Three Princeton alumni — Jeffrey Bigham ’03, Andrew Houck ’00, and Erez Lieberman-Aiden ’02 — have been named to this year’s TR35, Technology Review magazine’s list of top technologists and scientists under age 35.

Bigham, a computer science graduate who teaches at the University of Rochester, was honored for creating WebAnywhere, a free, versatile screen-reading application that converts Web pages to audio for people who have little or no vision. (A video of Bigham discussing his work is available here.)

Houck, a Princeton valedictorian who has returned to the electrical engineering department as an assistant professor, received praise for his work in quantum computing. He has developed a superconducting quantum bit, or qubit, that helps keep quantum information intact for a few microseconds — a significant advance in the field.

Lieberman-Aiden, a Ph.D. candidate in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, was cited for his contributions to advanced models of evolutionary theory, the evolution of language and culture, and the structure of genomes. He also created the “iShoe,” an insole that detects balance problems and aims to help prevent elderly people from falling.

The full list of 34 young innovators is available online and will be featured in the September/October issue of Technology Review.

Princeton football practice kicks off this week, and in September, Princeton Stadium will begin its 12th year as the team’s home. But the familiar venue still has a long way to go to match the history of its predecessor, Palmer Stadium, the Tigers’ legendary lair from 1914 to 1994.

Just before the start of the 1974 football season, Palmer’s 60th anniversary year, PAW contributor Dan White ’65 took a look back at the stadium’s construction and its enduring charm. See story below.

New book: In This Way I Was Saved, by Brian DeLeeuw ’03 (Simon & Schuster)

For a young child, having an imaginary friend is not all that unusual. Typically as a child ages, the benign friend fades away, as the youngster doesn’t need the companionship any more.

But what if the imaginary friend wasn’t sympathetic? What if as the child grew up, the friend resisted leaving? “What if he refuses to go away,” thought Brian DeLeeuw ’03, whose debut novel was sparked by that notion. Published this month by Simon and Schuster, In This Way I Was Saved follows Luke and his imaginary friend, Daniel, whom he meets playing in the park at age 6.

New book: Huge, By James W. Fuerst ’94 (Crown)

The author: Fuerst, a first-time novelist, earned a Ph.D. from Harvard’s Department of Government and an M.F.A. from the New School. At Princeton, he majored in politics and played on the sprint football team.

The story: Eugene “Huge” Smalls is a precocious 12-year-old detective who idolizes Philip Marlowe and aims to solve crimes in his New Jersey hometown. He’s also an angry, lonely, foul-mouthed boy looking to find his place in the frightening world of junior high school. Fuerst’s novel blends classic detective fiction with coming-of-age themes in this story of an eventful suburban summer.

Opening lines: “It was one of those lurid August days, all haze and steam, the sun hidden and stewing like a shameful lust. I dropped the kickstand, locked the Cruiser to the NO PARKING sign, and wiped the glaze of sweat off my face and neck.”

Reviews: Booklist said Huge is “always engrossing,” and People gave the book four stars, calling it “a hugely entertaining novel” with “a winning protagonist (who needs to have his mouth washed out with soap).”

Sid Lapidus ’59 has donated to Princeton 157 rare books, pamphlets, and prints that are displayed in a new exhibition in the main gallery of Firestone Library. The exhibition, entitled “Liberty & the American Revolution: Selections from the Collection of Sid Lapidus ’59,” opened May 28 — just in time for the 50th reunion of Lapidus’ class.

The items span more than 150 years of American and British history, from the 17th century to the early 19th century, and are arranged thematically into four groups. “Revolutionary Origins” features documents relating to political theory and ideology, beginning with a 1651 edition of Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan. “The American Crisis” displays a wide array of views on the 18th century controversy over taxation and the push for independence in the colonies.