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Princeton

university BulletinVolume 101, Number 7 March 12, 2012

Alumni Day 2012 Paxson to be

Themes of leadership and service highlighted Princeton’s annual Alumni next president Day program on Feb. 25. RIGHT: Prior to the Alumni Day luncheon at Jadwin of Brown Gymnasium, (from left) Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman joins Us h m a Pat e l FBI Director Robert Mueller, winner of the Woodrow Wilson Award; Kathryn hristina Paxson, dean of Prince- Hall, chair of the University’s Board of ton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Trustees; and Environmental Protection C has been selected to serve as the next Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, president of Brown University. recipient of the James Madison Medal. Paxson, who is also the Hughes- Rogers Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, will succeed Ruth Simmons. Paxson will remain at Princeton through June 30, the end of the academic year, and will assume her new Paxson role on July 1. “The search committee at Brown University has made a truly inspired choice for its 19th president, although it means that Princeton will lose one of its most distinguished faculty members and effective academic administrators,” said Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman. “At every stage of her 26 years at Princeton, Chris Paxson has left an indelible mark on this University. Chris has consistently shown the kind of good judgment and admirable leader- ship that makes her a natural choice as

Photos by Denise Applewhite Denise by Photos Brown’s president. As sad as I am to lose her as a colleague at Princeton, it ABOVE: Winners of the University’s top student awards, who were honored at Alumni Day, gather with Tilghman and Dean of will be a great pleasure to welcome her the Graduate School William Russel (far right). From left: Pyne Prize winners James Valcourt and Ann-Marie Elvin, and Jacobus to the Council of Ivy Presidents.” Fellowship recipients William Deringer, Andrew Huddleston and Richard Baliban. To read more about Alumni Day activities and about the student award winners, visit www.princeton.edu/main/news. Continued on page 3

Wordsmith Bellos explores the art and science of translation

Pau l K a r r appropriate case study of both the tricky nature of interpreting between s a dedicated wordsmith, Prince- languages and the different ways sub- ton professor David Bellos mines titles can be used. A central narrative A examples of the interplay of lan- element of the film is an Indian ver- guages from all kinds of sources, even sion, performed in Hindi, of the U.K. Oscar-winning films. and U.S. television game show, “Who Bellos, who has spent his life work- Wants to Be a Millionaire?” ing with words, often in languages In preparation for the class, six other than his native English, is a students had watched different ver- professor in the departments of French sions of “Slumdog,” including the U.S. and Italian and comparative literature release in English, with a great deal — as well as a translator of interna- of unsubtitled Hindi dialogue; the tional renown who has written a new French version, with dubbed French book on translation. In his teach- over the English voices and no sub- ing and writing, he often reaches for titles; and a Spanish-language version examples of linguistic complications, with full subtitles for dialogue, plus emphasizing his crucial point that captions over English signage and translations never produce quite the other graphic elements. same phrasing, feeling or meaning as “Every character in the French the original. version sounds like Voltaire,” Bellos A recent session of his senior chuckled. “It’s the most beautiful thing

seminar in translation, for instance, you’ve ever heard. No rough edges. Applewhite Denise by Photo explored the uses and effects of mul- In some ways, I imagine, it probably David Bellos directs Princeton’s undergraduate certificate Program in Translation and tiple languages in the hit 2008 British takes away some of the film’s fun.” Intercultural Communication, which was created in 2007 to educate students about the film “Slumdog Millionaire,” which important role that translation plays across academic fields and in cultural understanding. Bellos had selected as an especially Continued on page 8

Appiah wins National Humanities Medal 3 What’s Wildlife, cows can Chang discusses future of math at Princeton 4 be partners in inside? System tracks drought to aid disaster relief 6 search for food 7 Princeton 2 university Bulletin March 12, 2012 Bridge Year will offer new sites, expand capacity Spotlight

