News

University scientists study superconductors

The fastest trains in the world don?t drive. They fly.Japan?s Maglev Shinkansen trains, which have achieved record speeds of up to 361 miles per hour, literally float above their tracks, thanks to powerful superconductors, which scientists believe may also one day be used to revolutionize power transmission and electric car motors.In the two decades since high-temperature superconductivity was discovered, however, scientists have failed to understand the phenomenon thoroughly enough to fully harness its tremendous potential.

College Board cancels four AP exams, including its only test in Italian

For incoming students hoping to use high school credit to place out of the University?s language requirement, things have gotten a bit trickier with the College Board?s recent cancellation of four Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, three of which are language tests.Starting in 2010, the Italian, French Literature, Latin Literature and Computer Science AB exams will no longer be offered.While the latter three tests are survived by other exams in their subject ? the AP French Language, Latin: Vergil and Computer Science A exams ? once the changes are implemented there will be no Italian AP exam.The College Board?s executive director of communications, Jennifer Topiel, said in an e-mail that the organization, in its efforts to support ?schools in their work to provide high-quality, college-level AP coursework to their students,? needs to allocate its resources ?appropriately? to continue to provide high-quality support to AP teachers and students.?To do this, we cannot continue to offer two separate courses and exams in several subjects,? she said.By reallocating funding from the discontinued exams and by adding supplementary funds, Topiel said, the College Board?s financial investment in the remaining language exams will increase by about 50 percent.

University community reacts to Tibet-China controversy

As protests around the world surrounding the Olympic torch relay last week drew international attention to the recent violent escalation in the conflict between Tibet and China, Princetonians find themselves considering how international scrutiny of China will affect the conflict.?I don?t feel that the Olympics should be used as leverage for politics,? Lily Shen ?11 said, explaining that the Olympic Games are ?awarded to the country and its people but not to its government ... it?s not the flame of any specific ideology.?

Borough, Township consider merger

A majority of those in attendance at a Princeton community meeting last month expressed support for the consolidation of the Borough and the Township, raising speculation that the disappearance of the boundary between the two municipalities may be imminent.Robert Geddes, the chairman of Princeton Future, the community organization that ran the meeting, said that ?an overwhelming majority? of participants at the meeting raised their hands when asked if they would support consolidation.The level of support for consolidation was unexpected, Geddes noted.

Students take part in political switcharoo

As four students debated current political issues on Tuesday night, the Whig Senate Chamber filled with laughter.

International applications rise at GS

University received 10 percent more international applications to the Graduate School last year than the year before.

U. delegates attend high school LGBT fair in California

Princeton was one of 50 universities that attended a Campus Pride College Admissions Fair last Friday.The fair, organized by Campus Pride, a national nonprofit organization that assesses the gay-friendliness of university campuses, was held in San Diego, Calif.

Esteemed physicist John Wheeler dies at age 96

John Wheeler, a legendary physicist who coined the phrase ?black hole? and who left an indelible mark on the physics department in his four decades as a University professor, died of pneumonia on Sunday at his home in Hightstown, N.J.

From skydiving to sleep: '08s celebrate

Sporting suits and ties, a group of English majors filed into McCosh Hall to turn in their theses last week.?Will Ellerbe [?08] was particularly natty in seersucker,? Kyle Booten ?08, one of the English majors, said in an e-mail.

Dickerson calls for campus unity

Vice President for Campus Life Janet Dickerson addressed a small student audience as part of the ?What Matters Most to Me and Why? lecture series hosted by the Religious Life Council (RLC). Dickerson shared memories of her upbringing and described how the values imparted by her family inform her actions in her current position.One of her present goals, Dickerson explained, is to ?continue to work to create a level playing field,? so that students from different backgrounds can make connections in substantive ways, without feeling that they have to be members of selective organizations.Dickerson reflected on the benefits of growing up in a campus community and told the audience about her childhood in the rural, ?nuclear? community of Denmark, S.C., where she lived on the campus of Voorhees College, a historically all-black institution.?We were really the children of the community,? Dickerson said, adding that she was in many ways ?sheltered? from the harsh reality of segregation at the time.She said that she was especially thankful that her family had placed a strong emphasis on faith and learning.Among the values imparted to her by her faith, Dickerson said, was the concept of hospitality.

Borough launches Jitney service

Local residents and students have a new free option for travel around Princeton Borough. The ?Princeton Free B,? a joint endeavor between the Borough Council, the University and New Jersey Transit (NJT), began limited service yesterday after the University agreed to provide interim funding for the service.Referred to during planning as the ?Jitney,? the local shuttle will eventually be funded by NJT through its Community Shuttle Program.

April 11-13: The Weekend in Pictures

Web Update: Professor emeritus John Wheeler dies

John Wheeler, a legendary physicist who coined the phrase "black hole" and who left an indelible mark in his four decades as a professor at the University, died of pneumonia on Sunday at his home in Hightstown, N.J.

USG sends students to all-Ivy conference

Princeton sent six students to Cornell University to a meeting of the Ivy Council, a colloquium on a variety of issues that pertain to Ivy League universities.

Campaign urges students to ‘Own What You Think’

?Maya Srinivasan [?10] is an amazing person and always willing to help out a friend. She is also brilliant and a great musician.? So read the message submitted by Margaret Byron ?10 projected on a giant screen on Frist North Lawn on Saturday night.

Whitman wraps up Week of Service

Last week, roughly 50 residents of Whitman College ventured off campus to make a difference. The Whitman Week of Service, which was held April 5 -12, featured roughly 20 service projects, from helping in a soup kitchen to tutoring underprivileged children to working on environmental projects.

Borough installs four solar-powered garbage cans

A small child pulls down a flap on a garbage can and throws a piece of trash inside. Once the can closes, he throws up his hands, screams with glee and lovingly hugs the can.

Senate hopefuls promise change

Politics in New Jersey this year are not politics as usual. Seven candidates, including a mayor, a dentist and a former Wilson School professor, are vying to unseat incumbent Sen.

Former University professor among GOP Senate candidates

Former University professor Dick Zimmer is the newest contender in the New Jersey Senate race, and his late entrance has stirred some controversy.

N.J. voting technology in question after discrepancies in February vote

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) were declared winners of the New Jersey presidential primaries, but the ongoing investigation of the discrepancies recorded by several of the state?s electronic voting machines shows that some of the votes may not add up.Last Tuesday, a court subpoenaed electronic voting machines used for the primary elections in six New Jersey counties, including Mercer County, questioning the accuracy and security of the machines.