News

Ex-professor, alum receive genius grants

Two scholars connected with the University were awarded coveted MacArthur fellowships this year, commonly known as "genius grants" because they fund unrestricted creative research by the recipients.Michael Elowitz GS '99 and Claire Kremen, an assistant ecology and evolutionary biology professor from 2001 to 2005, were among the 24 winners announced Tuesday.

MIT Media Lab fosters creativity for an improved society

From harnessing human emotion to composing music using only lines and colors, the MIT Media Lab is pushing the boundaries of the latest technology, lab director Frank Moss '71 said yesterday during a lecture in the Friend Center.Speaking to a largely older audience of around 35 people, Moss ? who studied mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton and earned graduate degrees from MIT ? described his interests in technologies ranging from drug discovery to robotics.Moss said the lab's goal is not only to further scientific advancement, but also to foster "a unique culture and environment for creativity and nonlinear thinking."Moss' scientific background includes stints in the private sector as well as academic research.

Lecture blends God, neurology

Credo, ergo sum ? I believe, therefore I am ? was the central message Andrew Newberg emphasized yesterday in a lecture in McCormick Hall.In "Born to Believe: God, Science and the Origin of Ordinary and Extraordinary Beliefs," Newberg, a medical professor at Penn, described why people believe what they believe and how they arrive at those beliefs.Newberg said he heard audience members questioning the connection between medicine and religion before the lecture began.

U. investment company offers close-knit culture

Seniors interested in investment banking but reluctant to join an unknown and faceless corporation may opt to work for a company that manages money in Princeton's interest, overseeing the endowment and other University investments.Two-dozen students gathered last night at the Nassau Inn for an atypical job information session organized by the Princeton University Investment Company (PRINCO). Though much smaller than the information sessions held in the last few weeks for major firms like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, the hopefuls were still anxious to impress ? or at least to learn more about how the University's money is managed.PRINCO President Andrew Golden said that though the company's offices are in Princeton and not in a big city like most banks' headquarters, working for the company can be attractive to recent graduates because of the firm's small size and close-knit culture.

Career of fortune

OA programs to span year

Through a newly expanded Outdoor Action program, students will now have more opportunities to engage in wilderness activities throughout the year.

Reviews of club aid plan vary

As the University strives to expand upperclassmen's dining choices with the launch of the four-year residential college system, this semester also saw the start of its initiative to provide financial aid for eating club membership. The new policy increases the board allotment for all juniors and seniors and aims to make clubs a more viable option for upperclassmen who might previously have eschewed them as too expensive.Student reaction to the program has generally been positive, but some say that the aid hike only addresses some of the price disparities between eating clubs and other dining options, while not taking into account any social fees clubs might charge.

Ten alums among Forbes' Top 400

Princeton alumni are not known for taking vows of poverty, and the latest Forbes magazine list of the 400 wealthiest Americans proves that belief.Of the billionaires who made the magazine's list, 10 are Princeton alumni and three of those 10 are in the top 50.Published last week, the list, which is in its 25th year, ranks the nation's top billionaires by net worth.

Swastika cut into local field

A 100-square-meter swastika cut into a cornfield in nearby Washington Township was discovered Friday by state police flying over the area on a routine patrol.There have been no arrests made in connection with the incident, but investigators told NBC 10 Philadelphia that the pattern was cut by hand.The symbol lies just off Hankins Road, the location of two similar incidents in July 1998 and June 1999, and is only visible from the air.

Freshman develops online alternative to U-Store

As most incoming freshmen were frantically packing for school a few weeks ago, Lang Wang '11 was spending up to six hours a day inputting the ISBN numbers of Princeton textbooks into his computer.After experiencing sticker shock when shopping for textbooks on the U-Store website, Wang used the two weeks prior to moving in to create princetonstore.com, an alternative to the U-Store, TigerTrade, and other Princeton textbook vendors.

Hoyt steam pipe bursts, occupants evacuated

Hoyt Laboratory was evacuated yesterday afternoon after a steam pipe ruptured and set off a fire alarm.The incident, which occurred around 4:45 p.m., prompted Public Safety to temporarily remove students, faculty and staff from the laboratory.

Market fresh

Greening Princeton's Farmer's Market opened yesterday in front of Firestone Library.

Ahmadinejad arrives at Columbia

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faced a firestorm of harsh criticism from administrators, students and protestors yesterday during a visit to Columbia University.In a speech in the university's Alfred Lerner Hall, he defended his government's pursuit of nuclear energy, denounced the creation of Israel in the Palestinian homeland and declared that homosexuality does not exist in his country.Columbia president Lee Bollinger delivered a stinging introduction of the foreign leader, calling his guest a "petty and cruel dictator" and said that his denial of the Holocaust made him look "illiterate and ignorant."Bollinger, who has been criticized for extending an invitation to the controversial president, defended his decision and argued holding the town hall meeting was the right thing to do, adding that it was required "by the existing norms of free speech, the American university and Columbia itself.""In universities, we have a single-minded commitment to pursue the truth," Bollinger told a crowd of more than 700 people, most of them students.

Unrenovated and unloved, Wu and Wilcox empty out

While the novelty of the just-completed Whitman College dining hall and renovated spaces at Rocky-Mathey have attracted students from across campus, Wilcox and Wu dining halls have been consistently empty since the beginning of the academic year.Butler and Wilson College residents have been forgoing the traditional fare and atmosphere of their own dining halls for the novelties of Whitman and Rocky-Mathey.Meals that used to attract around 250 students to Wu now barely reach 50, said Jordan Bubin '09, student dining services manager, gesturing to the scant number of students seated at the Wilcox tables around him."It's the same sort of thing on each side [of the Butler/Wilson kitchen]," Bubin said.

Meek geek seeks fame and fortune

A 26-year-old graduate student with large glasses and closely cropped curly hair stands opposite a mannequin dressed in women's clothing on prime-time television.Psychologist Debbie Magids gives Joshua Green GS '06 a task: greet this mannequin as if it were your grandmother.

Princetonians: Iranian president wouldn't be welcome

As thousands of protestors marched through the streets surrounding Columbia's campus yesterday, Princeton community members were puzzled and angered by the event that brought Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the podium.

Student-grown fertilizer co. settles Miracle-Gro suit over trademark

A local fertilizer company started by two former Princeton students has settled a lawsuit brought by Miracle-Gro accusing them of false advertising and trademark infringement.Though Scotts Miracle-Gro Company did not receive any monetary damages from TerraCycle, Inc. ? which Tom Szaky '05 and Jon Beyer '05 founded in 2001 ? the fertilizer giant got everything else it sought in the complaint.

Media war intensifies over lawsuit

The battle between the University and the Robertson family is gathering increasing national attention as it continues to play out in the media.

Columbia to host Ahmadinejad

Columbia University will host one of the world's most controversial leaders today when Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivers a much-anticipated speech there this afternoon.Ahmadinejad's visit has stirred controversy on the Columbia campus and attracted national attention.

Water Wars