E m i ly A ro n s o n right to expand capacity and give more teering with organizations that focus students the opportunity to participate on environmental conservation, health rinceton’s Bridge Year Program in Bridge Year.” care, education, refugee support or will offer new locations in China Launched in 2009, Bridge Year rural development. Students also will P and Senegal and expand the allows undergraduates to defer the start study the Wolof language. number of incoming freshmen who of their freshman year and engage in Where There Be Dragons, which may participate in the tuition-free nine months of University-sponsored provides service learning and study service program abroad. The changes community service in another country. abroad options in 17 countries, has will take effect in the 2012-13 aca- A total of 60 students — 20 each year been selected as the program part- demic year. — have participated since its inception. ner for the China and Senegal sites. Bridge Year will continue to have Luria said the programs in China The organization already serves as four international sites, starting new and Senegal will support Bridge Year’s a partner for Bridge Year in India. programs in China and Senegal and mission to provide incoming students ProWorld Service Corps is the pro- retaining existing programs in India with a greater international perspec- gram partner for Bridge Year in Peru. and Peru. During its first three years, tive, a commitment to public service Princeton’s partners have exceptional Bridge Year sites were located in and a time for personal growth. records for running safe and successful Ghana, India, Peru and Serbia. “I have seen students benefit enor- programs, and the programs are care- Starting next academic year, Bridge mously from this experience, gaining fully supported by on-site professional Year also will have the capacity to language skills, intercultural aware- staff as well as the resources of U.S. accommodate up to seven students, ness and a better understanding of and international health and security rather than five, at each site. what it means to work with and for organizations. “I firmly believe in the value of others,” Luria said. “Bridge Year For the 2012-13 year, Bridge Year Applewhite Denise by Photo Bridge Year and am very pleased that participants also bring a unique per- programs in India and Peru will the program has begun to grow,” said spective and experience to campus life, continue as in previous years. Students Name: Omelan Stryzak John Luria, director of the Bridge which further strengthens our Univer- in India will be based in the city of Position: Lecture demonstration Year Program. sity community.” Varanasi, engage in service projects specialist in the Department of Phys- “As we reflected on our first three In China, students will engage focused on human trafficking, literacy, ics. Conceptualizing and presenting years, we considered how we could in community service assignments eco-farming and vocational training demonstrations of physics principles in build on the success of Bridge Year primarily based in the city of Kun- for young people with special needs, class. Recording demonstrations and while continuing to meet students’ ming in the Yunnan province. Projects as well as learn Hindi. In Peru, stu- posting them online. Helping profes- interests and offer experiences that may include volunteering with health, dents will live in the Andean town of sors with research design. Working will enrich their undergraduate education, environmental and youth Urubamba, work on small-scale devel- on Web development and database careers,” Luria continued. “We felt development organizations. Students opment projects related to rural health management. that we could best achieve our pro- also will study Mandarin. care, education and women’s empow- gram goals by offering four program In Senegal, students will participate erment, as well as receive lessons in Quote: “As someone with an engineer- options in China, India, Peru and in service projects in the capital city Spanish and the indigenous language ing background, I love when I can Senegal. We also felt the time was of Dakar. Projects may include volun- Quechua. create something new or create that ‘Aha!’ moment for a student. I help them understand things in real life — how high voltage works, what kind of energy is induced when you drop something. I’m always on my feet, Crazy After All These Years: Women, moving around, but it’s a small price Two faculty members appointed Writing and Psychoanalysis.” A fellow to pay for the variety. I love the inter- of the British Academy, she is a gradu- actions with professors, too — we’re ate of Oxford and holds a Ph.D. from always trying to produce something he Board of Trustees has approved Bowlby has written several books on Yale University. cutting-edge.” two faculty appointments. consumer culture, including “Just Look- In religion, Jessica Delgado has been T In comparative literature, Rachel ing,” about department stores; “Carried appointed to a three-year term as an Other interests: Off-road cycling. Writ- Bowlby will join the faculty as a full Away: The Invention of Modern Shop- assistant professor, effective July 1, ing code. Spending time with his professor effective Sept. 1, 2013. A spe- ping,” about the history of self-service 2012. Delgado, whose research focuses significant other. cialist in modern comparative literature, and supermarkets; and “Shopping With on religion in the Americas, has been a Bowlby has been a faculty member at Freud,” about connections between psy- postdoctoral fellow at Princeton since the University of College London since choanalysis and consumer psychology. 2009. She is a graduate of the Uni- 2004. She previously taught at the She also has written books that explore versity of California-Santa Cruz and University of York, the University of changing psychological and literary holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford and the University of Sussex. notions of selfhood, including “Still California-Berkeley. Broadmead Swim Employee retirements Club applications now available Effective Jan. 1, 2012: in Dining lab, technical associate Jerome Siegel, ing, senior technical support staff Services, food service worker Matilia after 34 years. member Philip Howard, after 25 years; in roadmead Swim Club, a private Charles, after 10 years; in mechanical Effective March 1, 2012: in the the University Public Lecture Series, Bswimming pool located near and aerospace engineering, technical plasma physics lab, principal research administrator Susan Jennings, after 21 campus at 184 Broadmead, is accept- support associate Lisa Langelier-Marks, physicists Michael Bell, after 31 years; years; in Dining Services, food service ing applications for membership this after 13 years. Manfred Bitter, after 34 years; Henry worker Jean Joseph, after 10 years; in summer. The club is open to all but Effective Feb. 1, 2012: in the plasma Kugel, after 33 years; Dennis Mansfield, University Health Services, office sup- offers special rates for University physics lab, technical assistant Joseph after 34 years; Ernesto Mazzucato, after port staff member Sharon Young, after members and their families. The club Carson III, after 36 years; in the art 45 years; Donald Monticello, after 36 11 years. offers swim lessons and early morning museum, associate director of publica- years; Neil Pomphrey, after 28 years; Effective July 1, 2012: in East Asian lap swim three times a week. It is open tions and communications Jill Guthrie, and James Strachan, after 36 years; in studies, senior lecturer Joanne Chiang, from Memorial Day to Labor Day. after 28 years; in the plasma physics mechanical and aerospace engineer- after 20 years. More information, including the mem- bership application, may be obtained at www.broadmeadswimclub.com.

