient times, locust plagues have been viewed as one of the most spectacular events in nature. In seemingly spontaneous fashion, as many as 10 billion critters can suddenly swarm the air and carpet the ground, blazing destructive paths that bring starvation and economic ruin. What makes them do it? A team of scientists led by Iain Couzin of Princeton University and including colleagues at the University of Oxford and the University of Sydney believes it may finally have an answer to this enduring mystery.
Rainfall and river networks prove accurate predictors of fish biodiversity
By Teresa Riordan · Posted May 7, 2008; 01:00 p.m.
Princeton researchers have invented a method for turning simple data about rainfall and river networks into accurate assessments of fish biodiversity, allowing better prediction of the effects of climate change and the ecological impact of man-made structures like dams.
Melting defects could lead to smaller, more powerful microchips
By Chandra Shekhar · Posted May 4, 2008; 01:00 p.m.
As microchips shrink, even tiny defects in the lines, dots and other shapes etched on them become major barriers to performance. Princeton engineers have now found a way to literally melt away such defects, using a process that could dramatically improve chip quality without increasing fabrication cost.
Princeton University survey finds 'pain gap'
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 1, 2008; 07:00 p.m.
A novel study that attempts to paint the most accurate and detailed description yet of how Americans experience pain has found that a significant portion of the population -- 28 percent -- are in pain at any given moment and those with less education and lower income spend more of their time in pain. Those in pain are less likely to work or socialize with others and are more inclined to watch television than the pain-free.
University approves new certificates in global health, energy
By Ushma Patel · Posted April 30, 2008; 06:18 p.m.
The University has approved two new undergraduate certificate programs for the 2008-09 academic year, one focusing on sustainable energy and another on global health and health policy.
Princeton scientists discover exotic quantum state of matter
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted April 24, 2008; 12:54 p.m.
A team of scientists from Princeton University has found that one of the most intriguing phenomena in condensed-matter physics -- known as the quantum Hall effect -- can occur in nature in a way that no one has ever before seen.
Researchers map the math in music
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted April 17, 2008; 02:00 p.m.
The connection between music and mathematics has fascinated scholars for centuries. Now, three music professors – Clifton Callender at Florida State University, Ian Quinn at Yale University and Dmitri Tymoczko at Princeton University -- have devised a new way of analyzing and categorizing music that takes advantage of the deep, complex mathematics they see enmeshed in its very fabric.
Leading physicist John Wheeler dies at age 96
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted April 14, 2008; 05:40 p.m.
John Archibald Wheeler, a legend in physics who coined the term "black hole" and whose myriad scientific contributions figured in many of the research advances of the 20th century, has died. Wheeler, the Joseph Henry Professor of Physics Emeritus, at Princeton University, was 96. He succumbed to pneumonia on Sunday, April 13, at his home in Hightstown, N.J.
Where's the glue? Scientists find a surprise when they look for what binds in superconductivity
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted April 10, 2008; 02:00 p.m.
Provocative results yielded by two years of experiments carried out at Princeton University have a group of scientists saying that high-temperature superconductivity does not hinge on a magical glue binding electrons together. The secret to superconductivity, they say, may rest instead on the ability of electrons to take advantage of their natural repulsion in a complex situation.
Ant guts could pave the way for better drugs
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted March 25, 2008; 02:18 p.m.
Scientists have discovered two key proteins that guide one of the two groups of pathogenic bacteria to make their hardy outer shells -- their defense against the world.
Science on the fly: Expo gives kids a taste of research for a day
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted March 20, 2008; 03:46 p.m.
The three students from Timberlane Middle School in Hopewell had never heard of superconductivity before. Nor did they know anything about the scientist before them. But the seventh-graders knew a good thing when they saw it. "Cool," they uttered in unison, as Robert Cava, the Russell Wellman Moore Professor of Chemistry at Princeton, placed one piece of a magnet on Tristan Wheatley's palm and made another "stick" to the underside of the youth's hand just below the other magnet. They were among 1,000 middle school students attending Princeton's March 19 Science and Engineering Expo, where they did hands-on science with some of the ablest researchers in the world.
Satellite reveals treasure trove of data, including evidence for early universe neutrinos
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted March 7, 2008; 05:21 p.m.
