Climate change may be depriving juvenile fish of their most crucial early food source by throwing off the synchronization of when microscopic plants known as phytoplankton bloom and when fish hatch, according to Princeton researchers. The long-term effect on fish reproductivity could mean fewer fish available for human consumption.

Wells that extract natural gas from underground often leak large amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, into the air. A team of Princeton researchers has found that, in one of the biggest gas-producing regions, most of these emissions come from a tiny subset of the wells, a finding with major implications for how to control the problem.

Young people enrolled in the pre-apprenticeship program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory are shadowing skilled technicians on tasks such as welding components for PPPL’s flagship fusion experiment or repairing the massive motor generators that power it. As they learn, they are preparing for their own future. (Media coverage from ROI and Insider NJ.)

More from Princeton: 

• Entrepreneurship Club students help transfer Princeton biotech research to business ventures
• Small but mighty: A mini plasma-powered satellite under construction may launch a new era in space exploration
• Innovative tiny laser has potential uses in drug quality control, medical diagnosis, airplane safety
• Students Marquardt and Shah win Slavin Fellowships for work in entrepreneurship

In the news:

• Princeton startup Offchain Labs speeds, secures blockchain application development (ROI)  
• Could a Jersey lab be the key to unlocking the sun’s energy on Earth? (NJTV)
• Incentive to innovate: Zwicker says new legislation will boost N.J. economy, help it keep up with rival states (ROI)

Rodney Priestley, professor of chemical and biological engineering and a leading researcher in the area of complex materials and processing, has been named Princeton’s vice dean for innovation, effective Feb. 3. The newly created position provides academic leadership for innovation and entrepreneurship activities across campus. (Media coverage from ROI and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Physics and biology students from around the world came to Princeton for an intensive two-week summer school focused on the intersections between the disciplines, hosted by Princeton-CUNY’s Center for the Physics of Biological Function.

Princeton University’s 2018-19 Annual Giving campaign raised $68,568,435 — the third highest total in Annual Giving history — with 55.4% of undergraduate alumni participating. The results are notable for their strength across all of Princeton’s constituencies: undergraduate alumni, graduate alumni, parents and friends.

The last math class Jazzmen Blackwell took before enlisting in the U.S. Navy was high school Algebra II. Now, at age 24 and ready to return to civilian life, she knows she needs to catch up with her studies and get back into an academic mindset.

New Jersey high school educators hoping to improve college access for their students spent a day learning about Princeton University’s pathway programs for underrepresented populations at the Princeton AP/IB College Pathways Institute. The educators explored model practices they can apply in their home districts to support students who take Advanced Placement (AP) courses or those who are earning International Baccalaureate (IB) diplomas.

Anu Ramaswami, an interdisciplinary environmental engineer who is recognized as a pioneer and leader on the topic of sustainable urban systems, has been named professor of India studies, civil and environmental engineering, and the Princeton Environmental Institute, and the inaugural director of the M.S. Chadha Center for Global India. She will assume her new duties at Princeton on Aug. 1.

Eva Kubu, director of Career Services, will be joining Princeton University’s Graduate School in the newly created role of director of graduate student professional development. Her appointment is effective July 1.

A statement was issued by Sarah-Jane Leslie, dean of the Graduate School regarding the call to release Princeton University graduate student Xiyue Wang.

Here’s the full article.

Online journalist Maria Ressa, Class of 1986, knows the best and the worst of social media.  It helped drive the Philippines-based news site she co-founded, called Rappler, to 300% growth rates in its early years. Today, she warns that the weaponization of social media threatens the very existence of Rappler, free speech, her own freedom and the future of democracy itself — not just in the Philippines but worldwide.

Here’s the full article.

At its June meeting, Princeton University’s Board of Trustees approved an update to the strategic planning framework that it adopted in January 2016 to guide the University’s ongoing efforts to enhance Princeton’s core commitments to excellence in teaching and research and to such bedrock principles as affordability, diversity, inclusivity and service.

Here’s the full article.

Two research initiatives that aspire to engineer new biomaterials for unmet medical and research needs have been awarded funding through the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund.

Here’s the full article.

A group of Princeton University alumni has established the Sonia Sotomayor 1976 Scholarship Fund, in honor of Sonia Sotomayor, Class of 1976, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Here’s the full article.

In the weeks leading up to Commencement, graduating students felt a mix of emotions — relief at completing their coursework, theses and dissertations; sadness about leaving Princeton and their friends, and excitement about the futures they’re entering, armed with what they’ve learned at Princeton. (Images for graduates and families are available here.)

Here’s the full article on Commencement.

Departing Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Emily Carter, reflects back on 15 years at Princeton and looks forward to fostering a growing role for universities in the service of humanity from her new position as the second-ranking officer of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Listen to the podcast here.

They came with generations in tow — parents and grandparents, spouses, partners, children and pets — all donning their orange finest, from video-game inspired costumes to treasured class jackets. Approximately 25,000 Princeton alumni and guests are on campus for Reunions 2019, which runs Thursday, May 30, through Sunday, June 2.

Here’s the full article here.

At Princeton University’s 272nd Commencement on Tuesday, June 4, President Christopher L. Eisgruber encouraged graduates to use their Princeton education to provide the “service, citizenship and leadership” that the world needs. Commencement marked the culmination of three days of celebrations of the Class of 2019 that also included Baccalaureate, Class Day, Hooding and the ROTC commissioning ceremony. Here’s the full article here.

Princeton awards six honorary degrees

Four faculty members recognized for outstanding teaching

Princeton University is celebrating the accomplishments of its undergraduate and graduate degree candidates at year-end events Sunday through Tuesday, June 2-4.

Here’s the full article.