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Princeton ties: musician and scholar Appiah awarded National Humanities Medal Charles Rosen, who earned his A.B. in 1948 and his Ph.D. in 1951 from the University, and medieval historian K a r i n D i e n s t and a true citizen temporary world,” whose “books and Teofilo Ruiz, who received his Ph.D. of the world,” said essays within and beyond his academic from Princeton in 1974. rinceton professor Kwame President Shirley M. discipline have shed moral and intel- Anthony Appiah, an internation- Tilghman. “While lectual light on the individual in an era P ally renowned moral and political his cosmopolitan of globalization and evolving group philosopher, has been awarded the vision and the moral identities.” National Humanities Medal by Presi- values that inform it Appiah is the author of numerous dent Barack Obama. have helped to guide award-winning books, including, The medal honors those whose work Appiah the discourse on our over the last seven years, “The Board approves has deepened the nation’s under- campus, his ideas have Honor Code: How Moral Revolu- standing of and engagement with the a global reach, challenging conven- tions Happen,” “Experiments in four promotions humanities, or helped preserve and tional understandings of identity and Ethics,” “The Ethics of Identity,” expand access to important resources loyalty and bridging the divisions that and “Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in he Board of Trustees has approved in the humanities. Appiah was among they generate. I am delighted that he is a World of Strangers,” which has the promotions of four faculty eight individuals presented with the being honored with a National Humani- been translated into more than a T members. The faculty members award at a White House ceremony ties Medal.” dozen languages. With Henry Louis and their departments, by the aca- Feb. 13. Appiah, who has taught at Princeton Gates Jr. he edited “Africana: The demic rank to which they are being The medal also was presented to his- since 2002, is the Laurance S. Rock- Encyclopedia of the African and promoted, are: torian and librarian Robert Darnton, efeller Professor of Philosophy and the African American Experience.” He Associate professor (with continuing the Shelby Cullom Davis ’30 Professor University Center for Human Values. has also published three novels and is tenure) — Kosuke Imai, politics; Adam of European History Emeritus, who He has published widely in philosophy the co-author with his mother of an Maloof, geosciences; Jason Petta, physics. served on the Princeton faculty from and in African and African American annotated collection of proverbs from These appointments are effective 1968 to 2007 before accepting a posi- literary and cultural studies. Ashanti, Ghana. July 1, 2012. tion at Harvard University. In the official citation for the award, In addition to Appiah and Darn- Assistant professor (for a term of three “Kwame Anthony Appiah is one of Appiah was honored as a philosopher ton, two other winners of this year’s and a half years) — Thomas Fujiwara, Princeton’s most luminous scholars “seeking eternal truths in the con- National Humanities Medal have economics, effective Feb. 1, 2012.