A NASA satellite built in partnership with Princeton scientists has uncovered evidence that a sea of neutrinos -- almost weightless elementary particles that zip around at nearly the speed of light -- permeates the universe. The discovery, announced March 7 by NASA, is part of a treasure trove of findings gleaned from five years of data collected by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP).
Five awarded Sloan Research Fellowships
By Staff · Posted March 5, 2008; 08:49 a.m.
Five Princeton faculty members have been selected to receive 2008 Sloan Research Fellowships, highly competitive grants to outstanding scientists and scholars early in their careers.
First look: Princeton researchers peek into deepest recesses of human brain
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted February 28, 2008; 02:00 p.m.
A team of scientists from Princeton University has devised a new experimental technique that produces some of the best functional images ever taken of the human brainstem, the most primitive area of the brain.
Engineering school's growth targets societal needs
By Teresa Riordan · Posted February 25, 2008; 05:48 p.m.
H. Vincent Poor, a 1977 graduate alumnus who became dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science in June 2006, epitomizes Princeton's tradition of the teacher-scholar. In this interview, he talks about the school, reflecting on its past and contemplating its future.
Attack on computer memory reveals vulnerability of widely used security systems
By Hilary Parker · Posted February 21, 2008; 11:42 a.m.
A team of academic, industry and independent researchers has demonstrated a new class of computer attacks that compromise the contents of "secure" memory systems, particularly in laptops. The attacks overcome a broad set of security measures called "disk encryption," which are meant to secure information stored in a computer's permanent memory. The researchers cracked several widely used technologies, including Microsoft's BitLocker, Apple's FileVault and Linux's dm-crypt, and described the attacks in a paper and video published on the Web Feb. 21.
Princeton researchers envision a more secure Internet
By Teresa Riordan · Posted February 15, 2008; 02:18 p.m.
Like human society itself, the world's computerized infrastructure is wondrously complex, both spectacularly fertile and deeply flawed. Just how can a system be made more secure? Some of the most influential thinkers on this question sit just a few dozen steps away from each other in the engineering complex on the Princeton campus.
Socolow helps identify greatest technological challenges
By Teresa Riordan · Posted February 15, 2008; 02:12 p.m.
Princeton professor Robert Socolow is one of 18 leading thinkers who served on a National Academy of Engineering (NAE) panel that released a report Feb. 15 identifying the greatest technological challenges facing society in this century.
Ostriker elected treasurer of NAS
By Staff · Posted February 13, 2008; 07:23 p.m.
Jeremiah Ostriker, professor of astrophysical sciences, has been elected treasurer of the National Academy of Sciences.
Groves earns Grand Prix in chemistry
By Staff · Posted February 13, 2008; 07:19 p.m.
John Groves, the Hugh Stott Taylor Chair of Chemistry, is one of two people selected to receive the 2008 Grand Prix de la Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie. The ceremony will take place Oct. 1 in Paris.
Ernest Johnson, accomplished researcher and educator, dies
By Hilary Parker · Posted February 11, 2008; 12:51 p.m.
Renowned educator and researcher Ernest Johnson, an expert in process control, nuclear fusion power and hazardous waste management, died Feb. 2. He was 89.
For geoscientist Simons, Earth's deepest secrets may come from the sea
By Chad Boutin · Posted January 28, 2008; 12:37 p.m.
Princeton Earth scientist Frederik Simons believes the answers to questions about such unpredictable and destructive acts of nature as earthquakes and volcanoes might best be found floating in the ocean. Despite hundreds of seismometers and geological studies, scientists still have an imperfect understanding of what happens deep within the planet where these phenomena begin. Simons has developed a custom-made, free-floating sensor that could provide a clearer picture of the Earth's interior by using the additional perspective only the oceans can provide.
Fine print: New technique allows fast printing of microscopic electronics
By Steven Schultz · Posted January 24, 2008; 05:24 p.m.
A new technique for printing extraordinarily thin lines quickly over wide areas could lead to larger, less expensive and more versatile electronic displays as well new medical devices, sensors and other technologies.
Silhavy earns first Novitski Prize
By Staff · Posted January 20, 2008; 06:13 p.m.
Thomas Silhavy, the Warner-Lambert Parke-Davis Professor of Molecular Biology, has received the first Novitski Prize from the Genetics Society of America.
