Princeton Alumni Weekly | The Weekly Blog: Tiger of the Week Archives

June 8, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Tullis Onstott *81

Tullis Onstott *81, seen here collecting samples for an earlier project, has explored deep mines to look for organisms that live in extreme environments. (Courtesy Tullis Onstott *81)

“Worms From Hell!”

B-movie title, or tagline for an important scientific paper? For now, it’s the latter. A team of researchers led by Princeton geoscientist Tullis Onstott *81 documented the presence of half-millimeter worms living more than a mile underground in South African gold mines. The new species, Halicephalobus mephisto, is the first mulitcellular organism found at such depths outside of the world’s oceans. The discovery, reported in Nature June 1, may provide some indication of the sorts of creatures that could survive in inhospitable nooks elsewhere in the galaxy, like under the surface of Mars.

Onstott, who earned his Ph.D. from Princeton and joined the faculty in 1985, has spent most of the last 15 years studying subsurface microbial life, a journey that’s taken him to African mines and a remote plot of Canadian permafrost. He also is one of three instructors for “Life in the Universe,” an undergraduate course that explores astrobiology.

Onstott’s previous work turned up interesting single-cell organisms at extreme depths, but nothing like the roundworms that were first discovered by collaborator Gaetan Borgonie of the University of Ghent. In an interview with The Washington Post, Onstott compared the find to spotting “Moby Dick in Lake Ontario.”

“This is telling us something brand new,” he said. “For a relatively complex creature like a nematode to penetrate that deep is simply remarkable.”

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.

June 1, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Anne Case 83 88

For Commencement week, the campus was filled with Tiger of the Week candidates: Brooke Shields ’87, who delivered the Class Day speech, is a few weeks away from a new role on Broadway as Morticia Addams; Robert Rawson Jr. ’66, a longtime University trustee, received an honorary degree for his service and stewardship; Ed Zschau ’61, the lecturer who created Princeton’s well-known course in high-tech entrepreneurship, was selected as an honorary classmate by the 2011 graduates; Kathleen Chesmel ’85, a science teacher at New Egypt (N.J.) High School was one of four New Jersey secondary school teachers honored by Princeton; and two new alumni, Amanda Van Duynhoven ’11 and Nathan Plough ’11, received commissions into the Army.

Anne Case *83 *88 (Denise Applewhite/Office of Communications)

But our top honor goes to an alumna making her mark in Princeton’s classrooms: Anne Case *83 *88, the Alexander Stewart Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, was one of four faculty to receive the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching May 31. Case's innovative research earned her election as a fellow in the Econometric Society; according to students, her teaching is equally impressive. From the award citation:

“Her students say, ‘When I grow up I want to be Anne Case.’ Since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we know these statements testify to her prowess as a teacher. … She teaches students how to do rigorous scientific research that requires firm theoretical grounding, but that also has the capacity, if done well, to make the world a better place.”

President Tilghman, center, with faculty members recognized with the 2011 President's Awards for Distinguished Teaching: from left, Daniel Oppenheimer, Alexander Nehamas, Hendrik Hartog, and Case. (Denise Applewhite/Office of Communications)

Case, who holds a master’s in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School and a Ph.D. from the economics department, joined the Princeton faculty in 1990.

This year’s other distinguished teaching honorees were Hendrik Hartog, the Class of 1921 Bicentennial Professor in the History of American Law and Liberty; Alexander Nehamas, the Edmund N. Carpenter II Class of 1943 Professor in the Humanities and professor of philosophy and comparative literature; and Daniel Oppenheimer, associate professor of psychology and public affairs.

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.

May 25, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Soren Thompson '05

(Courtesy U.S.A. Fencing)

As an elite international fencer, Soren Thompson ’05 has built a remarkable résumé in the last decade. He won the NCAA epee title in 2001, his freshman year at Princeton; placed eighth in the World Championships in 2003; and made an impressive showing at the Athens Olympics in 2004, reaching the epee quarterfinals. Since graduating with a degree in art and archaeology, he’s been a regular on the international circuit and a frequent member of the U.S. national team. There’s not much that he hasn’t done.

But even by Thompson’s high standards, 2011 has been a remarkable year. At the U.S. Division I National Championships in Portland, Ore., April 15, he won gold the for the first time in his career, topping hometown favorite and former Olympic teammate Cody Mattern in the final bout. Two weeks later, he was part of the U.S. epee team that captured silver at a World Cup tournament in Germany. And last week in Stockholm, he earned a bronze medal in a Grand Prix international event, his first trip to the podium in fencing’s top-flight series. That showing solidified Thompson’s ranking as the No. 2 men’s epee competitor in the United States and kickstarted his bid for a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team. (Qualifying events began April 29.)