Faculty obituaries

other disciplines outside of biology, Princeton professor emeritus Malcolm Described as a personable colleague tors for much of his according to Princeton Professor of Steinberg, a molecular biologist well who loved discussing science and career. According to Molecular Biology Edward Cox. It was known for his influential hypoth- ideas, Steinberg joined Princeton’s Steinberg’s theory, not uncommon for scientists of that era esis about how cells in an embryo faculty in 1966. A few years prior, he certain tissues behave to stay within their field, Cox said, but assemble, died Feb. 7 at his home in had introduced his differential adhe- like liquids over long Steinberg often worked with concepts Princeton of complications from lung sion hypothesis, an idea he continued timescales with a and researchers outside of biology. cancer. He was 81. to explore with numerous collabora- characteristic surface Steinberg co-wrote more than 150 tension that determines Steinberg research papers, many of which inves- the spatial configura- tigated the role of cell adhesion in a tion of interacting variety of areas. He continued publish- tissues and contributes to their arrange- ing after his retirement from Princeton ment during embryo development. in 2005. Center for Health Care Strategies and a Steinberg’s seminal work com- Paxson senior fellow of the Bureau for Research bined elements of biology and physics and Economic Analysis of Development. in a way that were emblematic of Online: Full obiturary Continued from page 1 blogs.princeton.edu/memorial Before her tenure as the Wilson his embrace and understanding of School dean, she served as chair of the Paxson has served since July 2009 as Department of Economics from 2008 the dean of the Wilson School, where to 2009 and as associate chair from she initiated a review of both the Mas- 2005 to 2008. As founding director of More news on the Web ter in Public Affairs curriculum and the the interdisciplinary Center for Health undergraduate major. Notably, the lat- and Wellbeing from 2000 to 2009, ter review ended the selective admission Paxson launched a graduate certificate Visit the News at Princeton Web page at www.princeton.edu/main/news process for the undergraduate major program in health and health policy in for other recent stories, including the following: and restructured the curriculum by 2003 and began an undergraduate cer- establishing new prerequisites, expand- tificate program in global health and • Steven Mackey, a Princeton professor of music, received a Grammy Award ing the core curriculum, and increasing health policy in 2008. In that role, she for Best Small Ensemble Performance for the 2011 recording “Lonely Motel: training in research methods. She also also served as the founding director of Music From ‘Slide,’” a cycle of 11 Mackey compositions recorded in collabora- established the Julis-Rabinowitz Center the National Institute on Aging Center tion with singer Rinde Eckert and new-music sextet Eighth Blackbird. Mackey for Public Policy and Finance. for the Economics and Demography also had been nominated for a Best Contemporary Classical Composition “My experience at Princeton has of Aging and director of the Adel award. been very rewarding. I have been given Mahmoud Global Health Scholars • Researchers from Princeton and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology incredible opportunities to develop Program, and she helped launch the report that projected increases in sea level and storm intensity brought on as a teacher, scholar and administra- Grand Challenges program, leading by climate change would make devastating storm surges — the deadly and tor,” Paxson said. “It has been a great the Health Grand Challenge. privilege and joy to lead the Woodrow destructive mass of water pushed inland by large storms — more frequent Wilson School. Although I am eager to in low-lying coastal areas. Regions such as the New York City metropolitan begin my new life at Brown University, area that currently experience a disastrous flood every century could instead it will be difficult for me to say good- become submerged every one or two decades. bye to the many friends — colleagues, • Princeton-based researchers have found that an emerging class of long- students and Princeton alumni — I Grenfell named to lasting flu vaccines called “universal” vaccines could for the first time allow for have come to know over my years at the effective, wide-scale prevention of flu by limiting the virus’ ability to spread this remarkable university.” and mutate. A computational model the team developed showed that the vac- A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of endowed chair cines could achieve unprecedented control of the flu virus both seasonally and Swarthmore College, Paxson earned her during outbreaks of highly contagious new strains. Ph.D. from Columbia University and ryan Grenfell, professor of ecology joined the Princeton faculty in 1986. and evolutionary biology and public • Princeton seniors Jane Abbottsmith, Daniel Barson, Daniel Strassfeld and Paxson’s research and teaching focus B affairs, has been named the Kathryn Victoria Tobolsky have been awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarships, which on economic status and health outcomes Briger and Sarah Fenton Professor of give outstanding students from outside the United Kingdom the opportunity over the lifespan in both developed and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and to pursue postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge. In addition, developing countries. She has been Public Affairs, effective Feb. 1, 2012. this year’s recipients include Princeton alumna Rachel Bolton, who earned a the principal investigator on numerous bachelor’s degree in English in 2010. National Institutes of Health-funded studies; she is currently the principal • A study led by researchers at Princeton has yielded insights into how liquid investigator for an NIH-funded study Employee obituaries spreads along flexible fibers, which could allow for increased efficiency in of the effects of Hurricane Katrina on various industrial applications — from cleaning oil slicks to developing micro- low-income families. scopic electronics. She is a research associate of Prince- Retired employees ton’s Office of Population Research and December: Sonya Goldstein, 81 • Waterways in remote, pristine tropical forests located in the Caribbean and of the National Bureau of Economic (1979-1990, library); Emil Yeager, 88 Central America contain levels of nitrogen comparable to amounts found in Research and a senior editor of The (1978-1989, plasma physics lab). streams and rivers flowing through polluted forests in the United States and Future of Children, a policy journal January: Eleanor Grimm, 78 (1976- Europe. This discovery by a Princeton-led research team raises questions published jointly by the Wilson School 1998, alumni and donor records). about how tropical forests might respond if they were to become exposed to and the Brookings Institution. Paxson February: James Cvecich, 85 (1981- additional nitrogen through water and air pollution. is chair of the board of trustees of the 1992, molecular biology). Princeton 4 university Bulletin March 12, 2012 Alice Chang: Perspective on the future of Princeton mathematics

Name: Sun-Yung Alice Chang Title: Eugene Higgins Professor of Mathematics and chair of the Department of Mathematics Scholarly and administrative focus: Chang’s research has focused on areas such as harmonic analysis, geometric analysis and partial differential equa- tions. As chair, she is helping to guide the department in expanding its research areas and building its popularity with students. With powerful computing creating a demand for mathematicians skilled at calculating and analyzing increasingly larger data, math faculty frequently collabo- rate with researchers in other fields — not only lending their expertise but encountering problems that inspire the creation of new mathematical tools. At the same time, the department is attracting growing enrollments of aspiring mathematicians. The number of Princeton undergraduates declaring math as a major has risen from the low to mid 30s during the middle of the past decade to 83 in 2010-11 and 75 this year. Enrollment in undergraduate mathematics courses also has grown steadily, from 1,642 in 2004-05 to roughly 2,100 in 2011-12. Chang, the department’s first female chair, also has taken a personal interest and central role in attracting more women to the field, including serving as an organizer of the Program for Women and Mathematics summer program offered by the University and the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). Interview conducted by Morgan Kelly

