Academics

16 faculty members, 18 alumni elected to nation’s historic academies

16 faculty members, 18 alumni elected to nation’s historic academies

Allan Shen

University faculty members elected to the Academy this year include Professors Rubén Gallo, M. Zahid Hasan, Amaney Jamal, Ruby Lee, Margaret Martonosi, Tom Muir, Alondra Nelson, Eve Ostriker, Alexander Smits, James Stone, Leeat Yariv, and Muhammad Qasim Zaman.

NEWS | 05/08/2020

In WRI 163: Contagion, class readings have become reality

In WRI 163: Contagion, class readings have become reality

Marissa Michaels

Professor Carolyn Ureña always knew that the interdisciplinary study of infectious disease was important. Now, the rest of the world is catching on.

FEATURES | 05/07/2020

U. hosts SophCon, virtual orientation program for rising sophomores

Evelyn Doskoch

The program took place from Monday, May 4, to Wednesday, May 6, through a series of three one-hour webinars that discussed Academic Advising and Career Exploration, Mental Wellness, Housing and Dining, and Residential Colleges.

NEWS | 05/07/2020

Incoming SEAS Dean Andrea Goldsmith becomes first woman to receive Marconi Prize

Albert Jiang

The Marconi Prize is widely considered to be the highest honor in telecommunications research, given to one or two individuals a year for “a significant and impactful scientific discovery or innovation that changed millions of lives.”

NEWS | 05/07/2020

Eisgruber told departments to prepare for an online semester. Here’s what they’re thinking.

Marie-Rose Sheinerman

Virtual learning is difficult. The Daily Princetonian reached out to every department to see what planning, if any, has been done to prepare for the possibility of an online fall semester.

NEWS | 05/05/2020

Himelhoch ’21 awarded 2020 Truman Scholarship

Himelhoch ’21 awarded 2020 Truman Scholarship

Marie-Rose Sheinerman

“I’m interested in representing survivors of interpersonal violence who are religious and face all sorts of systemic injustices within their communities and are asked to give up those religious commitments to try to appeal to the secular justice system for help,” Himelhoch said.

NEWS | 04/20/2020

Graduate School announces changes to grading, examination policies

Graduate School announces changes to grading, examination policies

Shamma Pepper Fox

Instead of enacting a graduate school-wide policy similar to the one enacted by the Dean of the College Jill S. Dolan, which established a P/D/F option for all undergraduate courses, the Graduate School will “defer to the faculty in departments and programs on whether and how best to adjust the timelines for their own requirements.”

NEWS | 04/16/2020

41 courses will fulfill new ‘Culture and Difference’ requirement

CD courses with other distribution requirements

41 courses will fulfill new ‘Culture and Difference’ requirement

Evelyn Doskoch

The new requirement, which will go into effect for the Class for 2024, aims to expose students to a variety of cultures and experiences and allow them to explore these cultural practices across a wide range of disciplines.

NEWS | 04/09/2020

U. seeks research proposals related to COVID-19

The facade of a beige building and glass door with the background of a grey sky.

U. seeks research proposals related to COVID-19

Albert Jiang

Although all non-essential on-campus research was suspended as of March 21, a limited number of approved, campus-based proposals related to COVID-19 will be permitted to join the few essential projects permitted to continue to operate.

NEWS | 04/05/2020

Two weeks into Zoom, students reflect on challenges of online learning

Two weeks into Zoom, students reflect on challenges of online learning

Rose Gilbert

Nearly two weeks have passed since University students began taking online courses on Zoom. Not all students — depending on their time zone, internet access, and living situation — can participate easily.

NEWS | 04/02/2020

Decentralized PDF grading policy sparks debate over fairness

Decentralized PDF grading policy sparks debate over fairness

Karolen Eid, Sam Kagan, and Silvana Nasim

Some students and professors expressed concern with the lack of an overarching University policy.

NEWS | 03/27/2020

U. grants students unlimited PDFs for spring term, “encourages” faculty to consider “PDF-only option”

U. grants students unlimited PDFs for spring term, “encourages” faculty to consider “PDF-only option”

Evelyn Doskoch

Though students will be permitted to P/D/F more than one class this semester, it is unclear whether classes currently designated non-P/D/F (npdf), such as writing seminars, foreign languages, and hundreds of other courses, will be required to transition to grading that allows for the P/D/F option.

NEWS | 03/19/2020

Faculty urged to consider re-weighting examinations

Faculty urged to consider re-weighting examinations

Zachary Shevin

The message also included language on how faculty members could apply the guidance of social distancing to exam administration.

NEWS | 03/11/2020

Petitions to revise midterms and prevent forced departures garner 5700+ signatures combined

Petitions to revise midterms and prevent forced departures garner 5700+ signatures combined

Claire Silberman

The students pointed to the stress imposed by the COVID-19, or coronavirus disease, outbreak. Since Sunday night, when the University inadvertently leaked plans to move to online schooling after spring break, students, faculty, and staff have scrambled to make contingency plans. The University officially announced that plan on Monday, at the start of midterms week.

NEWS | 03/11/2020

Four graduate students named Jacobus Fellows

Four graduate students named Jacobus Fellows

Shamma Pepper Fox

All of this year’s fellows will pursue careers in academia. According to the Graduate School’s website, “previous Jacobus winners have gone on to become leaders in all fields including academia, business, industry, and government.”

NEWS | 02/19/2020

Bat crashes microeconomics lecture in McCosh 50

Bat crashes microeconomics lecture in McCosh 50

Claire Silberman

Deputy University Spokesperson Mike Hotchkiss explained in a statement to The Daily Princetonian that the room was evacuated shortly after the bat sighting. A pest-control company arrived to find the bat gone, “likely through an open window.”

NEWS | 02/19/2020

Hundreds of fossils lay forgotten in the basement of Guyot. One sophomore is working to change that.

Hundreds of fossils lay forgotten in the basement of Guyot. One sophomore is working to change that.

Kris Hristov

The collection was all but forgotten until Andrew Xu ’22 found out about it while preparing for a high school Science Olympiad fossils competition. Xu now maintains the collection with the help of the Geosciences department.

NEWS | 02/18/2020

U. administration establishes dates for reformed 2020–21 academic calendar

U. administration establishes dates for reformed 2020–21 academic calendar

Marie-Rose Sheinerman

Although requirements may vary by department, the University-wide deadline for junior independent work, however, will be the first Friday of Wintersession, on January 15, 2021, according to an email statement by Deputy University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss to The Daily Princetonian.

NEWS | 02/04/2020