Science Olympians leverage their knowledge
By Teresa Riordan · Posted January 8, 2008; 05:49 p.m.
Andy Le and Richard Chu steadied their wooden craft and carefully loaded its prow with precious cargo -- a raw egg. After some careful adjustments (in which duct tape figured prominently), Le and Chu launched the vehicle -- and held their breath. The craft sailed forward regally, but stopped about 40 centimeters shy of the target (the egg safely intact). Le and Chu, sixth-graders at Hammarskjold Middle School in East Brunswick, were among more than 600 middle school and high school students swarming McDonnell and Guyot halls, Schultz Laboratory and Jadwin Gymnasium Tuesday, Jan. 8, demonstrating their scientific chops and honing their engineering know-how.
New route for heredity bypasses DNA
By Nancy Forbes · Posted January 4, 2008; 10:41 a.m.
A group of scientists in Princeton's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology has uncovered a new biological mechanism that could provide a clearer window into a cell's inner workings.
Move over, silicon: Advances pave way for powerful carbon-based electronics
By Steven Schultz · 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.
Testing the waters in Bermuda for global warming
By Karin Dienst · 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.
Rodríguez-Iturbe named to Pontifical Academy
By Teresa Riordan · 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.
For neuroscientist Sabine Kastner, the eye is a window to mind's workings
By Chad Boutin · Posted December 3, 2007; 11:00 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?
Together to fly: Age-old question pushes four scientists to step beyond their fields -- into each other's
By Chad Boutin · Posted November 19, 2007; 04:13 p.m.
In the equipment-filled rooms of Princeton's Icahn Laboratory, nearly everything in sight is advancing through some stage of development. Newly hatched fruit flies crowd each other in their glass tube nurseries; a freshly modified microscope for examining the insects exposes its wire-forested innards. A recent biology paper lies open to its last page, where the list of new questions the work has inspired beckons a future research team to probe the mysteries of life even further. For the past five years, a quartet of Princeton researchers has undergone a development of its own, trying to resolve a tricky and timeworn issue about the first moments of life by examining the fruit fly.
Princeton scientists break cholera's lines of communication
By Chad Boutin · Posted November 14, 2007; 01:00 p.m.
A team of Princeton scientists has discovered a key mechanism in how bacteria communicate with each other, a pivotal breakthrough that could lead to treatments for cholera and other bacterial diseases. The mechanism is a chemical that cholera bacteria use for transmitting messages to each other, known as CAI-1, and has been isolated in the lab of molecular biologist Bonnie Bassler. Her team has shown that the chemical also can be used to disrupt the communication that exists among the bacteria, potentially halting the disease's progress. The discovery could lead to an entirely new class of antibiotics.
New computer architecture aids emergency response
By Teresa Riordan · Posted October 31, 2007; 10:21 a.m.
Princeton researchers have invented a computer architecture that enables the secure transmission of crucial rescue information to first responders during events such as natural disasters, fires or terrorist attacks.
Three selected as AAAS fellows
By Chad Boutin · Posted October 25, 2007; 02:00 p.m.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has selected three members of the Princeton University community as fellows in recognition of their "efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished."
Need for speed: Engineering propels champion cyclist
By Hilary Parker · Posted October 25, 2007; 08:00 a.m.
Nick Frey sat at rapt attention in his fluid mechanics course last spring, absorbing principles that he would end up applying halfway around the world this fall. The mechanical and aerospace engineering major was conjuring ways to put his newfound knowledge to work in modifications to his racing bike.
To determine election outcomes, study says snap judgments are sufficient
By Chad Boutin · Posted October 22, 2007; 05:00 p.m.
A split-second glance at two candidates' faces is often enough to determine which one will win an election, according to a Princeton University study.
Brain cell growth diminishes long before old age strikes, animal study shows
By Chad Boutin · Posted October 15, 2007; 05:00 p.m.
Even early in adulthood, aging begins to slow the mind's growth -- but it does not have to stop it altogether, suggest Princeton neuroscientists who are studying the brains of adult monkeys.
Princeton experts focus energy on sustainable human future
By Chad Boutin · Posted October 15, 2007; 11:23 a.m.
