Princeton Alumni Weekly | The Weekly Blog: Brett Tomlinson Archives

December 10, 2010

Names in the news: Chart toppers

Gen. David Petraeus *85 *87 is Barbara Walters’ most fascinating person of 2010. Last year’s honoree also was a Princetonian – First Lady Michelle Obama ’85. [ABC News]

On a short list of the decade’s top CEOs, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos ’86 and Google’s Eric Schmidt ’76 each rank among the top five. [MarketWatch]

Twitter's official 2010 list of notable new users includes Queen Noor of Jordan ’73 (@queennoor) and Donald Rumsfeld ’54 (@RumsfeldOffice). [Twitter.com]

A profile of crossword champion Dan Feyer ’99 includes a video of him demonstrating his speedy solving skills. [New York Times]

Recent graduate Jonathan Schwartz ’10 plays a key role in the much-anticipated Spider-Man musical. [Broadway.com]

December 8, 2010

Where are we? A PAW blog contest

The table of contents in PAW's Dec. 8 issue featured the photo at left above, along with the question, "Where are we?" If you guessed Wallace Hall, you have a good eye for campus buildings. And we'd like you to try another:

Where are we now? Post your answer on PAW's Facebook page or e-mail it to PAW. The first correct response will earn a prize.

UPDATE: Elise Wright '83 was the first to correctly identify the Lewis Science Library. Become a fan of PAW on Facebook to follow future contests.

December 8, 2010

Tiger of the Week: Jon Wiener '66

When John Lennon was killed in 1980, Jon Wiener ’66 watched and read the memorial tributes with great interest, as both a fan of Lennon and a historian. Wiener, who teaches American history at the University of California, Irvine, noticed that little attention had been paid to Lennon’s involvement in the anti-war movement of the late 1960s, so he decided to do his own reporting.

In two decades of research – including one lengthy lawsuit to uncover Lennon’s FBI files – Wiener became the leading expert on the former Beatle’s political activities. He’s written two books, Come Together: John Lennon in His Time (1984) and Gimme Some Truth: The John Lennon FBI Files (1999), and has contributed to two recent Lennon documentaries. This week, he spoke with PAW’s Brett Tomlinson in advance of the anniversary of Lennon’s death.

It’s now almost 30 years since you embarked on your research. Did you ever imagine you’d still be doing interviews as an expert on John Lennon?

Imagine no more interviews – it’s hard to do. No, my idea was that this would be a radio program, and then it was going to be a magazine article, and then it was going to be a book. It did do all of those things, and that would have been plenty. But I guess you could say I was lucky enough to get the ACLU of Southern California to represent me in this Freedom of Information lawsuit challenging the withholding of [Lennon’s FBI files], and the ACLU doesn’t give up. I would have given up many times. Eventually, we got virtually every document we were seeking. So while this wasn’t my original idea, it turned out to be a very interesting 20 years.

Continue reading Tiger of the Week: Jon Wiener '66…

December 2, 2010

Sports shorts: Kicking off the winter season

Addie Micir '11 (Office of Athletic Communications)

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL is off to a 4-2 start that includes impressive wins over Southern California, Delaware, and Lehigh, and a pair of close losses at Rutgers and No. 22 Vanderbilt. Senior captain Addie Micir was the hero in the Southern Cal game Nov. 26, sinking two free-throws with five seconds remaining to put the Tigers on top, 60-59. She followed that performance with a 20-point game against Vanderbilt and an 18-point effort at Delaware in which she hit six of seven 3-point attempts. Through six games, Micir leads Princeton in 3-pointers (3.8 per game) and ranks second on the team in scoring (13.8 points per game).

In MEN’S BASKETBALL, Princeton has won its last two contests, scoring more than 80 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1975. Against Siena Nov. 28, Dan Mavraides ’11 hit a clutch 3-pointer to send the game into overtime, and Kareem Maddox ’11 led Princeton with a remarkable all-around performance that included 30 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. At Lafayette Nov. 30, Ian Hummer ’13 made 10 of 12 field-goal attempts to lead the Tigers with 22 points in a convincing win over the Leopards.

MEN’S HOCKEY hosts Clarkson and St. Lawrence Dec. 3 and 4 in Princeton’s last two ECAC Hockey games before the league takes a hiatus for fall-term exams at most of the member schools. The Tigers have rebounded from a sluggish start, winning five of their last six games, including shutout victories over Harvard and Quinnipiac.

Continue reading Sports shorts: Kicking off the winter season…

December 1, 2010

Tiger of the Week: Anthony Monaco '81

Anthony Monaco '81 (Alonso Nichols/Tufts University Photography)

The list of Princeton alumni leading American universities added another name on Tuesday morning: Anthony Monaco ’81, a distinguished researcher who studied neuroscience and behavior as an independent concentrator at Princeton, was selected as the next president of Tufts University, beginning in the summer of 2011. After more than a decade in the United Kingdom, Monaco will return to Boston, where he received a joint M.D.-Ph.D from Harvard and began the work that led to the landmark discovery of the gene responsible for X-linked Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy.

