News & Notes

Near Eastern studies professor Michael Cook received a Farabi International Award last month from the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology for his contributions to the study of Islam.

Cook received the award for his book “Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong in Islamic Thought,” in which he discusses Islamic ethics relevant to today’s Sunni and Shi’ite populations. He specifically focuses on the “commanding right” and the “forbidding wrong” as guiding doctrines in the Qu’ran, exploring their impact on Muslim life.

The book, which is 700 pages long, was originally published in English and has been translated into Arabic, Indonesian and Persian. The Persian translation has become more popular than its English original in some countries, such as Iran, and is now in its third printing after first being published in 2005.

Cook, the Class of 1943 University Professor of Near Eastern Studies, joined the faculty in 1986 and is considered one of the most important scholars of Islam in the United States. His works, which focus on Islamic history and values, have become classics in his field.

Former chemical

engineering professor dies

Ernest Johnson, well-known professor and nuclear scientist, passed away Feb. 2 at the age of 89 in Freeport, Maine, where he has resided since 2005.

Support nonprofit student journalism. Donate to the ‘Prince’. Donate now »

Johnson joined the University’s department of chemical engineering in 1948 and contributed widely to campus life until his retirement in 1986. For more than 30 years, Johnson worked closely with the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, studying nuclear fission as an important alternative source of energy.

During that time, he also served as associate dean of the faculty for four years and participated in the planning of the E-Quad. He was elected to numerous positions on University committees, also serving as faculty fellow of the Chapel, Butler College, and Elm, Quadrangle and Tower clubs.

Each year, a senior in the chemical engineering department is selected to receive the Ernest F. Johnson Award for Distinguished Service, created by the Central Jersey Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. The award honors students judged by their classmates to be of exceptional character.

Johnson was named New Jersey Engineer of the Year in 1993. Outside of his life at Princeton, Johnson consulted for engineering and environmental companies. He also was active in his church and played the piano and the organ.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Johnson received his bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University in 1940, and in 2000 Lehigh’s Alumni Association bestowed upon him its highest award in recognition of his work. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1949.