Princeton University

Princeton Weekly Bulletin April 30, 2007, Vol. 96, No. 25 prev next current

People
• Bohdan Paczynski, renowned astrophysicist, dies
• Spotlight

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Deadlines. In general, the copy deadline for each issue is the Friday 10 days in advance of the Monday cover date. The deadline for the Bulletin that covers May 21-June 3 is Friday, May 11. A complete publication schedule is available at www.princeton.edu/ pr/ pwb/ deadlines.html; or by calling (609) 258-3601.

Editor: Ruth Stevens
Calendar editor: Shani Hilton
Staff writers: Jennifer Greenstein Altmann, Eric Quiñones
Contributing writers: Emily Aronson, Chad Boutin, Ushma Patel
Photographers: Denise Applewhite, John Jameson
Design: Maggie Westergaard
Web edition: Mahlon Lovett

Nassau notes

(photo: Denise Applewhite)

Earth Week tree planting

Members of the campus and local community celebrated Earth Week on April 20 by helping to plant 10 elm trees along Washington Road in West Windsor. Participants included (from left): members of Princeton’s fencing teams Sara Jew-Lim, Alejandro Bras and Steven Liss; James Consolloy, the University’s manager of grounds; West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hseuh; and Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes.

The trees were donated by Georgia-based Riveredge Farms. They grew from cuttings from an elm tree in the cemetery on Witherspoon Street in Princeton. The “Princeton elms” are disease-resistant, and are being planted to replace trees removed due to disease. The plantings also fall under the auspices of the Washington Road Elm Trust, which helped dedicate the street as a National Historic Landscape.

Kenyon discusses anti-aging work

Cynthia Kenyon, a leading researcher on the potential to postpone the aging process, will deliver a lecture titled “Genes From the Fountain of Youth” at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 3, in A02 McDonnell Hall.

Kenyon, the Herbert Boyer Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California-San Francisco, has led pioneering investigations into how to postpone aging in humans. She has conducted research on microscopic worms to explore how genetic changes can allow them to exceed their normal lifespan by six times — providing evidence that the rate of aging is under the control of specific cells, genes and hormones. Her work has led to similar experiments by other researchers that have increased the lifespan of mice.

Kenyon is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has written or co-written more than 50 publications.

Kenyon’s talk, which is intended for a general audience, is designated as the annual Evnin Lecture sponsored by the Council on Science and Technology.

Civic engagement is topic for talk

Robert Putnam, an internationally recognized scholar of civic engagement, will focus on trends in involvement, especially among young people, in a lecture at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.

The Harvard professor’s talk, titled “E Pluribus Unum: Civic Engagement in a Diverse and Changing Society,” will close the Pace Center’s 2006-07 Civic Awareness and Action Series on “The Just Society.”

He will discuss why some young people are growing more involved while others are becoming extremely disengaged, as well as how youth engagement is changing not only politically but also through other institutions and arrangements such as religious involvement and participation in neighborhood and community projects.

Putnam, the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy, was the 2006 recipient of the Skytte Prize, one of the most prestigious international awards for scholarly achievement in political science. A former dean of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, he has written 12 books, including “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community.”

“Excessorize,” by Marisa Reisel

Senior thesis show in visual arts

“Excessorize,” an acrylic painting by Marisa Reisel, will be among the works on display as part of a senior thesis show in visual arts by Reisel and mixed media artist Erin McGarry Tuesday through Friday, May 1-11, at the Lucas Gallery, 185 Nassau St. Hours for the exhibition are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

In addition, senior Kent DeMond will screen his video thesis project, “Atlantis,” at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, in the Katzenbach Room and Thursday, May 3, in the Stewart Film Theater, both at 185 Nassau. An opening reception for all three students is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Fristfest features Stanley Jordan Trio

Students, faculty, staff and their families are invited to the Frist Campus Center to celebrate spring and the conclusion of the academic year at the annual Fristfest Weekend Thursday through Saturday, May 3-5, which will feature a concert by acclaimed jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan.

Fristfest Weekend kicks off at 4 p.m. Thursday with an outdoor picnic and carnival on Frist’s south lawn. Participants will be able to enjoy foods from various regions of the United States as well as live entertainment, games and giveaways. The Stanley Jordan Trio, led by the Grammy-nominated guitarist and 1981 Princeton graduate, will perform at 8 p.m. Other acts will include the BSTREETBAND, a Bruce Springsteen tribute group; the Sensemaya Afrobeat All-Stars; and other student performers.

The picnic menu will include Chicago-style hot dogs, Carolina barbecue and fish fry, Kansas City steaks and New Jersey-style subs. Students with an active meal plan contract can swipe their Princeton ID cards to receive tickets for the picnic dinner. Non-meal plan holders can use cash or points to purchase $2 tickets at the Frist Food Gallery on Thursday, May 3. Free snacks and beverages will be available throughout the afternoon.

