Nassau notes

Lisa Jackson

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson will speak about current environmental issues at 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 8, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall. Jackson, a 1986 alumna of Princeton’s Graduate School, will explore the impact of the economic downturn on environmental priorities, the future of sustainability for urban youth and environmental justice.

The event is hosted by the University’s Office of the Vice President for Campus Life and the Princeton-Blairstown Center, a University affiliate that provides programs for urban youth.

Jackson was nominated to lead the EPA by President Barack Obama on Dec. 15, 2008, and was confirmed by the Senate on Jan. 23, 2009. She is the first African American to serve in the position.

Jackson lists among her priorities reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, managing chemical risks, cleaning up hazardous waste sites and protecting America’s water. She will discuss these priorities in light of the current economic climate.

Jackson earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton after graduating summa cum laude from Tulane University’s School of Chemical Engineering. She served as chief of staff to New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine before being selected by Obama for the EPA position.

From 2006 to 2008, Jackson served as commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). She worked to ensure that underserved communities received fair environmental protection under the law, which will be a topic during her talk.

Jackson joined DEP in 2002, serving as assistant commissioner for compliance and enforcement, then assistant commissioner for land use management, before becoming commissioner. Prior to joining DEP, Jackson worked for 16 years for the EPA in Washington, D.C., and then in New York City.

No tickets are required for Jackson’s talk. The doors to Dodds Auditorium will open at 4 p.m., and the event will be simulcast in 104 Computer Science Building for overflow attendants. The lecture also will be archived later for viewing online at www.princeton.edu/WebMedia/.

Because of security considerations, attendees should be prepared to show a picture ID to gain entry to the event. No umbrellas, cameras or backpacks will be allowed into the venue. A reception in the Shultz Dining Room, Robertson Hall, will be held immediately after Jackson’s talk until 7 p.m.

Additional sponsors of the event include the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, the Center for African American Studies, the Office of Sustainability, Outdoor Action, the Pace Center and the Princeton Environmental Institute.

Symposium will examine Southern music and culture

Musicians, artists, scholars and critics will celebrate the sounds and culture of the New South at a symposium Friday and Saturday, May 8-9, in McCosh 50 and Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall.

“Radio Free Dixie (Or, De Dirty South Broke-down): A Symposium on New South Sounds and Culture” will examine rock musicians, artists, scholars, politicians, spiritual figures and critics that emerged from the American Southeast during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The symposium is free and open to the public, but registration is required by contacting Andrea Stearly at astearly@princeton.edu or 258-1741.

The event is sponsored by the Program in American Studies and is presented by music critic Kandia Crazy Horse, the 2008-09 Anschutz Distinguished Fellow in American Studies.

Stanley Booth, author of the books “The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones” and “Rythm Oil: A Journey Through the Music of the American South,” will give a keynote address at 4:30 p.m. May 8 in McCosh 50. The address will pay tribute to the late Jerry Wexler, the legendary Atlantic Records music producer who worked with artists such as Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Led Zeppelin.

The event will continue May 9 with panel discussions at 10 a.m. in McCosh 50 and 1:15 p.m. in Taplin Auditorium.

The symposium is cosponsored by the Lewis Center for the Arts, the Department of Music and the Center for African American Studies. For more information, visit www.princeton.edu/ams/anschutz/southern-rock-symposium/.

Simmons to speak at conference on role and influence of women of color

Brown University President Ruth Simmons will deliver the keynote address at a symposium on “The Changing Role and Influence of Women of Color in Society” scheduled for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 9, in the Friend Center Convocation Room.

The symposium is open to the public, but registration is required. It will focus on addressing important challenges and opportunities impacting the lives of women of color in academia. The event will include a faculty panel and graduate student presentations showcasing innovative research by women of color in the humanities and the sciences.

Simmons, the keynote speaker, became the first African American to lead an Ivy League institution when she assumed the presidency at Brown in 2001. She previously had served as president of Smith College and vice provost at Princeton.

The event is sponsored by the Graduate School’s Office of Academic Affairs and Diversity in partnership with the Graduate Women of Color Caucus.

For a complete schedule and to register, visit gradschool.princeton.edu/diversity/upcoming_events/gwcc/.

Scholars explore post-communist era

Marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, scholars from around the country will convene for a conference titled “The Post-Communist Era: Challenges and Opportunities” on Monday and Tuesday, May 11-12, in 219 Burr Hall.

The conference will explore issues such as the role of American political thought in relation to formerly communist states, international politics in the post-communist era, human rights and the trajectory of European politics over the past two decades.

The event is sponsored by the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions and the Program in Contemporary European Politics and Society along with the Association for the Study of Free Institutions at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

For a detailed schedule, visit web.princeton.edu/sites/jmadison/calendar/spring09.html.

MOMIX dance company at McCarter Theatre Center

MOMIX

The provocative, whimsical MOMIX dance company will perform at the at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 7, and 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 8. With an eclectic score ranging from birdsongs to Vivaldi, the company’s latest creation, “Botanica,” follows the rhythms of the seasons, the evolution of the world and the passing of a day. For tickets, visit www.mccarter.org or call 258-2787. (photo: Don Perdue)

Documentary film series focuses on race, urban issues

Princeton’s Center for African American Studies is sponsoring a documentary film series titled “Race.Space.Place.” in the auditorium of the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton through Wednesday, May 13.

