Politics & Polls: After a Rose Garden ceremony last week, President Donald Trump, members of his staff, and several Republican senators have all tested positive for Covid-19. The news has sparked a fiery debate about how the administration is addressing the pandemic.  Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who was the youngest city health official in America at age 30 – leading the Detroit Health Department, joins this week’s episode to discuss what he calls America’s “epidemic of insecurity.” https://spia.princeton.edu/news/politics-polls-204-americas-political-epidemic-abdul-el-sayed

Chris Zimmerman, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, has won the 2020 Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology for his essay, “The origins of thirst.” The $25,000 prize honors outstanding contributions to neurobiology research from young researchers. https://www.princeton.edu/news/2020/10/02/zimmerman-wins-2020-eppendorf-and-science-prize

From APS News: Princeton’s Robert Cava is honored with the 2021 David Adler Lectureship Award in the Field of Materials Physics. He is awarded for enabling significant advances in the field of topological materials by recognizing, discovering and fabricating novel compounds, and demonstrating with collaborators that such materials show the expected exotic topological properties. The American Physical Society Prizes and Awards recognize outstanding achievements in research, education, and public service. With few exceptions, they are open to all members of the scientific community in the US and abroad.  https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/updates/spring2021.cfm

Michael Cook, the Class of 1943 University Professor of Near Eastern Studies, has been awarded the 2020 Middle East Medievalists Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of long and distinguished contributions to the fields of Islamic and Middle East studies and to the promotion of the profession at large. https://www.princeton.edu/news/2020/10/09/michael-cook-receives-middle-east-medievalists-lifetime-achievement-award

From ROI-NJ:

Features Princeton’s Mohammad “Mo” Seyedsayamdost. Quotes President Eisgruber and Princeton’s Gregory Scholes.  https://www.roi-nj.com/2020/10/07/education/two-from-new-jersey-awarded-macarthur-genius-grants/

Related from Nj.com: Montclair filmmaker, Princeton chemist among MacArthur fellows awarded $625K in ‘genius grants’ 

More from the University: Princeton chemist Mohammad Seyedsayamdost awarded a MacArthur Fellowship 

Tracy K. Smith: On the Day of a Historic Vice Presidential Debate, Poet Tracy K. Smith Pays Tribute to Kamala Harris (Vogue) 
Imani Perry:Memory Haunts (The Paris Review) 
Eddie Glaude: 210K in US have died from virus. Now Trump says he ‘gets it’ (Associated Press)
Julian Zelizer: Presidents And The Image They Want To Present (WBUR)and One month out, battered Trump campaign faces big challenges (Associated Press)
Chris Neilson: Forget Zoom: You can do meetings on a website that looks like a retro video game (CNN Business) 
Frans Pretorius: Nobel Prize Work Took Black Holes from Fantasy to Fact (Scientific American) 
Matt Parker: Technology instructor with ties to South Brunswick, Edison offers classes through Princeton Adult School (Centraljersey.com) 
Mariangela Lisanti: Last chance for WIMPs: physicists launch all-out hunt for dark-matter candidate (Nature)  

From Vice: Cites a group of researchers affiliated with Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy.  https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7qm9y/campaign-political-emails-study-princeton-university

Princeton-based researchers recently published in the journal Nature Communications the first study to assess the day-to-day reliability of solar energy under climate change. The team used satellite data and climate models to project how sunlight reaching the ground would be affected as warmer global temperatures alter the dynamics and consistency of Earth’s atmosphere. 

An international team of researchers led by Princeton’s Howard Stone have found that ordinary conversation creates a jet-like airflow that quickly carries tiny droplets from a speaker’s mouth across many feet of an interior space. To study the flow of exhaled material, researchers filmed the movement of breath in front of a person speaking several different phrases. https://www.princeton.edu/news/2020/10/01/research-shows-conversation-quickly-spreads-droplets-more-six-feet-inside-buildings

From The Daily Princetonian: Research led by Ramanan Laxminarayan, a senior research scholar at the Princeton Environmental Institute (PEI), found that most COVID-19 infections in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are spread by a small number of infected individuals known as superspreaders.  https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2020/10/princeton-covid-superspreaders-contact-tracing
Previously featured on the University’s homepage: Largest COVID-19 contact tracing study to date finds children key to spread, evidence of superspreaders

• This homepage story received 236K page views between September 30 and October 8. It currently stands as the University’s top news story of the year to date. 