What particular fields does Princeton’s mathematics fac- tician may have the ability to visualize and organize This is a long-term problem. Traditionally, math ulty focus on and excel in? the large data better than other people. That’s the and physics are fields dominated and developed by We cover all major fields of research. Our depart- type of training, to analyze the data. You develop this men and women did not play a large role. The number ment certainly does not cover every research field, ability to have critical thinking, and that makes you of women in our department, both students and fac- but the quality of our faculty is extremely high. able to analyze things scientifically. If you are a musi- ulty, is still small. We definitely feel we are a minority. Sorry, mathematicians traditionally are more mod- cian, you learn to feel things. A mathematician learns Last year, we had 83 math majors, but among those, est [laughs]. But I would like to say that many of our to analyze. only 13 were women. There’s a continuous effort being faculty members are leaders in their fields. made by the department and faculty to increase that Basically, there are three main branches of math- In recent years, the number of Princeton math majors has number, but it’s a long-term problem. Until the per- ematics — analysis, geometry and algebra. We have increased significantly. What is attracting students to the centage of women faculty [in mathematics in general] strengths in each of these major directions. In the department? is much higher than it is now, the problem will persist. early 1970s, our department was the world center for First, our department has paid a lot more atten- Women will feel this is a field dominated by men and topology [which falls under geometry]. Gradually, tion to our curriculum. In addition to core courses that it will be a struggle for them. Progress has been we became a center for analysis and lately the depart- for students who intend to major in mathematics, we gradually made and women students in our depart- ment, together with IAS, is very strong in number have begun to offer undergraduate courses aimed to ment I have talked with seem to feel comfortable and theory and partial differential equations. We also have raise students’ general interest in mathematics. Some confident in general. But we do want to strengths in analytic and algebraic encourage more women students and number theory, algebraic and differ- faculty to join us. ential geometry, applied mathematics, When I see these women graduate stu- dynamical systems, fluid dynamics, dents in our department now, the quality geometric partial differential equa- of these students is very high. There used tions, general relativity and topology. to be an impression that women cannot Our focus depends on the development do mathematics, and that the analytical of mathematics in general. At this ability of men is stronger. Most people moment, one of our concentrations is would agree that this simply is not true. number theory, which is developing I definitely feel that, given the right rapidly because of its close relationship environment to develop, women can do as to probability and computer science. well as men in mathematics. As mathematicians, we are able to develop and apply sophisticated tools What outreach does Princeton provide to to analyze large data, so the connec- draw more women to mathematics and help tion between mathematics and other them excel? branches of science that use large- I, of course, hope we can do more, but scale computation is more intimate at this moment we have a couple of pro- than ever. grams. We have the Program for Women and Mathematics organized with IAS. How do mathematicians contribute to We offer two weeks of intensive classes work in other fields? each summer, with each year focusing There is a lot of interplay between on a different topic. Women students math and other departments. It used from around the country at the advanced to be that people would wonder about and undergraduate levels are selected mathematical theories — “Why is to participate in this program, though this useful?” or “Why is this rel- Princeton students are automatically evant?” — but now more and more selected if they want to enroll. The lec- mathematical theories are applied Applewhite Denise by Photos turers and teaching assistants are usually to other sciences. For example, I am Princeton’s Department of Mathematics has put great effort into designing its graduate female faculty from other top universities a geometric analyst. I use analytic and undergraduate curricula in recent years, according to chair Sun-Yung Alice Chang. This around the world, and they participate on techniques to study problems in includes initiatives to bridge graduate and undergraduate coursework, and courses designed a volunteer basis. This program has been geometry, but the types of problems I to increase general student interest in mathematics. As a result, enrollment in undergraduate very successful. study are related to problems in phys- classes and the number of Princeton students declaring math as a major have increased. Students in our department also ics. I work on conformal geometry, formed the Noetherian Ring club, named wherein the measurement of an object after the famous woman mathemati- is changed by increasing its length in each direction of these courses have been extremely popular. For cian, Emmy Noether. This club provides a chance for while preserving the angles between two different example, Professor Manjul Bhargava offered a course women students and faculty to meet each other, and directions. Conformal geometry is infinitely related [in spring 2009] called “The Magic of Numbers,” an for each female math student to find a mentor she can to conformal field theory, which is a main branch of interdisciplinary course — including a connection to talk to. mathematical physics. I’ve been studying this branch music — with more than 100 students. The class was of geometric problems using non-linear partial dif- so popular we had to limit the enrollment. We have Finally, what are some future objectives for the department? ferential equations. added a number of such courses by looking at the Our department will always make an effort to stay need of the students. The enrollment of students in strong in our traditional areas. On the other hand, we Does collaborating with other scientists in other disci- all undergraduate courses also has increased tremen- are also seeing a trend to have more and more interac- plines benefit the mathematician, too? dously in the past few years. We have reorganized our tion with other departments. Over the last few years, Yes. We get to know the problems that are in undergraduate curriculum and we pay attention to we have sought to hire new faculty with joint appoint- other sciences, which stimulates us to develop tools students at all levels. ments in the departments of computer science, physics, to study and analyze them. The main benefit comes Also, the number of math students being recog- and operations research and financial engineering. I from the communication. If a mathematician talks nized for their outstanding academic achievements can see the relationship between our department and with someone in physics or biology, then the main has increased significantly in recent years. Last year, the Program in Applied and Computational Math- thing is to get to know that scientist’s problem and the valedictorian, John Pardon, was a math major. ematics becoming much more connected in the future. determine what kind of math tool can be applied. Our students’ achievements come from the teamwork I think these secondary appointments and partner- The mathematical tools have always been there, but between our faculty and students. Most students ships will happen more frequently and become another usually need to be modified to apply to practical majoring in math write both a junior paper and a strength of our department. problems. The modification takes a lot of coordina- senior thesis, so we make an effort to provide the one- We also are taking on a major reorganization of our tion between different groups of people. Usually, on-one supervising that these students want. Ours is entire undergraduate curriculum, and rewriting the the theory is much more advanced than the practi- a small department, so there is, of course, a balance of syllabus for each course. In addition, we plan to add a cal applications, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be resources. We want our faculty to be devoted teachers number of “bridge” courses for first-year graduate stu- applied immediately. To apply it, one needs to adjust and we also want them to be top researchers. dents and our upper-level undergraduate math majors it. The real challenge is how to adjust a model or tool that will be designed to close the gap between our to apply to real problems. The scarcity of women in mathematics and other STEM graduate and undergraduate curricula. These courses The variables in real problems are usually very big (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields will allow for undergraduates to learn basic topics in and there are many factors to consider. Many different has received a lot of attention in recent years. Do you advanced mathematics and for graduate students to mathematical tools have been developed to handle this think that women are still underrepresented and is the develop a solid background in topics they might not large data. Somebody with the training as a mathema- situation improving? have learned as undergraduates. Princeton March 12, 2012 university Bulletin 5

