Professors, alum on Time's 100 most influential people list

Princeton connections are scattered throughout Time Magazine's 2007 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Tigers tapped by the publication include David Petraeus GS '85, the commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and two University professors.

The list also includes several individuals more indirectly associated with the University, including spouses, parents and children of alumni.

Listed under "Scientists and Thinkers," geosciences professor Tullis Onstott GS '81 was noted for his discovery of life forms existing far below the Earth's surface.

On an expedition to South Africa, he and his team found bacteria that survive at environmental extremes by radioactively splitting molecules of water and consuming hydrogen and sulfur. This finding hints that extraterrestrial life may exist after all.

"Until we collect living aliens," Time's Carolyn Sayre said in the magazine's description of him, "he's showing us they're probably there to be found."

Onstott, who teaches GEO 255: Life in the Universe, could not be reached for comment.

Astrophysics professor emeritus Neil deGrasse Tyson, who taught AST 203: The Universe during his time at the University from 1999 to 2003, was lauded out for his efforts to spread scientific literacy.

Tyson, who earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard and a doctorate in astrophysics from Columbia, is currently the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

"He's got a larger-than-life personality," the University's chair of the astrophysics department, David Spergel '82, told Time.

The author of seven books — the last of which, "Death by Black Hole," was a New York Times bestseller — Tyson hosts the PBS show Nova Science Now. He was named by People magazine as the "Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive" in 2000 and was also featured in The Daily Princetonian's series on minority professors in the same year, in which he spoke as one of the three black Princeton professors then employed in engineering and the sciences.

Listed under "Leaders and Revolutionaries," Petraeus' description in Time was written by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who praised the general for his ability to bring hope to Americans and Iraqis.

Describing Petraeus as a "warrior-scholar," McCain praised him for his successful efforts to change the outlook in Washington — where, he said, the war in Iraq is increasingly seen as a lost cause.

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"While it is too early to do more than hope for a real measure of success in Iraq," McCain wrote, "that there is reason to hope at all is a testament to the leadership skills of General David Petraeus."

Since taking command earlier this year, Petraeus holds the highest military rank of any University alumnus.

Another Time honoree was New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, whom CBS anchor Katie Couric praised in the magazine for his efforts to rebuild the city in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. For a self-imposed salary of $1 a year, Couric noted, Bloomberg has cut crime rates in the city, prohibited smoking and eliminating trans-fat use in restaurants.

In 2004, Bloomberg donated $36 million to the University for construction of Bloomberg Hall, which was named in honor of his daughter, Emma Bloomberg '01.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, was singled out by Time columnist Joe Klein for his "conservative boldness." Obama, who is married to Michelle Obama '85, has exceeded the fundraising tallies of his chief rival, Sen. Hilary Clinton (D-N.Y.). His supporters, Klein said, see Obama as a beacon of hope, especially because of his successful efforts at "consensus seeking."

In the "Heroes and Pioneers" section, Elizabeth Edwards — a cancer awareness advocate, wife of 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards and mother of Cate Edwards '04 — was praised by singer Melissa Etheridge for her public fight against breast cancer. While the family initially believed that the breast cancer had stalled, they recently discovered that it had metastasized. Instead of retreating from the limelight, Etheridge noted, Edwards has stood by her husband in his current campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Another Time honoree with a familial Princeton connection is recently named Harvard president-elect Drew Gilpin Faust, whom CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien praised in the magazine for being a trailblazer and inspiring those who defy social consensus.

Recently tapped as the first female president of Harvard, she will succeed Lawrence Summers, who stepped down following a firestorm of controversy for comments in early 2005, in which he suggested that the dearth of women in the sciences might be due to "innate differences" between the genders.

Faust comes from a long line of Princetonians, including former University presidents Jonathan Edwards and Aaron Burr. When Faust was applying to colleges in the 1960s, the University did not accept female students.