Leon Gordenker, professor of politics, emeritus, and renowned scholar of international relations, died peacefully of natural causes at home in Middelburg, the Netherlands, on May 17. He was 96.https://bit.ly/2UfVgJB

Professor Andrew Chignell of the University Center for Human Values teases out a pathway to hopeful engagement in pessimistic times. http://weroar.princeton.edu/20-empowering-ideas-a-philosopher-talks-about-bad-hope-good-hope-and-despair?utm_source=pwb&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=communications

Voices in the news: 

• Anne Case and Angus Deaton: Trump’s pet theory about the fatal dangers of quarantine is very wrong (The Washington Post)
• Imani Perry: A Little Patch of Something (Paris Review) and Unseen Script Offers New Evidence of a Radical Lorraine Hansberry (The New York Times)
• Keith E. Whittington: Trump says the Supreme Court would allow a ‘very powerful flag-burning statute.’ He’s wrong. (The Washington Post) 
• Julian Zelizer: Buildings burn, and Trump talks tough. Where are the healers? (The Washington Post) and It’s been five decades since 1968, and things are somehow worse (CNN) 
• Jonathan Mummolo: The Pentagon’s Hand-Me-Downs Helped Militarize Police. Here’s How (Wired)
• Matthew Desmond: How COVID-19 Could Worsen America’s Eviction Crisis (WNPR)
• Sam Wang: NYT decision to publish Tom Cotton op-ed draws widespread backlash (The Hill) and Governor says this complex figure is helping guide the state’s reopening. Here’s what it means. (Nj.com)

A team of Princeton researchers led by Professor Zemer Gitai has found an antibiotic that can simultaneously puncture bacterial walls and destroy folate within their cells — taking out even monstrous bacteria with the effectiveness of a poisoned arrow — while proving immune to antibiotic resistance.https://bit.ly/2MAK2v3 Related from The Science Times: Princeton Researchers Discover ‘Poison Arrow’ Antibiotic That Resists Immunity https://bit.ly/3dEN513

From Nj.com: This piece highlights several Princeton research projects related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including:
• Fluid dynamics research led by Howard Stone.
• A cellphone system for government officials to track the contacts of people diagnosed with COVID-19, developed by Kyle Jamieson.
• A COVID-19 math model that accurately predicts how the virus is spreading, even as it mutates, created by H. Vincent Poor and colleagues.
• Work by Alexander Ploss and colleagues to study how the virus attaches to cells and develop a version of SARS-CoV-2 that is less dangerous for labs to work with.https://bit.ly/3749K4t

May is a busy month for many Princeton graduate students as they defend their dissertations or hold final public orals as last steps in years of work toward a Ph.D. As doctoral candidates were preparing for this rite of passage this spring, they suddenly had to make plans to conduct their defenses virtually, when Princeton moved to online instruction on March 23 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Five students who have just received their doctorates describe that milestone moment.https://bit.ly/3eUSaT6

One of many senior projects affected by the pandemic was “BLOOM: The Musical,” Rosie Arbittier’s thesis work to complete a certificate in the Program in Music Theater. Arbittier developed the musical in partnership with Best Buddies, an international organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).https://bit.ly/2XYcYSM

Melissa Lane, the Class of 1943 Professor of Politics and director of the University Center for Human Values, writes about teaching Plato in the pandemic.https://bit.ly/2Y6JzGk

Twelve students in Princeton’s Class of 2020 became commissioned officers in the United States Army, Navy and Marines during virtual ROTC Commissioning ceremonies on June 2. The events followed Princeton’s virtual Commencement for graduating students on May 31.https://bit.ly/2Y2u81K

From The Daily Princetonian: ‘Prince’ Assistant News Editor Evelyn Doskoch ’23 interviews Dean of the College Jill Dolan, discussing the decision-making process this spring, following up on some lingering questions from last week’s open discussion with her and VP Calhoun, and looking forward to what September might bring for Princeton undergraduates.https://bit.ly/2A8DEs9

From NBC News: On Meet the Press: College Roundtable, Anna Salvatore, an incoming freshman at Princeton University joins other college students to interview NAACP President Derrick Johnson.https://nbcnews.to/2BCZmoK

From APP: Quotes Princeton University forward Elijah Barnes and head basketball coach Mitch Henderson. Barnes said, “I feel like we’re opening a lot more eyes. I’ve been involved in protests and I’ve been involved with diversity talks in the past, but I’ve never seen white people around the nation be so disgusted by what they’re viewing. I’ve never seen so many people who didn’t look like me walking next to me when it came to these issues. It’s amazing to see. It’s maddening that it has to get to this point for people to open their eyes, but if this is what it takes, this is what it takes.” https://bit.ly/2AK6Nd4

From Planet Princeton: Thousands of area residents came out Tuesday evening to protest racism and police brutality and call for systemic change at an event that included speeches, chanting, and marching. Photos show the scene and Ruha Benjamin addressing the crowd. Related from The Daily Princetonian: ‘It has to end’: Protesters in Princeton demand justice for Floyd’s death https://bit.ly/3gVSYZP https://bit.ly/2BD8cmo

Since his selection as Princeton’s first black valedictorian, Nicholas Johnson has spoken eloquently about the importance of role models and mentors to his success at the University.

On Wednesday, June 3, Johnson explored this topic in greater depth during a panel titled “The Power of Mentors: Blazing Paths for Underrepresented Minorities in STEM,” along with Princeton alumni Professor William Massey, Class of 1977, the Edwin S. Wilsey Professor of Operations Research and Financial Engineering; Dr. Marian Croak, Class of 1977, vice president of engineering at Google; and Professor Kim Pearson, Class of 1978, of The College of New Jersey.https://bit.ly/2UaXlXa

As the United States grapples with the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless other black lives destroyed by systemic racism and police violence, and as protests extend across the country, Princeton scholars are speaking to the moment. Several Princeton faculty members are using op-eds, television and cable news programs, online publications, and social media to grasp current events and navigate a path forward, drawing on their research as well as their own personal experiences. https://bit.ly/3cx8J64

From The New Yorker: Features Omar Wasow. Speaking on protest tactics he’d recommend for people concerned about police brutality today, Wasow said: “One puzzle is, if you are an activist, are nonviolent tactics going to get you more of what you want, or are violent tactics? And what I found from the sixties is that nonviolent protest achieved many of the same sorts of outcomes that the more militant activists were fighting for without splintering the Democratic coalition.”https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/how-violent-protests-change-politics

From TIME: Written by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. He writes, “Even if you turn your head away, the images and the sounds continue to haunt. We play them over and over again. It’s part of a ritual practice, a way the nation manages its racist sins. People declare their outrage. They, mostly white people, wonder how could this happen in today’s America? They cry out for justice. Or, as in the past, the likes of Fox News decry it all as the victimizing screeds of people who refuse to take personal responsibility. They defend the police. They condemn the violence. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. And nothing changes.”https://time.com/5844645/george-floyds-shows-we-cannot-wait-end-racism/