“There is more pressure and more intensity at the competitions now that qualifying has started,” Thompson told USA Fencing after the tournament. “It’s always like this during an Olympic cycle. I recommend young fencers who are aspiring to become Olympians to see events like this one to prepare for when they will compete for qualification.”

Click here to read about two undergraduate fencers vying for spots on the Olympic Team.

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.

May 18, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Robert Mueller III '66

(Courtesy Federal Bureau of Investigation)

Robert Mueller III ’66 took office as director of the FBI one week before the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Nearly 10 years later, he remains one of the nation’s leading figures in the fight against terrorism – and he may be extending his stay in office. On May 12, President Barack Obama asked Congress to add two years to Mueller’s appointment, moving him past the 10-year maximum outlined by federal law; according to published reports, congressional leaders have backed the idea.

Obama gave two primary reasons for the proposed extension: Mueller’s competence in the job (he’s “set the gold standard for leading the bureau,” the president said); and the need for continuity as new leaders step into the top posts at the Pentagon (Leon Panetta) and the CIA (Gen. David Petraeus *85 *87).

Mueller, a former federal prosecutor and Marine officer, recently was the subject of a Time magazine cover story in which reporter Barton Gellman ’82 explored the FBI’s changing makeup during Mueller’s decade as director. The story described Mueller’s remarkable clout behind the scenes, his willingness to stay out of the public spotlight, and his high standards for the bureau’s field offices – standards that make Princeton’s efforts to curb grade inflation seem lax by comparison. Under a new review system that Mueller unveiled in 2008, about 35 percent of field-office heads earned a “good” or “fair” rating, the story said; the rest were “deemed deficient.”

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.

May 11, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Terrence Meck '00

(Courtesy the Palette Fund)

Three years after his partner died of pancreatic cancer, nonprofit executive Terrence Meck ’00 is turning a deep personal loss into a significant public gain. Meck is the president and executive director of the Palette Fund, which honors the late Rand Harlan Skolnick, and this week, the group announced its second series of grants, totaling approximately $800,000, which will be distributed in 2011.

Before his death Skolnick, a businessman and philanthropist, worked with Meck and a close friend, Peter Benassi, to outline his vision for funding organizations that do one of three things: promote nutrition and wellness; build inclusive environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth; or provide support to patients with serious illnesses. In the last three years, the project has followed that blueprint, awarding its first grants in 2010. Skolnick’s legacy also has inspired a Point Foundation scholarship, presented to an LGBT student in medical school last year.

The 2011 grants mark another step forward for the Palette Fund. “From schools and homes to hospitals and homeless shelters, this year’s grantees impact almost every sector of our society,” Meck said in a release. “There could be no better testament to Rand’s legacy than the collective work of these organizations, which will be greatly enriched through our funding.”

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.

May 4, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Michelle Shearer '95

Michelle Shearer '95, with President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, at the White House May 3. (Lawrence Jackson/White House Photo)

Of the 1,070 graduates in Princeton’s Class of 1995, only 30 received certification to become teachers. Michelle Shearer ’95 was one of them – and proudly so. What started as a volunteer project at the Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf in Trenton quickly became Shearer’s passion and profession. Last year, she wrote about her first trip to the Teacher Preparation Program’s office in her junior year. “Whatever was required, I knew I simply had to teach,” Shearer recalled. “Almost 20 years later, science teaching is my life’s work.”

Shearer has spent much of that time teaching Advanced Placement chemistry in public schools, including the Maryland School for the Deaf and Urbana High School School in Frederick, Md. Her work has helped to turn promising students into high achievers, and this week, the Council of Chief State School Officers recognized her dynamic, distinguished teaching with the group’s highest honor, selecting her as the 2011 National Teacher of the Year. She is the second Princetonian to win the award, joining 2005 honoree (and classmate) Jason Kamras ’95.

On May 3, Shearer and the teacher of the year honorees from each state met President Barack Obama in a ceremony held at the White House Rose Garden. In her remarks, Shearer spoke about the most recent “pep talk” that she’d given to her students, as they prepared to take their AP chemistry exams. She advised them to remember that they are problem-solvers, and that they should have confidence and forge ahead, no matter how difficult the question.

