News

Benziger and Woo '06 design more efficient hydrogen cells

A new type of hydrogen fuel cell promising 100 percent efficiency has emerged from the senior thesis research of Claire Woo '06 and her adviser, chemical engineering professor Jay Benziger.To operate efficiently, current fuel cells need complex systems to control humidity and recover and recycle fuel.

Female Ivy League presidents convene in Cambridge

While half the schools in the Ivy League will soon be helmed by women, there is no single "female leadership style" for them to model their presidencies after, President Tilghman and four other future, current or former female Ivy presidents agreed during a panel discussion in Boston last Thursday.Convened to discuss the changing role of women in higher education, the panel brought together Tilghman, Harvard president-elect Drew Gilpin Faust, Brown president and former Princeton associate provost Ruth Simmons, Penn president and former Princeton provost Amy Gutmann and former Penn president Judith Rodin.During the discussion, the women recalled challenges they faced before rising to become Ivy League presidents, noting incidents of gender bias that they experienced.Simmons not only had to endure gender discrimination, she said, but also racial inequality.

Ahoy Mait-eys!

Students in pirate garb urge retiring chemistry professor Maitland Jones to walk the plank into the Wilson School fountain Friday.

Jett to "Love Rock 'N'Roll" on Dean's Date

Eighties rockers Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will headline the USG's spring concert on Dean's Date, bringing rock n'roll to campus just as students have handed in their final papers and problem sets.USG president Rob Biederman '08 said Jett will perform on Tuesday, May 15, at 5:15 p.m.

Professors named to top honor societies

Ten University professors were elected to two prestigious academic honor societies, the University announced last week.Five professors were elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), while another five current and emeritus professors were tapped to join the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS).Astrophysics professor Bruce Draine, ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB) professor Peter Grant, psychology professor Philip Johnson-Laird, EEB professor Stephen Pacala and astrophysics professor and department chair David Spergel '82 were elected to NAS.Three current and two emeritus professors were chosen to join AAAS: molecular biology professor Bonnie Bassler, history professor emeritus Nell Painter, politics professor emeritus John Waterbury '61 and sociology professors Bruce Western and Viviana Zelizer.The newly selected AAAS members join 222 other recently admitted leaders in their fields.

Helping hands

Ten dollars bought a manicure from professionals in Whig Hall yesterday during the 'Manicure for the Cure' event, which raised money for breast cancer research.

Prof says executive power will grow

Executive power has expanded significantly in the modern era, and little can be done to slow the trend, politics professor David Lewis said in a dinner discussion yesterday in Frist Campus Center.The Constitution, Lewis said, does not specify the limits of presidential power, leaving much open to debate.

P-a-r-t-why? 'Cuz we got to

Listen folks, this is your friend the Weather Guy, a.k.a. Thunder King. I want you to Crtl+S, stand up from your computer, put on some sweet flair and go have a magical Houseparties evening with your best buds.

A dinner to (S)ate (O)ur (S)tomachs

Leaves and berries embellish the top of a beautifully browned pastry, enclosing the tender juices of filet mignon and pate de foie gras.

High radon levels found on campus

Correction Appended The University has closed off the basement of Forbes College after students raised concerns that area, as well as the basement of Edwards Hall, might contain unusually high concentrations of the cancer-causing natural gas radon.Radon is a radioactive gas present in everyday air that can't be seen, smelled or tasted.

For donors, quad's end is bittersweet

While this summer's slated demolition of the often-ridiculed Butler College quad probably doesn't sadden too many students, a small group of alumni are concerned that the memory of their Princeton classes will be bulldozed along with it.In recent months, members of the classes of 1940, '41 and '42 ? who funded the dorms' construction ? have come together to discuss how the contributions of their classmates can continue to be remembered long after the construction of the new Butler College is complete.Conversations with a number of alumni suggest the University is planning to construct individual commemorative plaques for the classes of '22, '40, '41 and '42.

USG posts list of student discounts to be had in town

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but two sophomores believe that University students can at least find good bargains on Nassau Street.Jacob Bornstein '09 and USG vice president Josh Weinstein '09 recently launched Princeton Plus, a new USG initiative that lists restaurants and shops that offer discounts to Princeton students.

Lawn party

Students relax on Frist's South Lawn yesterday evening during FristFest. The event included live bands, carnival games, a make-your-own teddy bear stand, and a clown (c.) as well as a variety of food including tacos, steak, hoagies and cotton candy.

Students complain about crowding in Dillon

As students prepare to strut their stuff during Houseparties this weekend, one might expect Stephens Fitness Center in Dillon Gym to be packed with soon-to-be revelers fitting in some last-minute workouts before they don their sleeveless dresses and formalwear.But some students have expressed mixed opinions about the equipment and facilities at Dillon.Sohaib Perwaiz '10, who said he uses the Stephens almost daily, called his workouts "relaxing" but expressed disappointment with the current offerings of the non-varsity gym.Offering a few suggestions for improving the facility, Perwaiz said, "I think the Stephens Fitness Center should stay open later on the weekends.

Top five majors see increase in enrollment

Correction Appended After a two-year decline in the number of students concentrating in the five largest academic departments at the University, 490 members of the Class of 2009 joined the top five departments last week.

Putnam traces 'social capital'

Civic participation in America has declined in recent years as factors including increased commuting time and a rise in television viewing cause people to neglect social interactions, Harvard professor and bestselling author Robert Putnam told a crowd of more than 100 in Dodds Auditorium yesterday.Befitting someone who studies bowling league participation and dinner party attendance, Putnam was congenial and never stuffy as he paced around the front of the room and walked up and down aisles, his booming voice freeing him from needing a microphone.After a brief introduction by Wilson School professor and civil society scholar Stan Katz, Putnam ? the author of "Making Democracy Work" and the bestselling "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community" ? defined social capital, his topic of study.

Thirsty? Swap that coffee for a fruit smoothie

Can I get a boost with that?Students may find themselves asking this question at a new smoothie shop opening on Nassau Street this summer.

Ex-governor's spouse releases memoir

Dina McGreevey, the ex-wife of former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, has come out swinging this week.With the Tuesday release of her book "Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage," Dina has for the first time voiced anger about her ex-husband and her treatment by the media since his August 2004 revelation of an extramarital affair with state homeland security advisor Golan Cipel and subsequent declaration of homosexuality.The 2004 scandal sparked a firestorm of controversy, forcing the governor to resign amid nationwide debate over the appropriateness of his behavior and the relevance of his sexual orientation.

Pencils for poverty

Think fast

From left: Mary Cait Walthall '08, Jonathan Weed '09 and Tyler Allard '07 act in a skit for the improv comedy group Quipfire's spring show, which opens this Thursday in Theatre Intime.