The International Balzan Foundation has awarded Michael Cook, the Class of 1943 University Professor of Near Eastern Studies, the 2019 Balzan Prize for Islamic Studies. The prize comes with an award of $760,000, half of which must be spent to finance research projects involving a new generation of young researchers.

Jennifer Caputo has been appointed executive director of Alumni Engagement within Princeton University Advancement.

In summer heat, cities may swelter more than nearby suburbs and rural areas. And while the size of this urban heat island effect varies widely among the world’s cities, heat island intensity can largely be explained by a city’s population and precipitation level, researchers reported in a paper published Sept. 4 in the journal Nature.

Jo Dunkley, a professor of physics and astrophysical sciences at Princeton, will receive a 2020 New Horizons in Physics Prize.

Low-temperature plasma, a rapidly expanding source of innovation in fields ranging from electronics to health care to space exploration, is a highly complex state of matter. So complex that the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has teamed with Princeton University to become home to a collaborative facility open to researchers from across the country to advance the understanding and control of this dynamic physical state.

Princeton University celebrated the accomplishments of its students with the awarding of four undergraduate prizes to seven students at Opening Exercises on Sunday, Sept. 8.

The Office of Human Resources proudly introduces this new website, developed with Princeton’s Web Development Services Team. The site has a completely new look and feel and includes updated and new information for faculty, staff, their dependents, and prospective employees about specific workplace and work-life programs, benefits, services, policies, and other relevant content.

All for Earth is a podcast about the broad-based mobilization of people around the world who are racing time to prevent the impending implosion of the critical and interconnected systems that support life on earth. The point is simple and twofold: The planet is facing an existential crisis…and we have the tools to avert it. The latest episode of the “She Roars” podcast features Catherine Riihimaki, host of “All for Earth,” discussing the themes and surprises of Princeton’s newest podcast.

A group of Princeton University physicists has been awarded a two-year grant by the American Physical Society (APS) Innovation Fund to educate and re-engage the U.S. physics community on the globally important issue of the risk posed by nuclear weapons and the pressing need to reduce this threat.

Princeton University and Microsoft have issued statements on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to review cases regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Supreme Court announced June 28 that it will hear arguments during its next term, which starts in October.

Morrison, a Nobel laureate, was Princeton’s Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Humanities, Emeritus, “who had a very special role in this community for 30 years,” Eisgruber said to the students gathered in the University Chapel. He noted that two years ago, the University dedicated one of the oldest buildings on campus in her name, to “honor the marvelous author and teacher who contributed so much to Princeton and the world.”

First-year students begin checking in for move-in at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Forum of the Lewis Arts complex, launching Orientation at Princeton University for the Class of 2023.

A 100-year flood is supposed to be just that: a flood that occurs once every 100 years, or a flood that has a 1% chance of happening every year.

The latest episode of the “She Roars” podcast features Maribel Hernandez Rivera, a 2010 graduate alumna, reflecting on her childhood experience as an undocumented immigrant and now a champion of immigrant rights. She works as district director for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after a previous position in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Lead and other toxic impurities plague water systems around the world, and in the U.S. have left some mayors clamoring for options.

Summertime greetings from the Office of Communications! Starting with this issue, we are evolving the Weekly Bulletin to showcase content around key themes and institutional priorities, alongside campus updates. For example, below, you will find items focused on Innovation, Diversity & Inclusion, and the Environment, as well as pieces on Toni Morrison and Xiyue Wang. We will be reaching out to readers over the coming weeks for feedback and input. Best, Ben Chang and Mike Hotchkiss

Steven Scott Gubser, a professor of physics at Princeton and a highly accomplished scholar of string theory and black holes, died as a result of a rock-climbing accident on Saturday, Aug. 3, in Chamonix, France. He was 47 years old. At the time of his death, Gubser was on vacation in Europe with his family.

On Aug. 7, 2016, authorities in Iran detained Princeton history graduate student Xiyue Wang in Tehran, where he remains held in Evin prison. Sarah-Jane Leslie, dean of the Graduate School, issued the following statement Aug. 7, 2019, appealing for Wang’s immediate release. (Media coverage from Bloomberg, The New York Times and CNN.)

World-renowned writer and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, the Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Humanities, Emeritus, at Princeton University, died Monday, Aug. 5. She was 88. (Media coverage from The Wall Street Journal, CNN and Inside Higher Ed.)

More from Princeton:

• Video highlighting Morrison’s enduring legacy on campus, featuring President Eisgruber’s remarks at the 2017 dedication of Morrison Hall. 
• Twitter thread celebrating Morrison’s life and legacy through her words, career accomplishments and thoughts from around the world.

How does a curator create a museum exhibition? What does a day in the life of a working artist look like? How do science and technology help conserve art? How do issues of diversity and representation affect artists and professionals in the field?

In the media:

Princeton University Ranks Highest Among Tri-State Schools in Princeton Review’s ‘Great Financial Aid,’ Survey (NBC New York) 

Princeton University Named Among ‘Best’ For Financial Aid (Patch) 

The 25 Best Colleges in America, According to 19,000 Data Points on Cost and Quality (Money)