“Likewise in education, no matter how challenging the issues, we must be problem-solvers,” Shearer continued. “And as we continue to debate ideas, allocate resources, and implement change, we must make progress in a positive direction and always, always see the faces of our students.”

After a round of applause, Obama remarked, “I think you can see why Michelle is Teacher of the Year. I think I’m going to send her up to Congress to give them a pep talk.”

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.

April 27, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Lisa Jackson *86

(Eric Vance/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

That Lisa Jackson *86, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator, was included in this year’s Time 100 speaks to her influence in Washington and beyond. That Energy Secretary Steven Chu wrote her biographical sketch speaks to Jackson’s role in addressing one of the world’s most pressing issues.

According to Chu, Jackson understands both the risks and opportunities involved in the energy economy. “She takes on her tasks with poise and pragmatism, finding common ground and common-sense solutions,” Chu wrote.

Jackson, a chemical engineer by training, worked at the EPA for 16 years before joining the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in 2002. She went on to become New Jersey’s commissioner of environmental protection and briefly served as chief of staff for N.J. Gov. Jon Corzine before President Barack Obama selected her to lead the EPA in December 2008.

A native of New Orleans, Jackson traveled to her home state last week to mark the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that led to a catastrophic spill in the Gulf of Mexico. She heads the federal government’s task force to coordinate the long-term environmental restoration in the region.

Continue reading Tiger of the Week: Lisa Jackson *86…

April 20, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Eric Lander '78

(Len Rubenstein/Courtesy the Broad Institute)

Who knew that biology could make you such a star? In January, President Barack Obama called Eric Lander ’78 his favorite scientist (it doesn’t hurt that Lander also serves as co-chairman of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology). Last month, Lander was named America’s “hottest” researcher of 2010 by Thomson Reuters, based on the amount of times his work was cited in the past year.

A hot paper, according to the list, is “less than two years old and has achieved citations, in the scientific journals indexed by Thomson Reuters, at a rate markedly higher than papers of comparable type and age in the same field.” Lander topped the list as a co-author of 10 highly cited publications on topics ranging from genetic mapping to human disease.

Lander, a math major at Princeton who went on to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, serves as president and director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He is best known as one of the principal leaders of the Human Genome Project, the groundbreaking effort to sequence the base pairs of human DNA. While the work provided valuable information that drives important research today, Lander believes that future generations of researchers are likely to gain even more from the knowledge that the genome carries. As he explained in a 2009 PAW interview with Hilary Parker ’01:

“[A]ll life on this planet contains in its genomes the record of 3.5 billion years of evolution, the lab notebooks of evolution’s experiments, information about exposure to different infectious diseases, and so much more. It’s as if life has been keeping notes in its genomes on all these topics for 3.5 billion years, and this is the generation that finally gets to read these lab notebooks.”

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.

April 13, 2011

Tigers of the Week: Anton Treuer '91 and Michelle Hensley '80

Anton Treuer ’91, left, and Michelle Hensley ’80. (Courtesy Anton Treuer, Michelle Hensley)

Anton Treuer ’91 has spent his career preserving the Ojibwe language and culture, and championing Minnesota’s traditional indigenous art forms. Michelle Hensley ’80, the founder and artistic director of Minneapolis’ Ten Thousands Things theater company, brings Shakespeare and other works to people who typically don’t have access to them — individuals living in prisons, homeless shelters, and housing projects.

Both recently have been honored for enriching Minnesota with their commitment to the arts and education. Treuer and Hensley were two of five recipients of the annual Sally Awards, named for Sally Ordway Irvine, who inspired the creation of the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minn. The awards come with a $2,500 prize. Hensley was recognized in the vision category and Treuer in education.

Continue reading Tigers of the Week: Anton Treuer '91 and Michelle Hensley '80…

April 6, 2011

Tigers of the Week: Dustin Sproat '06 and Kyle Hagel '08

Dustin Sproat '06, left, and Kyle Hagel '08. (Courtesy Cincinnati Cyclones, Rockford IceHogs)

Minor league hockey players Dustin Sproat ’06 and Kyle Hagel ’08 have more in common than just their profession and alma mater. Both Sproat and Hagel have been devoted to community service in their time away from the ice. And last week, both players were honored for their efforts.