All films will begin at 6 p.m., and a facilitated discussion will follow each screening. The film series is free and open to the public.

“We intend for this series to model ways of talking through complicated racial landscapes,” said Noliwe Rooks, the center’s associate director, “and we’re excited to involve the broader community in these important discussions.”

Co-sponsored by the New Jersey State Museum, “Race. Space. Place.” focuses on race and urban issues, highlighting such topics as home ownership, homelessness, immigration, gentrification, ethnic and racial tensions, and environmental justice. The series is part of the Center for African American Studies’ art and social justice initiative.

The dates and films are:

• Wednesday, May 6 — “Home” (2005), which tells the story of single mother Sheree Farmer and her quest to escape a gang-infested neighborhood and find a decent home for her six kids.

• Thursday, May 7 — “Flag Wars” (2003), which was shot over four years. It is a poignant account of economic competition between two historically oppressed groups — the African American community and the gay and lesbian community — as seen through the politics and pain of gentrification.

• Tuesday, May 12 — “Farmingville” (2004), a provocative look into the ongoing nationwide controversy surrounding a suburban community, its ever-expanding population of illegal immigrants, and the shocking, hate-based attempted murders of two Mexican day laborers.

• Wednesday, May 13 — Princeton Professor Mitchell Duneier’s documentary, “Sidewalk” (2009). Duneier offers a vibrant portrayal of a community in the shadows of public life. A white, middle-class sociologist whose book, “Slim’s Table,” won plaudits for its nuanced portrait of urban black men, Duneier infiltrated a stretch of lower Sixth Avenue frequented by scavengers, panhandlers and vendors of used and discounted books and magazines. For seven years, he spent nearly every summer and semester break living and working among that community in a quest to understand the dynamics of class, race and economics in America’s inner cities.

May events set at Labyrinth

Labyrinth Books will host the following University-related events in May. The events, which are free and open to the public, will be held at the bookstore, 122 Nassau St.

• Jeff Dolven, a professor of English at Princeton, will discuss the relationship between poetry and song with University of Chicago scholar and literary critic Robert von Hallberg, author of “Lyric Powers,” at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 4.

• “Microeconomic Development: Theory and Practice” is the topic of a roundtable set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 5. Speakers will be John Morduch, a professor of public policy and economics at New York University; Eldar Shafir, a professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton; and Peter Rose, vice president and head of the Financial Self-Reliance Department at Isles Inc., a Trenton-based community development organization. The discussion will be moderated by Martin Johnson, a Princeton alumnus and founder of Isles.

• Brigid Doherty, an associate professor of German and art and archaeology at Princeton, and writer Andrei Codrescu will discuss Codrescu’s new book, “The Posthuman Dada Guide: Tzara and Lenin Play Chess,” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 6.

• Poets Katy Lederer and Joshua Clover will read from their work and engage in a conversation about poetry, money and the economic crisis at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 13. The event is cosponsored by Princeton’s Graduate Student Poetry Colloquium.

• Tom Szaky, who founded his all-natural fertilizer business TerraCycle as a Princeton undergraduate, will discuss his new book, “Revolution in a Bottle: How TerraCycle Is Redefining Green Business,” at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14.

For more information about these and other events at Labyrinth, visit www.labyrinthbooks.com.

U-League Nursery School summer, academic year openings available

The University League Nursery School is accepting applications for 3- and 4-year-olds for its summer camp as well as remaining openings in its 2009-10 academic year program.

The summer camp runs from June 22 through Aug. 21 and is open to children of University employees and students.

The nursery school also has a limited number of openings for its 3- and 4-year-old programs beginning this fall. Interested families are invited to apply.

Located at 171 Broadmead, the school offers two-, three- and five-day morning programs on a cooperative basis for children ages 2-1/2 through 4, as well as extended and full-day noncooperative care for children ages 3 and 4. The school is accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information on the summer and academic year programs, visit www.ulns.org or call 258-9777.

Local swim clubs accepting members

Two local swim clubs have openings available for members of the University community for the 2009 season.

The Nassau Swim Club, located on lower Springdale Road, gives priority to University faculty, staff and students; members of the Institute for Advanced Study; and staff of the Princeton University Press. The season runs from late May through early September at the small, newly renovated, family-oriented swim club. For more information and to download an application, visit www.nassauswimclub.org or call 865-9213.

The Broadmead Swim Club, located near campus at 184 Broadmead, offers special rates for University community members and their families. More information, including membership applications, can be obtained at www.princeton.edu/~bsc or by e-mailing Noreen Quigley at noreen_quigley@yahoo.com.

Lavender Graduation ceremony set

The Lavender Graduation, sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Center, is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 9, in the Chancellor Green Rotunda.

The ceremony celebrates the achievements of graduating undergraduate and graduate students and of faculty and staff who support the LGBT community. The event will include an awards ceremony and remarks by graduating students.

The Lavender Graduation, which is open to the public, is cosponsored by the Fund for Reunion, Princeton’s LGBT alumni group. A reception will follow. For more information, visit www.princeton.edu/lgbt/events.