NASSAUnotes March 12-April 15 Princyclopedia targets ‘Robin Hood’ UPcoming CALENDARlinks “ obin Hood” is the theme of lecture: “Financial Regulatory Reform this year’s Princyclopedia, For broader listings of — imperative for Our Future” R an interactive book con- campus public events: Brooksley Born, former chair of the vention hosted annually by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Cotsen Children’s Library. The 4:30 p.m. March 12 all-ages event will take place from PUBLIC EVENTS CALENDAR Robertson Hall, Dodds Auditorium 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April www.princeton.edu/events Panel: “in the nation’s Service: 14, in Dillon Gymnasium. Information on tickets is available at Diversifying Science, Technology, Princyclopedia will bring the the website below: medieval world of “Robin Hood” engineering and Math (STeM) UNIVERSITY TICKETING leadership” to life through hands-on projects, www.princeton.edu/utickets 8 p.m. March 12 activities, live shows and demon- 609-258-9220 Robertson Hall, Dodds Auditorium strations. Attendees can storm a castle, test their survival skills For listings by selected University sponsors: Conference: “Copyright Cat-and- in Sherwood Forest, meet live Mouse: new Developments in Online Art Museum falcons, discover the science of www.princetonartmuseum.org enforcement” stained glass, explore an alche- 1 p.m. March 13 609-258-3788 Friend Center Convocation Room mist’s workshop and more. Athletics As part of the event, Labyrinth www.goprincetontigers.com lecture: “A Conversation With John Books will host a food drive table. 609-258-3568 Doyle” Attendees are invited to bring Center for African American Studies John Doyle, theater director nonperishable food items that will www.princeton.edu/africanamericanstudies/ 1:30 p.m. March 13 events be distributed to the Crisis Min- 609-258-4270 185 Nassau St., Matthews Acting Studio istry of Princeton and Trenton. Council of the Humanities lectures: “Shakespeare and the Princyclopedia is free and open humanities.princeton.edu/calendar Shape of a life” to the public. Photo by Minjie Chen 609-258-4717 Stephen Greenblatt, Harvard University Frist Campus Center 4:30 p.m. March 14 and 15 Dana Sheridan, education and outreach coordinator for the Cotsen Children’s Library, gets in www.princeton.edu/frist McCormick Hall, Room 101 the medieval spirit in preparation for the “Robin Hood”-themed interactive boo k convention 609-258-1766 Princyclopedia, which will be held April 14 in Dillon Gymnasium. Lewis Center for the Arts Concert: Jerusalem String Quartet www.princeton.edu/arts/events/calendar 8 p.m. March 15 609-258-1500 Alexander Hall, Richardson Auditorium Library www.princeton.edu/~rbsc/exhibitions lecture: “From Finance to Farming: 609-258-3181 One Couple’s Journey From Wall “A Fine Addi tion: New McCarter Theatre Street to Sustainable Agriculture” and Notable Acqui si tions www.mccarter.org Robin and Jon McConaughy, Double Brook 609-258-2787 in Princeton’s Spe cial Farm Music Department 4:30 p.m. March 29 Col lec tions” high lights www.princeton.edu/music Fields Center, Room 104 recent addi tions to the 609-258-4241 hold ings of the Depart- Offi ce of Information Technology lecture: “‘A Veritable little Harlem’: ment of Rare Books www.princeton.edu/academicservices/ 609-258-2949 The new negro Renaissance in the and Spe cial Col lec tions, American West” Public Lecture Series includ ing the See ley Emily Lutenski, Princeton lectures.princeton.edu G. Mudd Man u script Noon, April 2 President’s Lecture Series Stanhope Hall, Room 201 Library, as well as the www.princeton.edu/president/ Mar quand Library of presidents_lecture_series lecture: “egypt 2011: A Year of Art and Archae ol ogy. 609-258-6100 Bridges and Walls” The exhi bi tion is on Princeton Institute for International and Lina Attalah, Egypt Independent newspaper Regional Studies 4:30 p.m. April 3 view through August 5 www.princeton.edu/piirs/news-events/ Robertson Hall, Room 1 in the Main Gallery of events the Fire stone Library. 609-258-4851 lecture: “The Role of the PlA New holdings on Princeton University Concerts in Chinese national Security view include a 1543 www.princeton.edu/puconcerts 609-258-2800 Policymaking” portrait of Renaissance David Finkelstein, Center for Naval Analyses Richardson Auditorium 4:30 p.m. April 4 physician Andreas www.princeton.edu/richaud Robertson Hall, Room 1 Vesalius (left), who wrote 609-258-5000 and illustrated the fi rst School of Architecture lecture: “The Political Geography of comprehensive textbook soa.princeton.edu the Arab Spring” of anatomy. 609-258-3741 Jillian Schwedler, University of School of Engineering and Applied Science Massachusetts www.princeton.edu/engineering/events 4:30 p.m. April 10 609-258-4554 Photo courtesy of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections Robertson Hall, Room 1 Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs wws.princeton.edu/events 609-258-2943