Monaco, a first-generation college graduate, said in a Tufts news release that he wouldn’t have been able to attend Princeton “without incredible mentors and Princeton's generous financial aid.” He took full advantage of the opportunity, using his undergraduate studies to launch a career as a geneticist. Monaco’s research has been dedicated to exploring the genetic underpinnings of neurological diseases and disorders, most recently at the University of Oxford. He also has worked in several administrative posts, including his current position as Oxford’s pro-vice-chancellor for planning and resources.

Monaco received a strong endorsement from another scientist-turned-president, President Tilghman, who called him an “inspired choice” for Tufts. “As a world-class scientist and a highly successful university administrator at Oxford, he brings to his new position a deep understanding of what is required to build and sustain a great research university that is dedicated to educating the next generation,” Tilghman said.

Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW’s Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.

November 24, 2010

Tiger of the Week: Nathan Myhrvold *83

Think you’ve tried every new twist on Thanksgiving turkey? How about a boneless turkey wing, cured in salt and sugar, cooked for 12 hours sous vide (in an airtight bag in heated water), dusted in corn starch, pan fried, and finished with diced cranberry and picked sage? That’s the approach Nathan Myhrvold *83 and his colleagues take in Modernist Cuisine, a six-volume, 2,400-page cookbook with a scientific bent that’s due out in March 2011.

Myhrvold, better known as the former chief technology officer of Microsoft and founder of Intellectual Ventures, has a passion for food and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Princeton. His “cooking lab” in Bellevue, Wash., contains hundreds of gadgets, from centrifuges to hydraulic presses, and according to Business Week’s Karl Taro Greenfeld, it’s “pushing food science to an extreme only an eccentric billionaire could achieve,” exploring the chemistry, biology, and physics of how we prepare food.

Continue reading Tiger of the Week: Nathan Myhrvold *83…

November 19, 2010

Men's soccer falls in NCAA opening round

By Andrew Robinton ’04

Antoine Hoppenot '12 (Office of Athletic Communications)

After arguably the most successful regular season in program history, the men’s soccer team lost a heartbreaker to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2-1, at Roberts Stadium in the opening round of the NCAA tournament Nov. 18. It was Princeton’s second first-round exit from the national championships in as many years and snapped what was a program-best 12-game win streak.

A physical, hard-fought match that forced several Princeton players out of the game with injures was controlled by the Tigers from the opening whistle. Princeton (13-4-1 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) had several outstanding opportunities in the game’s opening frame. Junior forward Antoine Hoppenot, the team’s leading scorer, had a solid chance in the 15th minute, volleying a feed from just inside the 18-yard box that found the outstretched arms of UMBC keeper Dan Louisignau. Several minutes later, a strong throw into the UMBC box from Princeton sophomore defender Mark Linville found the head of sophomore forward Matt Sanner, but Louisignau again was there to make the save.

Continue reading Men's soccer falls in NCAA opening round…

November 18, 2010

Kelley '79 talks about Princeton roots in campus visit

David E. Kelley ’79, the award-winning writer and producer of television hits like The Practice, Boston Legal, and Ally McBeal, spoke at Princeton Nov. 17 as part of the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Performance Central series.

In an on-stage interview conducted by Broadway producer Jordan Roth ’97, Kelley described an early foray into script writing at Princeton. Facing a deadline for a freshman course on Homeric literature, he decided to put his own spin on a class paper, writing a play that imagined Plato, Socrates, and Homer meeting in heaven and debating their views on literature. “I wrote a dialogue, turned it in, and then really ducked for cover,” he said.

The weekend after turning in the paper, Kelley traveled with the men’s hockey team to play Harvard and stayed behind in Boston, his hometown, missing class on Monday. He knew that skipping a lecture could cost him a letter grade – the professor, Lois Hinckley, had a rule against absences – but he decided to take his chances.

Continue reading Kelley '79 talks about Princeton roots in campus visit…

November 17, 2010

Tiger of the Week: Jason Garrett '89

Jason Garrett ’89 always did play pretty well in New Jersey. In his debut as a head coach, Garrett led the Dallas Cowboys to their own star turn in the Garden State, a 33-20 upset victory over the New York Giants Nov. 14.

Garrett, a former All-Ivy quarterback, was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach early last week, becoming the first Princeton alumnus to lead an NFL team. The job came with an “interim” tag and a daunting challenge: to turn around the underachieving Cowboys in the season’s final eight weeks. After taking the first step toward that goal, Garrett preached consistency. “One of the things that we emphasize to our players is to come to work each day,” he said in the postgame press conference. “Be great on Wednesday, let’s be great Thursday and Friday, and that gives you a chance to be great on Sunday.”

Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW’s Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.

In the week leading up to Garrett’s debut, the new coach drew consistent praise from Princeton’s football family. Head coach Bob Surace ’90, a former teammate, described Garrett as a detail-oriented person who used to design football plays in his notebook before classes. Current tight end Harry Flaherty ’11, Garrett’s nephew, said his uncle “wants to get the most out of people.” Steve Verbit, the only current Princeton coach who was on the staff in Garrett’s playing days, told The Sporting News that the Cowboys had made a “phenomenal choice.”

As congratulatory e-mails and text messages piled up in Garrett’s phone, most went unanswered. His goal was to keep his mind on game preparation. “I’m not overly concerned about getting back with everybody,” Garrett told the Associated Press. “I think they understand that I appreciate the support.”

November 10, 2010

Tiger of the Week: Andrew Houck '00

Andrew Houck '00 (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Andrew Houck '00 (Frank Wojciechowski)

A decade ago, Andrew Houck ’00 stood out as a star undergraduate in Princeton’s electrical engineering department. Today, the quantum-computing expert and former valedictorian continues to impress as a leading researcher and an associate professor at the University. He was one of 85 scientists selected to receive the 2010 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the U.S. government’s highest honor for science and engineering researchers in the early stages of their careers. (Other Presidential Early Career Award recipients included Emily A. Weiss ’00, an assistant professor of chemistry at Northwestern, and Joshua Shaevitz, an assistant professor of physics and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton.)

Honors are nothing new for Houck. As an undergraduate, he received two major University prizes in his first two years – the Freshman First Honor Prize and the George B. Wood Legacy Sophomore Prize – and delivered Princeton’s valedictory address before his 21st birthday. He also earned a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

While completing his Ph.D. studies in experimental physics at Harvard, Houck co-authored a paper that showed how specially tailored “left-handed” materials could bend light in the “wrong” direction. The finding was named a runner-up in Science magazine’s 2003 “breakthrough of the year” issue. Since joining the Princeton faculty in 2008, Houck has earned a Packard Fellowship and a Sloan Research Fellowship. His innovative work in quantum computing also landed him on the TR35, Technology Review’s list of young innovators, in 2009.

Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW’s Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.

November 5, 2010

In sunny San Diego, Tigertones sing the national anthem

Last weekend, the Princeton Tigertones performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the San Diego Chargers' home game against the Tennessee Titans. The performance, part of a weeklong tour of California during Princeton's fall break, had the largest audience in the all-male a cappella group's 64-year history.

Video courtesy of Gini Meyer p'12.

November 5, 2010

CITP director Felten to join Federal Trade Commission

Edward Felten, professor of computer science and public affairs (Denise Applewhite/Office of Communications)

Computer science and public affairs professor Edward Felten will take a one-year leave of absence from Princeton to serve as the first chief technologist of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the University announced Nov. 4. His appointment begins in January 2011.

Felten directs the Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP), an innovative group of faculty and visiting scholars that will be featured in the cover story of Princeton Alumni Weekly’s Nov. 17 issue. Since its creation in 2005, CITP has emerged as a leader in research on electronic voting, government transparency, and a range of computer security and privacy issues.

Felten’s work first made national headlines in 2000, when he led a team of researchers that published a paper showing how to circumvent a digital-rights-management system that record companies had incorporated into their music files. The creators of the anti-piracy system sued Felten, but the suit was later dropped. At CITP, Felten has earned widespread attention for his work on flaws in electronic voting machines and disc encryption systems.

In his new position, Felten will advice FTC officials on consumer issues that are linked to technology, consumer protection, including online privacy and cybersecurity, as well as antitrust matters in the tech industry, according to a University news release.

Recently in Brett Tomlinson

December 10, 2010

Names in the news: Chart toppers

Tags:

December 8, 2010

Where are we? A PAW blog contest

Tags:

December 8, 2010

Tiger of the Week: Jon Wiener '66

December 2, 2010

Sports shorts: Kicking off the winter season

Tags:

December 1, 2010

Tiger of the Week: Anthony Monaco '81

November 24, 2010

Tiger of the Week: Nathan Myhrvold *83

November 19, 2010

Men's soccer falls in NCAA opening round

November 18, 2010

Kelley '79 talks about Princeton roots in campus visit

Tags:

November 17, 2010

Tiger of the Week: Jason Garrett '89

November 10, 2010

Tiger of the Week: Andrew Houck '00

November 5, 2010

In sunny San Diego, Tigertones sing the national anthem

Tags:

November 5, 2010

CITP director Felten to join Federal Trade Commission

Meet our bloggers

Alumni Blogs

May 2013

PAW Online

Search

Recent Entries

Recent Comments

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31