Professor knighted in Lebanon for research
Lebanon President Emile Lahoud knighted one of Princeton's own professors Edgar Choueiri on Oct. 11. The honor, known as the Medal of the Order of the Cedars, Rank of Knight, is awarded twice a year to foreign nationals who came from Lebanon.
Choueiri, who received the award for his work in astronautics and spacecraft propulsion, is one of only a few scientists recently honored. The ceremony was attended by over 800 people, many of whom were Choueiri's old teachers, friends and family. He said the event stirred in him "deep feelings of gratitude, obligation and soul searching."
After leaving Lebanon in his early teens due to civil war, Choueiri said he now wishes to help "the youth of this rising nation to better appreciate the excitement, promise and rewards in science and technology."
Fortunately for University students, he added that he also believes "teaching is one of the noblest professions" and plans to continue his work at Princeton.
Despite receiving the award for his accomplishments in science, Choueiri's condition for accepting the honor was the ability to speak about human rights issues, such as the feminist movement in Lebanon. In his speech, Choueiri said "science fails to make us better humans," and spoke of his views on increasing women's rights as well as his sadness at the killing of innocent children and civilians throughout the world.
The speech was "very well received," Choueiri said, and he gave over a dozen interviews to the press. A documentary interviewing several of his childhood teachers was also shown at the ceremony, which was "a big surprise" for him.
Choueiri is the chief scientist and director at the University's electric propulsion and plasma dynamics lab. He earned a Ph.D. in Plasma science from Princeton, joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1996 and received tenure in 2002. He also is an associate faculty member in the Program in Plasma Physics and director of the Program in Engineering Physics. — RACHEL ROTHSCHILD
Conference looks at ways to dispose nuclear waste
Atoms are tiny, but they pack some punch, especially when they pile up in the form of nuclear waste.
To address the difficult problem of their disposal, Angela Creager and Michael Gordin, professors in the University's Program in the History of Science, organized a conference from Friday to Saturday.
Harvard professor Peter Galison gave the keynote address: "Wastelands and Wilderness: Forbidden Zones of Nuclear Desecration and Natural Sanctification" in McCormick Hall.
"No one has any good idea of how much the project will cost, but no one estimates it at less than half a trillion dollars," he said of the magnitude of the cleanup challenge. "And that's just the beginning."
Nuclear waste differs from toxic waste in its unusual longevity, he said. Byproducts of nuclear reactions remain radioactive for tens of thousands of years.
Neither the U.S. Department of Energy nor atomic scientists have a convincing strategy to deal with nuclear waste, Galison said. Deactivating nuclear waste is currently impossible, so the Department of Energy has organized facilities like the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to provide safe storage.
The WIPP, located in southern New Mexico, is "the world's first underground repository" licensed to permanently store waste from nuclear weapons research, according to its website.
"The problem [with permanent storage] is letting people 10,000 years in the future know that they're not supposed to dig there," Galison said.
"You could put up a sign that says 'there's something bad here; you can't see it or feel it, but if you dig here you'll die,'" he added. "But then think of all the times that we've breached signs like that," referring to expeditions into the Egyptian Pyramids.
The conference aimed to address academic and social issues. "It's not political because it's nonpartisan, but it deals with things that informed citizens should know," Gordin said.
Scientists' efforts are leading citizens and politicians to discuss the nuclear legacy of the Cold War, he said.
"I don't know if we're seeing direct effects, but we're seeing a lot of the questions raised more and more frequently; questions like what to do with waste, where it came from," Gordin said.
These same questions are being addressed by University students. Caitlin Lippincott, a geosciences senior at Franklin and Marshall College who attended the conference, is focusing her thesis on the Yucca Mountain nuclear site in Nevada.
Lippincott is also interested in nuclear energy in South Korea, which relies on nuclear power and has recently discovered fault lines under some of its power plants.
"The problem with other countries is that they like America as a model [for a storage method], and we haven't figured it out yet," she said.
Gordin said an international approach will be necessary to solve the nuclear waste question, since "its effects will be felt through our cities." — ROBERTO PENA
Alum places 41st overall in NYC Marathon
On Sunday, a sea of people gathered in New York for the running of the 35th annual New York City Marathon. More than 30,000 athletes, including some University students and alumni, ran a 26.2-mile course from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Tavern on the Green, putting their mental and physical abilities to the test.
Catherine Casey '02, former captain of the Princeton cross country team, was the 17th best U.S. female runner and placed 41st overall. Other Princetonian runners included Audrey Banks '07, Emily Eynon '02, Emily Kroshus '04 and Alain Kornhauser, a professor who wore a GPS device throughout the race so others could track his progress. His results were unknown.
"I feel great," Casey said after the race. "I'm still on a high, waiting for it to crash."
It was Casey's first marathon, and her goal was to have a strong one. "Somewhere deep down, I wanted to beat three hours, and even though I didn't, I was able to stay strong and consistent," Casey said. "It went according to plan and it was fun. I decided in August, and I had enough of a base to help me train more easily."
Casey trained with her friend Eynon beginning this summer as part of the Moving Comfort NY team, doing workouts after work and long runs on the weekends.
The pair received plenty of support from their friends and family, not to mention Princetonians.
Members of the Princeton cross country team attended the marathon to support their former teammates. For them, it was a surreal experience.
"It was pretty exciting to see something that you usually watch on TV and to be five feet away from the runners," said Carrie Strickland '05, captain of the team.
Yet, Strickland said watching did not make her feel ready to compete. "I learned that I'm definitely not running a marathon any time soon," she added.
Casey said she was aware of the University presence at the race.
"From a Princeton perspective, it was neat to be out there because there were lots of Princeton people all over," Casey said. "My friend swears she saw a guy running with a Hoagie Haven shirt."
Eynon said running at Princeton aided her training for the marathon.
"My Princeton experience definitely helped," Eynon said. "It helped me to stay in shape. It's hard to stay in shape and stay competitive after graduation."
"I always look back to races that I ran well in college and it helps to keep me going," Eynon added.
Casey said she is unsure of the other marathons she may run in the future. "I'm just enjoying this one for now," she said. "At some point I will. I haven't really thought about it."
Eynon too enjoyed her experience. "It was a perfect day; the crowds in New York are so unbeatable. The race was just as hard, fun and exhilarating as I expected.
But, she too will need a break.
"I want to keep doing them, but not for a while," Eynon said. — VIOLA HUANG
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