Humanity can't go on like this.
Earth's climate is shifting, and it is all but certainly civilization's fault for burning fossil fuels and spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. To avert the economic and environmental crisis that unchecked global warming is predicted to bring, humanity needs a sustainable way of living that threatens neither society nor the planet — and hundreds of Princeton researchers are banding together to find one.Novel semiconductor structure bends light 'wrong' way -- the right direction for many applications
By Hilary Parker · Posted October 14, 2007; 01:00 p.m.
A Princeton-led research team has created an easy-to-produce material from the stuff of computer chips that has the rare ability to bend light in the opposite direction from all naturally occurring materials. This startling property may contribute to significant advances in many areas, including high-speed communications, medical diagnostics and detection of terrorist threats.
Princeton faculty part of Nobel-winning panel
By Emily Aronson · Posted October 12, 2007; 07:06 p.m.
Eleven Princeton faculty members have been involved in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, Oct. 12. Michael Celia, Leo Donner, Anand Gnanadesikan, Isaac Held, Gabiel Lau, Denise Mauzerall, Michael Oppenheimer, Venkatachalam Ramaswamy, Jorge Sarmiento, Robert Socolow and Robert Williams have contributed to panel reports over the years.
Boaz Barak named Packard Fellow
By Teresa Riordan · Posted October 10, 2007; 05:18 p.m.
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has named Boaz Barak, an assistant professor of computer science at Princeton, one of 20 new recipients of Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering. Each Packard Fellow receives an unrestricted research grant of $625,000 over five years.
Llinás brings new approach to age-old mystery of malaria
By Chad Boutin · Posted October 8, 2007; 01:25 p.m.
In what might be one of medicine's oldest puzzles, molecular biologist Manuel Llinás marvels at how little modern researchers know about how the pieces fit together.
"Malaria is one of the oldest diseases known to mankind, but even now, more than 2 million people die of it every year. No vaccine has ever been developed," said Llinás, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics. "Compared to most other diseases with familiar names, malaria remains a mystery."
Llinás receives newly created NIH award
By Chad Boutin · Posted September 24, 2007; 11:06 a.m.
Princeton's Manuel Llinás has been selected to receive a National Institutes of Health New Innovator Award, which provides early-career scientists with $1.5 million over a five-year period.
Green skies: Engineer's work may reduce jet travel's role in global warming
By Hilary Parker · Posted September 13, 2007; 10:10 a.m.
Princeton Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Fred Dryer has a lofty goal: end the nation's reliance on oil for jet travel. With potentially major benefits for energy security and the environment riding upon his success, Dryer is advancing the fundamental knowledge of jet fuels while developing practical, innovative energy sources.
Preparing to Lead: Internships pair students with executives
By Hilary Parker · Posted September 13, 2007; 10:09 a.m.
Mechanical and aerospace engineering major Zhen Xia is accustomed to solving problems that have cut-and-dried solutions, but an internship at IBM this past summer taught him how to approach problems that don't have one right answer. As part of a new internship program, Xia spent three months working with senior marketing executives at the IBM corporate offices in Somers, N.Y. From analyzing the brand's image to establishing a business case for a new product launch, he found himself in the midst of the complicated intricacies of the business world.
Princeton engineers develop low-cost recipe for patterning microchips
By Hilary Parker · Posted September 2, 2007; 01:00 p.m.
Creating ultrasmall grooves on microchips -- a key part of many modern technologies -- is about to become as easy as making a sandwich, using a new process invented by Princeton engineers.
Providing neuroscientists with a window to the brain
By Chad Boutin · Posted August 30, 2007; 10:11 a.m.
When Princeton neuroscientists want a close-up view of the brain, they need look no further than Green Hall's magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner.
Verdu recognized for information theory work
By Hilary Parker · Posted August 29, 2007; 09:18 p.m.
The Information Theory Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has recognized electrical engineering professor Sergio Verdu with its most prestigious honor, the 2007 Claude E. Shannon Award, for his "consistent and profound contributions to the field of information theory."
Debenedetti earns award for research on liquids
By Steven Schultz · Posted August 21, 2007; 07:09 p.m.
Chemical engineering professor Pablo Debenedetti has been named the 2008 recipient of the Joel Henry Hildebrand Award in the Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry of Liquids.