A new exhibition, “Capping Liberty: The Invention For additional events sponsored by of a Numismatic Iconography for the New specifi c departments, programs and ns io ct o f fi c e :s le American Republic,” is on view through ol C l ia University “A to Z” search page c July 8 in the Milberg Gallery of Firestone e p www.princeton.edu/main/tools/az S d Library. The exhibition features coins n a

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P An online version of the exhibition can be use the online form: found at rbsc.princeton.edu/capping-liberty. www.princeton.edu/main/news/share/ submitevents Princeton 6 university Bulletin March 12, 2012 Princeton system tracks drought to aid disaster relief

Jo h n Su l l i va n Engineering. “There was interest in Africa because of the challenges rought is often the precursor to involved and the lack of an available disaster, but getting leads on model to monitor drought conditions D its stealthy approach through across the continent.” remote or war-torn areas can be so Drought and floods account for 80 difficult that relief agencies sometimes percent of deaths and 70 percent of have little time to react before a bad economic damage caused by natural situation becomes a calamity. disasters in Africa, according to a The problem is that there is often no 2007 report by the United Nations. easy way to get data about water sup- The drought that struck Zimbabwe in plies in these areas — water monitoring 1991 is a good example. According to stations don’t exist, or they don’t work, the United Nations, the country’s agri- or they are simply too dangerous to cultural output dropped 45 percent, operate. Groups such as AGRHYMET, its stock market fell 65 percent and an intergovernmental hydrology, agri- the gross national product declined 11 cultural and food security agency based percent. in Niger, often have to rely on far-flung More recently, drought has led to observers, often volunteers, to obtain widespread famine in East Africa, and the information manually. there is concern in coming years about “AGRHYMET conducts the drought-related hunger in the Sahel drought monitoring for the whole of region, the band of savanna that runs West Africa from Cape Verde and through several countries along the Mauritania to Chad and Nigeria,” southern edge of the Sahara desert. said Abdou Ali, a senior scientist with “Consistent, quantitative informa- the organization. “Many areas of this tion on emerging drought regions is region are drought prone. The ground- absolutely essential,” Sheffield said. based data is not enough and even when the data exists, the transmission Support from the United Nations and NASA Wojciechowski Frank by Photo system is very weak.” A conversation at a 2006 interna- Researchers from Princeton’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering — from But researchers at Princeton have tional conference on the hydrological left, Professor Eric Wood, research scholar Justin Sheffield and graduate student Nathaniel come up with an approach that dodges impacts of climate change led to Chaney — have created a computer model to track drought in remote or war-torn regions of those problems and uses satellite data a working arrangement between Africa that are difficult for ground-based observers to reach. Experts believe their monitoring and historical records to track drought the Princeton team and the United project may go a long way in addressing problems related to water shortages that have long as it emerges. Experts believe their Nations Education, Scientific and Cul- plagued Africa. monitoring project, installed in Febru- tural Organization. ary at AGRHYMET’s research center “Africa is a priority for UNESCO, edge, to do this but what we need to vations of rain and snow across the in Niamey, Niger, may go a long way in so it fits very well into the strategy know is how useful this is for people on entire globe every three hours. Hou addressing problems related to drought to make sure that we have a system the ground. At the end of the training said that space observation is the most that have long plagued Africa. in place to have an early warning on session in Niamey, we developed with practical method of measuring pre- “Water scarcity is a critical issue,” drought,” said Siegfried Demuth, chief the participants a rather long list of cipitation across much of the earth’s said Eric Wood, the head of the of hydrological systems for UNESCO’s possible upgrades and additional capa- surface. Princeton team. “What are the sig- Division of Water Sciences. “We are bilities that they would find useful.” “Given that 70 percent of the earth natures in weather and climate that looking to provide the knowledge base, Ali, the senior hydrologist with is covered with oceans and that ground precede a drought? What takes you the tools, with which countries can be AGRHYMET, said researchers will radar-gauge networks are very limited out of drought? If you don’t have the better prepared.” be working to calibrate the model over many parts of the world, a com- objective monitoring, you can’t do the Demuth said the drought monitor and to increase the amount of ground prehensive picture of the space-time predictions.” will also help countries plan for long- data used in its calculations. He said variability of precipitation can only Because data is not available for term water management, whether that it would be helpful to generate other be obtained from the vantage point of many areas of the continent, the Prince- involves water supply projects or