Sproat, a forward for the Cincinnati Cyclones, shared the East Coast Hockey League’s Community Service Award for his work as a co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit Hockey Players for Kids (HP4K). Fellow HP4K member Chris Frank, a defenseman for the Elmira Jackals, also was honored. Nearly 50 pro players, including several Princeton alumni, have signed on to the HP4K cause, donating their time to help children in the cities where they play. This year, Sproat and his Cincinnati teammates volunteered at YMCA and Boys and Girls Club after-school programs, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and the Ronald McDonald House. In a news release, Kristin Ropp, the Cyclones’ vice president and general manager, called Sproat “a star on and off the ice. He is able to use the minimal personal time he has to make a difference in the lives of Cincinnati’s children.”

Hagel, also a member of HP4K, was honored by his team, the Rockford (Ill.) IceHogs of the American Hockey League. This season, he created the “Stick to Reading” program at a local elementary school, encouraging fourth- and fifth-grade students to improve their reading habits. (HP4K aims to make “Stick to Reading” a signature program; the Princeton men’s hockey team launched its own branch near campus.) In a news release from the IceHogs, teachers and administrators from the host school, Kishwaukee Elementary, noted that they were impressed by Hagel’s enthusiasm and commitment. “We had a number of students who normally wouldn’t read get involved in the program, and it definitely exceeded our expectations,” said Al Gagliano, the school’s principal.

Another Tiger alumnus and HP4K co-founder, Mike Moore ’08, was twice honored for his community-service work as a member of the AHL’s Worcester Sharks, in 2009 and 2010.

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.

March 30, 2011

Tiger of the Week: John Milnor '51 *54

(Courtesy Stony Brook University)

John Milnor ’51 *54 has, to borrow a sporting term, completed the “grand slam” of mathematics honors. The former Princeton professor and current co-director of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences at Stony Brook University had already won the Fields Medal, the Wolf Prize in Mathematics, and three Steele prizes. On March 23, he was chosen to receive the 2011 Abel Prize from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters – a $1 million award given annually for outstanding work in the field of mathematics.

According to the Abel committee, which cited Milnor’s “pioneering discoveries in topology, geometry, and algebra”:

“All of Milnor’s works display marks of great research: profound insights, vivid imagination, elements of surprise, and supreme beauty.

"Milnor’s discovery of exotic smooth spheres in seven dimensions was completely unexpected. It signaled the arrival of differential topology and an explosion of work by a generation of brilliant mathematicians; this explosion has lasted for decades and changed the landscape of mathematics." … Click here to read the full citation

Philip Ball of Nature wrote that the committee “wisely avoided singling out a particular achievement” in Milnor’s illustrious, wide-ranging career. “In effect,” Ball wrote, “this is a recognition that he has contributed to maths across the board.”

If the honor and the high praise sound familiar, perhaps that’s because a fellow alumnus, John Tate *50, won the Abel Prize a year ago (and also was recognized as our Tiger of the Week). Since the prize was first awarded in 2003, there have been 11 Abel laureates. Milnor and Tate are the only Princetonians.

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.

March 23, 2011

Tiger of the Week: Nathan Hubbard '97

(Courtesy Ticketmaster)

As a young musician, Nathan Hubbard ’97 joined his bandmates on stage at South by Southwest, the Austin-based celebration of up-and-coming performers. Last week, Hubbard returned to the festival for a decidedly different gig in his latest role as CEO of Ticketmaster.

Hubbard was one of five panelists who addressed the issue of ticket pricing, and judging the from panel’s title – “Indie Davids Take On Goliath Ticketmaster-Live Nation” – he had his work cut out for him. A politics major at Princeton who earned his MBA from Stanford, Hubbard became the CEO of ticketing for the concert-promotion giant Live Nation in June 2008. In January 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice approved Live Nation’s merger with Ticketmaster, putting Hubbard at the center of one of the most scrutinized deals in the entertainment business.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the South by Southwest panel was generally “low-key and free of invective.” Panelist John Read, a lawyer for the Justice Department, said that while the government continues to investigate complaints, the Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger has not created the significant price hikes that critics predicted. “It’s still early,” he said, “but so far things are OK.”

Hubbard, in an interview with Wired last week, promised more sophisticated pricing in the future, noting that while fans of sports teams can choose from 10 or more price points, music venues usually offer just three choices. He also said Ticketmaster is exploring “dynamic pricing” that uses supply and demand to set prices. The overall goals, he said, are to “engage more fans through better pricing” and “get more butts in the seats.”

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.