Princeton University

Nassau notes

Exhibition commemorates Sinai expeditions

An exhibition titled “The Monastery of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai,” is on view through Friday, July 28, in the first floor lounge of the Department of Art and Archaeology in McCormick Hall.

The exhibition of 24 photographs was organized to commemorate Kurt Weitzmann (1904-93) and the Princeton-Michigan expeditions to Mount Sinai. Weitzmann, a professor of art and archaeology at Princeton from 1945 to 1972, and his colleague George Howard Forsyth Jr., a member of Princeton’s class of 1923 and a professor at the University of Michigan, organized a series of expeditions between 1956 and 1965 to Egypt, with the aim of studying the Monastery of St. Catherine and its treasures.

The monastery, which dates to 548-65, is thought by some Biblical scholars to be the location of the “burning bush” where Moses first encountered God. The well-preserved church is decorated with some of the finest sixth-century mosaics. Constructed of local stone, the church also incorporates other building materials, such as wood and marble, which were imported from afar with great difficulty.

The exhibition includes a selection of images from Weitzman’s collection that provides insights into various aspects of the monastery, its environment, its history, its architecture and its perception by early travelers. Some of the photographs are more than a century old and reveal the conditions within the monastery complex that have changed significantly over time.

The photographs, some of which were taken by Weitzman when he was at the monastery, are preserved in the Research Photograph Collection of the Department of Art and Archaeology. The exhibition was conceived in conjunction with a graduate seminar titled “Juncture of Heaven and Earth: The Monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai” taught this spring by Slobodan Curcic, professor of art and archaeology. It was organized and designed by Curcic and Shari Kenfield, curator of the Research Photograph Collection.

Hours for the exhibition are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Immigration issues to be explored

Undocumented Immigration in the United States: The Facts and Where We Go From Here” is the topic of a panel discussion set for 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 1, in 10 East Pyne.

Participating will be: John Borneman, professor of anthropology; Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, senior lecturer in sociology; and Douglas Massey, the Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs.

The event is sponsored by the Program in Latin American Studies, Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Acción Latina y Amigos, Ballet Folklorico de Princeton, Black Graduate Caucus, Black Student Union, Chicano Caucus, College Democrats, Pa’ Delante, Princeton Social Forum and Princeton University Latino Graduate Students.

Water treatment expert to lecture

Marc Edwards, an author of a recent report concerning traces of lead in the drinking water of several metropolitan areas, will speak at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 4, in McCosh 50. His topic will be “Imminent Endangerment: ‘Lead’ Astray by the EPA.”

Edwards is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. An expert in the causes and control of copper and lead corrosion, he has testified before Congress, urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address the impact of water treatment changes on the safety of drinking water. In an August 2005 report, he and other researchers linked traces of lead in Washington, D.C., water to an EPA-mandated switch by local utilities from chlorine to chloramine as a disinfectant.

The event is sponsored by University Public Lectures.

Times’ Risen discusses CIA and Bush

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter James Risen of The New York Times will discuss the CIA and the Bush administration at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.

Risen’s lecture shares the title of his 2006 book, “State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration.”

Risen covers national security for The Times, writing regularly on the intelligence community and its connections to U.S. foreign policy. He shared the 2006 Pulitzer for national reporting with colleague Eric Licht- blau for their coverage of the Bush administration’s domestic surveillance program.

Most recently, Risen has covered the use of U.S. intelligence capabilities in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. He was a member of the reporting team that won the 2002 Pulitzer for explanatory reporting for coverage of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and terrorism.

Risen also co-wrote “Wrath of Angels: The American Abortion War” and “The Main Enemy: The Inside Story of the CIA’s Final Showdown With the KGB.”

The lecture is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Human Rights Watch head to speak

Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, will present the 2006 Donald Bernstein ’75 Lecture at 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 1, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.

His topic will be “Are Human Rights a Hindrance or a Necessity for Fighting Terrorism?”

Roth, who has headed Human Rights Watch since 1993, has conducted human rights investigations around the globe, devoting special attention to issues of justice and accountability for abuses of human rights, standards governing military conduct in a time of war, the human rights policies of the United States and the United Nations, and the human rights responsibilities of multinational businesses.

During Roth’s tenure, the organization has quadrupled in size, expanding its geographic reach and adding special projects devoted to refugees, children’s rights, academic freedom, international justice, AIDS, gay and lesbian rights, and the human rights responsibilities of multinational corporations. Human Rights Watch is now the largest U.S.-based international human rights organization and operates in some 70 countries.

Before joining Human Rights Watch, Roth was a federal prosecutor for the U.S. attorney’s office for the southern district of New York and for the Iran-Contra investigation in Washington.

The event is sponsored by the Program in Law and Public Affairs.

Terrorism in Thailand is topic

Thai scholar Panitan Wattanayagorn will discuss security issues in Thailand and Southeast Asia at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, in 16 Robertson Hall.

His talk is titled “Islam and Conflict in Southeast Asia: Terrorism in Southern Thailand.”

Wattanayagorn, who advises several defense agencies in Thailand, is a professor of international relations at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. He currently is a visiting professor at the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

The lecture is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Talk examines laws, religious groups

Should Religious Groups Ever Be Exempt From Civil Rights Laws?” is the title of a lecture to be delivered by Harvard Law School professor Martha Minow at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.

Minow’s research focuses on inequality, human rights and transitional societies, law and social change, and religion and pluralism. Her books include “Not Only for Myself: Identity, Politics and the Law,” “Making All the Difference: Inclusion, Exclusion and the American Law” and “Between Vengeance and Forgiveness: Facing History After Genocide and Mass Violence.”

The talk is part of the James Moffet ’29 annual lecture series. It is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Human Values, Program in Ethics and Public Affairs, Program in Law and Public Affairs, Center for the Study of Religion and Center for the Study of Democratic Politics.

Wired reindeer herders is topic

Avri Doria, a research consultant with Luleå University of Technology in Sweden, will discuss the Sámi Network Connectivity project in a lecture at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, in the Friend Center auditorium.

The Sámi are a semi-nomadic tribe of reindeer herders. Swedish researchers have combined sensor networks with remote Internet access to provide tribal members with e-mail, cached Web access, reindeer herd-tracking telemetry and basic file and data transfer services. The sensor networks are attached to snowmobiles.

The talk is part of a lecture series on “Technology for Developing Regions” sponsored by the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Student group sponsors quintet performance

Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist and percussionist Vinicius Cantuária and his quintet will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 4, in the University Chapel. The event is the second annual spring concert presented by Modern Improvisational Music Appreciation, a student group that promotes live music on campus. Tickets are free for Princeton University ID holders and $10 for the general public. They may be obtained at the Frist ticket office by calling 258-1742 or by visiting the University Ticketing Web site at www.princeton.edu/utickets.

Faculty, staff blood drive set for May 10-11

An American Red Cross Spring Faculty and Staff Blood Drive is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 10, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, May 11, in Multipurpose Rooms A and B of the Frist Campus Center.

The drive is by appointment only, and times are available every 15 minutes. The blood donation takes only eight to 10 minutes, but the appointment lasts about 45 minutes.

To schedule a time, call the Office of Employee Health at 258-5035 or sign up online at www.membersforlife.org/pennj/schedule/bdc_schools.php.