From The Daily Princetonian: COVID-19’s five-year transmission landscape can range from “sustained epidemics” to “near-elimination” depending on the strength of immunity, vaccination rate and effectiveness, and social distancing protocol, University researchers found. https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2020/10/covid-19-five-year-transmission-landscape

University organist Eric Plutz worked for more than a decade to master the six solo symphonies by famed French Romantic composer Louis Vierne — and performed them in a marathon virtual concert Oct. 8 on the Office of Religious Life’s YouTube channel and Facebook page to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birthday. https://www.princeton.edu/news/2020/10/07/virtual-concert-10-years-making-university-organist-debuts-vierne-project-oct-8

The Princeton University Board of Trustees has approved the appointment of 16 faculty members, including two full professors, one associate professor and 13 assistant professors. https://www.princeton.edu/news/2020/10/06/board-approves-16-faculty-appointments

From The Daily Princetonian: As part of broader anti-racist initiatives announced in June, the University launched the RISE (Recognizing Inequities and Standing for Equality) program. Intended to facilitate research and conversation on topics of racial justice, this year’s RISE program culminated in a series of mini-symposia held the week of Sept. 28. https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2020/10/princeton-rise-racial-justice

From Architectural Digest: Sir David Adjaye believes this design is an example of a new type of teaching museum. As he explains: “It’s a synthesis of art, learning, and social opportunities that reinforce its position as both a hub and cultural gateway for the arts and humanities on campus and a destination for visitors around the world.” https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/david-adjaye-princeton-university-art-museum

From Mycentraljersey.com: U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez have asked U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos why the department is investigating Princeton University’s efforts to confront systemic racism and discrimination, their offices announced. https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/education/college/2020/10/02/senators-feds-undermine-princeton-university-address-racism/5895525002/
Related from Centraljersey.com: Legislators question Princeton University investigation

From The Washington Post: Princeton University will replace a residential college that once honored Woodrow Wilson for a new one to be named for a Black alumna — Ariel Investments co-CEO and philanthropist Mellody Hobson. More from the University: Major gift from Mellody Hobson ’91 names new residential college  https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/10/08/princeton-mellody-hobson-woodrow-wilson/

Additional coverage: 

• The New York Times: At Princeton, a powerful Black woman’s name replaces Woodrow Wilson’s.
• Bloomberg: Princeton Renames a College for Black Alum, Dumps Woodrow Wilson 
• ROI-NJ: Princeton to name new residential college after Mellody Hobson, class of 1991, after generous gift 
• Nj.com: Princeton will rename a residential college after a Black woman for the first time 
• Centraljersey.com: Alumna makes lead gift to establish first residential college at Princeton University named for a Black woman

Plans for the new Princeton University Art Museum were announced in 2018, so it was very exciting to get a first look last week at what the bold and welcoming new Museum building will look like. The new building will serve not only as a welcoming gateway for visitors from around the world, but also a dynamic center for research and teaching. As the architect designing the plans, Sir David Adjaye, described it, “The reconstruction of the Art Museum is conceived as a campus within the campus.”

Located on the same site as the current Museum, the new three-story building will feature seven primary interlocked pavilions containing many of the building’s new galleries. “Lenses” between the pavilions will act as intimate viewing and reading rooms that afford views of campus. The new building will also include a Grand Hall for lectures, performances, and events; numerous classroom spaces and two “creativity labs”; and a rooftop café. (Read more about the plans in Town Topics and the Princeton Alumni Weekly.)

Construction of the new Museum building is slated to begin early next year, with the opening anticipated in late 2024. This is just one of the many construction projects across campus that are planned or already underway. Construction on two new residential colleges, located south of Poe Field and east of Elm Drive, began earlier this year.

While the campus continues to evolve, its guiding principle remains the same: To provide an integrated environment for teaching, living, learning and research.

Stay safe and healthy.

A campus within the campus

By now, you may have seen plans for the new Princeton University Art Museum. We are excited for the new building to serve not only as a welcoming gateway for visitors from around the world, but also a dynamic center for research and teaching. As the architect designing the plans, Sir David Adjaye, described it, “The reconstruction of the Art Museum is conceived as a campus within the campus.”

Located on the same site as the current Museum, the new three-story building will feature seven primary interlocked pavilions containing many of the building’s new galleries. “Lenses” between the pavilions will act as intimate viewing and reading rooms that afford views of campus.

The new building will also include a Grand Hall for lectures, performances, and events; numerous classroom spaces and two “creativity labs”; and a rooftop café.

Construction of the new Museum building is slated to begin early next year, with the opening anticipated in late 2024. This is just one of the many construction projects across campus that are planned or already underway. Construction on two new residential colleges, located south of Poe Field and east of Elm Drive, began earlier this year.

While the campus continues to evolve, its guiding principle remains the same: To provide an integrated environment for teaching, living, learning and research.

Stay safe and healthy.