New summer program draws undergraduates to brain science
By Chad Boutin · Posted August 20, 2007; 12:00 p.m.
Five Princeton undergraduates are taking a good look inside the brain with some of neuroscience's latest tools and techniques during a nine-week internship program the University initiated this summer. The goal is to attract the next generation of researchers to one of science's fastest-growing and most challenging fields.
Princeton scientists confirm long-held theory about source of sunshine
By Chad Boutin · Posted August 20, 2007; 05:00 a.m.
Scientists are a step closer to understanding sunshine. A monumental experiment buried deep beneath the mountains of Italy has provided Princeton physicists with a clearer understanding of the sun's heart -- and of a mysterious class of subatomic particles born there.
Chiang honored for world-changing work
By Hilary Parker · Posted August 15, 2007; 02:58 p.m.
Princeton electrical engineer Mung Chiang has been named one of the world's top 35 innovators under the age of 35 by Technology Review magazine.
Cities incite thunderstorms, researchers find
By Teresa Riordan · Posted August 15, 2007; 11:39 a.m.
Summer thunderstorms become much more fierce when they collide with a city than they would otherwise be in the open countryside, according to research led by Princeton engineers. Alexandros Ntelekos and James Smith of Princeton University's School of Engineering and Applied Science based their conclusion on computer models and detailed observations of an extreme thunderstorm that hit Baltimore in July 2004.
Princeton's self-driving car selected as semifinalist in DARPA competition
By Teresa Riordan · Posted August 13, 2007; 03:16 p.m.
Princeton undergraduates who have engineered a self-driving car designed to navigate city streets without human help have been selected as semifinalists in a hotly contested Pentagon competition with top prizes worth $3.5 million.
Italians sample science and America at Gran Sasso summer program
By Chad Boutin · Posted August 9, 2007; 02:00 p.m.
Far from their homes in the mountains of central Italy, a group of 22 high school students are spending three weeks on the Princeton campus, plunging deeper into science and American society than they ever have. Now in its fourth summer, the Gran Sasso-Princeton Physics Summer School draws promising young talent from the Italian region of Abruzzo, which is also home to the Gran Sasso National Laboratory.
Materials academy tackles multiple societal challenges
By Hilary Parker · Posted July 30, 2007; 01:28 p.m.
A little clay and sawdust went a long way at Princeton this month when a group of Trenton-area high school students used the simple materials to create effective, low-cost water filters. The project was part of the Princeton University Materials Academy outreach program for underrepresented minorities and low-income students, offered each summer by the Princeton Center for Complex Materials.
Satellite system may give ecologists a bird's-eye view
By Hilary Parker · Posted July 23, 2007; 02:58 p.m.
Aerospace engineering professor Jeremy Kasdin usually designs space systems to search for distant planets, but his latest endeavor is on the lookout for creatures close to Earth. Kasdin and Martin Wikelski, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, have collaborated with faculty colleagues and students to develop an innovative satellite system to track the migratory patterns of small birds. The researchers are now seeking support to launch the project.
Chiang chosen as ONR Young Investigator
By Hilary Parker · Posted July 9, 2007; 02:37 p.m.
The Office of Naval Research has named Princeton's Mung Chiang the recipient of Young Investigator Program award to continue his work on communications networks. He is one of only 33 researchers selected this year for the prestigious program, which supports the work of scientists and engineers early in their academic careers "who show exceptional promise for doing creative research."
PPPL summer program empowers next generation of plasma scientists
By Chad Boutin · Posted July 9, 2007; 12:11 p.m.
The future of nuclear fusion and its promise of limitless, clean energy has arrived at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in the form of 28 budding scientists, many of them still in their teens. This contingent of top-notch university and high school students from across the country has gathered for a summer of intensive lab work in plasma physics, the field that could someday provide a way to create power the way the sun does -- by pressing two uncommon forms of hydrogen together until they combine to form helium atoms, releasing a burst of energy in the process.
Groves earns prestigious NIH MERIT award
By Chad Boutin · Posted July 3, 2007; 03:40 p.m.
Princeton chemist John Groves has received a rare MERIT award from the National Institutes of Health to continue exploring iron-based chemistry within living things.
