P E O P L E
Palmina Lapins
Palmina Lapins, known to many on campus as "the sandwich lady," died Oct. 29 at age 82.
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"I always have put my heart into my work, into each sandwich I make," she said in a 1996 article in the Princeton Weekly Bulletin. "I want people to feel good about coming to my sandwich bar. I want them to know I care."
Lapins started her career at Princeton working with a sandwich push cart. But as her touch brought in more business, the Student Center management built her a custom sandwich bar.
Her devotion to her job and her affection for her clientele inspired the class of 1989 to make her an honorary member.
A native of Lithuania, Lapins survived World War II horrors that included the deaths of her two infant children. She began working at Princeton after her husband died.
"Since I have come to work in the Princeton University family, I have never been lonely," she said in the Bulletin story. "People are so wonderful to me."
The University flag flew at half-staff over East Pyne for three days in honor of Lapins. Services were set for 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 3, in the University Chapel.
Spotlight
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Position: Course offerings administrator, Office of the Registrar. Publishing the "Course Offerings" book and maintaining course information. Disseminating statistical information, including federal and state forms, and handling statistical inquiries from individuals on and off campus. She's also a member of the PeopleSoft Student System Implementation Team and splits time between the Office of the Registrar and Partnership 2000 Office.
Quote: "I enjoy being able to work with a diverse group of individuals. My job enables me to interact and work with the University administrators, faculty, departmental coordinators and students."
Other interests: Spending time with her husband and pets, golfing and participating in other outdoor activities.
Briefs
Catherine Keyser, a Princeton senior, has been named a winner of the National Young Playwrights Festival. Her play, "Welcome Home, Virginia Woolf," was set to be performed at the Miranda Theater in New York City Nov. 3.
Keyser, who is majoring in English, has been writing plays since the age of 10 and has won state, national and international awards for her work. The National Young Playwrights honor was awarded by Young Playwrights Inc., which was founded by Stephen Sondheim. The organization offers young writers the opportunity to have their work evaluated by theater professionals and produced off-Broadway.
"Welcome Home, Virginia Woolf" depicts the interactions of three generations of women confronted with questions of identity, purpose and creativity.
Robert Stengel, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has received the Mechanics and Control of Flight Award, bestowed annually by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
The award recognizes outstanding scientific contribution by an individual and was given to him for his "many contributions to the theory and practice of aerospace control and guidance."
Stengel, who earned his Ph.D. from Princeton in 1968, worked as the principal designer of the Apollo Lunar Module manual attitude control logic used for all moon landings, and he contributed to the design of the Space Shuttle guidance and control system. Since joining the Princeton faculty in 1977, he has focused his research on flight control systems and neural networks.
Michael Williams, an engineer at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, received this year's Outstanding Achievement Award from the Fusion Energy Division of the American Nuclear Society.
Williams is head of the PPPL's engineering and technical infrastructure department and is deputy director of NSTX, the lab's leading fusion experiment.
The award recognizes Williams' longstanding research and leadership in past and current fusion energy experiments: Poloidal Divertor Experiment, Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor and National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). It is the most prestigious award from the society's fusion energy division and is presented to a member in recognition of exemplary individual achievement requiring professional excellence and leadership of high caliber in the fusion science and engineering area.
Zhihong Lin, a scientist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, was among 59 young researchers who recently received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers during a ceremony at the White House.
The award provides up to five years of funding to further the recipients' research. Lin also received an Early Career Award from the Department of Energy.
Lin's research involves understanding the physics of hot ionized gasses called plasmas, which are a key component of potential fusion energy systems. When effectively confined in a reactor, plasmas could produce a reliable energy system that is environmentally and economically sustainable.
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November 6, 2000 Contents • Scherer
seeks rock-solid solutions to
deterioration • Committee
meets to discuss search • Leyden
builds on community service ethic at home and
abroad • Spotlight
/ People
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