The celebration continues Friday at 9 p.m. with an evening of music, dancing and food at the “Taste of Princeton” on the south lawn. Local restaurants will showcase samples from their menu, and a disc jockey and live music will play throughout the evening.

The weekend concludes Saturday with the University Wind Ensemble’s “Concert Under the Stars” on 1879 Green at 9 p.m. A moonlight movie presentation of “Little Miss Sunshine” on the south lawn will follow at 9:30 p.m. Free popcorn, ice cream and churros will be available during the movie.

For a full schedule of events, visit www.princeton.edu/frist.

Wilmerding honored at symposium

A symposium honoring Princeton’s John Wilmerding, one of the country’s leading scholars of American art, will be held from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, in 101 McCormick Hall.

The event, titled “American Views,” will feature lectures evoking many of the topics and themes of Wilmerding’s research and writing — from landscape painting to the art and culture of the 1960s — and highlighting the depth and breadth of his scholarly work as well its lasting significance.

Wilmerding, the Christopher Sarofim ’86 Professor of American Art, has been a Princeton faculty member since 1988 and plans to transfer to emeritus status July 1. He has spent more than 40 years as a professor and as a curator at numerous arts institutions, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Wilmerding has written many books and catalogs on American art, including “American Marine Painting,” “American Views” and “The Artist’s Mount Desert: American Painters on the Maine Coast.”

The symposium is sponsored by the Department of Art and Archaeology. For a full schedule and to register, visit <web.princeton.edu/sites/ArtandArchaeology/AmericanViews/index.html>.

Massey, Appiah among speakers at conference on black diversity

“Diversity in Black America: Immigration and Identity in Academia and Beyond” is the focus of a conference scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to noon Friday, May 4, in 16 Robertson Hall.

Scholars from Princeton and other institutions will deliver talks on issues related to black college students from international and multiracial backgrounds, among other topics. Presentations will include:

• “Who Are the Black Students of Immigrant Origins and Where Do They Come From?” by Douglas Massey, Princeton’s Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs;

• “Reflections on Black Diversity” by Kwame Anthony Appiah, Princeton’s Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Philosophy and the University Center for Human Values;

• “The Historical Significance of Immigrant and Multiracial Black Students at Selective Colleges and Universities” by Kimberly Torres, a postdoctoral researcher in Princeton’s Office of Population Research;

• “Say It Loud, I’m Black and Proud?: Mapping the Racial Identities of Native, Immigrant and Mixed-Race Black College Students” by Camille Charles, associate professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania; and

• “Diversity and Justice: African Americans, Immigrants ‘of Color’ and the Struggle for Institutional Access” by Philip Kasinitz, professor of sociology at Hunter College.

Melissa Harris-Lacewell, an associate professor of politics and core faculty member in the Center for African American Studies at Princeton, will moderate.

A luncheon will follow the conference, which is sponsored by the Policy Research Institute for the Region and the Center for African American Studies. To register, visit region.princeton.edu/conference_41.html.

Panel examines Whittington’s new book on high court

A panel discussion on Princeton constitutional scholar Keith Whittington’s new book, “Political Foundations of Judicial Supremacy: The Presidency, the Supreme Court and Constitutional Leadership in U.S. History,” is set for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, in 2 Robertson Hall.

In his book, Whittington, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics, challenges critics who feel that giving Supreme Court justices the last word on interpreting the U.S. Constitution threatens democracy. Whittington shows that judicial supremacy is, in fact, the product of democratic politics.

Joining Whittington on the panel will be: Ken Kersch, assistant professor of politics at Princeton; Stanley Brubaker, professor of political science at Colgate University and a current visiting fellow at Princeton’s James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions; and Mark Graber, professor of law and government at the University of Maryland. Robert George, Princeton’s McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, will moderate the discussion.

Whittington’s previous works include “Constitutional Construction: Divided Powers and Constitutional Meanings” and “Constitutional Interpretation: Textual Meaning, Original Intent and Judicial Review.”

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

(photo: Courtesy of IAI Presentations Inc.)

Jigu! Thunder Drums of China at McCarter

Jigu! Thunder Drums of China, a company of 28 drummers, percussionists and musicians hailing from the Shanxi province, will perform at the McCarter Theatre Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 4, as part of its first American tour. “Jigu” in Chinese means to “beat or touch the drum.”

Founded in 1988 as the Shanxi Jiangzhou Drum Art Ensemble, the group has performed worldwide — delivering vibrant, colorful performances that reflect the folk origins of its homeland, mixed with modern musical elements. For ticket information, contact the McCarter box office at 258-2787 or visit www.mccarter.org.

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