Award honors Peh's research and outreach
By Hilary Parker · Posted July 2, 2007; 11:52 a.m.
Princeton's Li-Shiuan Peh has been named the winner of the 2007 Anita Borg Early Career Award by the Computer Research Association's Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research.
Frontiers of health: Advances in medicine emerge at intersection of engineering and biology
By Hilary Parker · Posted July 2, 2007; 10:50 a.m.
Revolutionary cancer treatments. Potent HIV drugs. Diabetes-fighting stem cells. Princeton engineers are bringing new and often unexpected perspectives to bear in developing these and an array of other medical breakthroughs, while advancing the basic understanding of biology. They are the vanguard of an emerging discipline that links engineering and biology -- with human health as the beneficiary.
Pioneering seismologist Tony Dahlen dies
By Eric Quiñones · Posted June 11, 2007; 03:31 p.m.
Francis Anthony (Tony) Dahlen, a Princeton professor of geosciences who was widely considered the top theoretical seismologist in his field, died of cancer June 3 at the University Medical Center at Princeton. He was 64.
$30 million gift establishes McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience
By Staff · Posted June 8, 2007; 09:00 a.m.
James S. McDonnell III and John F. McDonnell have joined with the JSM Charitable Trust to make a $30 million gift to Princeton University to establish the McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience.
Nanoscale imaging reveals unexpected behaviors in high-temperature superconductors
By Chad Boutin · Posted May 30, 2007; 01:00 p.m.
Recent discoveries regarding the physics of ceramic superconductors may help improve scientists' understanding of resistance-free electrical power. Princeton physicists have found that tiny, isolated patches of superconductivity exist within these substances at higher temperatures than previously were known.
Global health scholars program and lecture series established
By Staff · Posted May 24, 2007; 06:57 p.m.
The Merck Company Foundation and Princeton University will expand upon a 27-year-old partnership to create the Adel Mahmoud Global Health Scholars Program and Lecture Series in Global Health. Funded by a grant from the Merck Company Foundation, the scholars program and lecture series will be based at the Center for Health and Wellbeing, part of Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Berry 'completes the circuit' to find a home in neuroscience
By Chad Boutin · Posted May 24, 2007; 05:11 p.m.
Neuroscientist Michael Berry spends much of his time pondering circuits -- not the electronic sort that appear on a computer chip, but the biological sort that brain cells form to accomplish the still poorly understood calculations involved in thinking.
Princeton team advances to next stage in 'urban challenge' competition
By Teresa Riordan · Posted May 14, 2007; 05:12 p.m.
The Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering team has advanced to the next stage in the Pentagon's "urban challenge" competition, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced May 11.
Celia recognized as outstanding hydrologist
By Hilary Parker · Posted May 10, 2007; 05:31 p.m.
The National Ground Water Association has chosen Michael Celia as the 2008 Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecturer. The prestigious honor, awarded annually since its establishment in 1986, supports the travel of one expert to share his or her work in lectures at universities throughout the world.
Seeking Mars survival secrets
By Chad Boutin · Posted May 10, 2007; 10:45 a.m.
David Smith always wondered whether other planets might harbor life, so when he actually got the opportunity to investigate, he jumped at it. His decision launched him on a year-long mission, leading him to the Kennedy Space Center and back.
Torquato to receive Kleinman Prize
By Chad Boutin · Posted May 7, 2007; 06:23 p.m.
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) has selected Princeton's Salvatore Torquato to receive the Ralph E. Kleinman Prize for his work connecting mathematics with applications outside the field.
Five elected to National Academy of Sciences
By Chad Boutin · Posted May 4, 2007; 03:52 p.m.
Five Princeton faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences this year. They are among 72 new members and 18 foreign associates chosen in recognition of their distinguished and continuing accomplishments in original research.
On a quest for ancient coins, Steiglitz finds inspiration for a book and a course
By Hilary Parker · Posted May 1, 2007; 12:05 p.m.
Computer scientist Ken Steiglitz is happy to admit that he is an eBay addict. For starters, his pre-dawn "grazing" on the popular Internet trading site has yielded a trove of ancient bronze coins to add to his personal collection. Even more, he has discovered a wealth of information to advance the field of auction theory, which lies at the intersection of computer science, economics, mathematics and psychology.