irri- variables, such as solar radiation, and space,” he said. ton researchers use a mathematical gation for agriculture. The ability to to make comparisons with selected model to simulate the water cycle and, track water supplies over the long run reference years. Putting it together with Google Maps from this simulation, determine when — decades rather than years — can be “With that, the system will have Wood’s group wanted to make the specific regions enter into drought. critical to building reservoirs, plan- important added value when we con- drought monitor widely available They combine patterns simulated from ning for growth or for selecting crops. sider regional data,” he said. through the Internet. The challenge decades of climate records with current “Many of these countries do not have Wood and Ali both said it is criti- was making an interface simple temperature measurements and with the infrastructure to monitor water cal to adjust the model to reflect data enough to learn in a few minutes, but precipitation data from satellites. Essen- resources,” he said. “This system helps from the local environment that might powerful enough to convey the model’s tially, the model maps the landscape us to work in these data-sparse areas.” not be apparent from a larger view. In scientific data. and provides a likely estimate of hydro- Demuth said a priority for UNESCO part, that reflects the complex nature Nathaniel Chaney said Google Maps logical conditions based on current was developing a tool that African of water supplies and the environment. was the answer. Chaney, a graduate inputs and historical patterns. users could contribute to in terms of Drought is not simply a lack of water; student in civil and environmental “The most important thing it gives research and further development. To it is lack of sufficient water. That can engineering, took on the task of trans- you is spatial patterns,” said Jus- that end, the Princeton researchers mean harm to crops or hydroelectric lating the drought monitor’s reports tin Sheffield, a research scholar in have designed the system so that users power as well as more catastrophic into a version that can be read through Princeton’s civil and environmental can fine-tune its accuracy by compar- failures in water supplies. Google. (The system can be viewed at engineering department. “It gives you ing the model’s results with data taken “To get a handle on whether this is hydrology.princeton.edu/monitor.) the overall picture, of what is dry and from ground stations in their region, a drought or not, you really need to “We wanted to be able to provide the what is wet. You can say this region is and to use the data for related research figure out the impacts,” Sheffield said. data in such a way that research scien- in drought and it has been in drought such as crop monitoring or climate “Is this affecting people? Is it affecting tists and policymakers around Africa for the past several months.” change assessments. food, or food security? For some crops could access and manage the data in a Putting those patterns together can be “The hope is that we are going to it may not matter, for some it matters a simple and intuitive manner,” he said. critical for agencies preparing to respond build and expand on the idea through great deal, for a reservoir it might not “We wanted them to see what we see, to famines or other crises spawned by our African collaborative research net- matter at all.” but in a more accessible way.” drought. They may get very accurate work, which is supported through the Much of the real-time data used in Chaney said Google Maps allows reports from some regions, but lack University’s Council for International the model comes from precipitation users with relatively poor Internet of information can make it difficult to Teaching and Research,” Wood said. reports from satellites such as NASA’s connections to use the monitor effec- respond to other areas. Wood said last month’s trip to Niger Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, tively. It presents the monitor’s reports “The difficulty oftentimes is con- was very successful. The Princeton or TRMM. From about 250 miles above directly on the map and allows users necting all the dots,” said Frank team has been asked by UNESCO the earth, TRMM uses radar to mea- to track water shortages, or floods, by Catania, deputy director of humanitar- to install the system at ICPAC, a sure across large areas of the planet. The location and over time; downloading ian response for the aid organization climate prediction and applications Princeton model is designed to auto- the associated data is also an option. Oxfam America. “You are seeing center located in Nairobi, Kenya, with matically download TRMM data from Right now, the monitor operates in things in one area, but other groups responsibilities that include drought NASA and use it to calculate current English but the team plans to expand are seeing other things in other areas. assessment for the Greater Horn of conditions on the ground. to other languages as well. Who puts all that data together?” Africa region. The Princeton group Wood said that NASA has planned The goal is to distribute information Drought monitoring within the expects to install the system and hold a launches for the next decade that will widely that can help people deal with United States is handled by several mod- training workshop this June. provide additional data, including soil water shortages before they become els operated by the federal government. Wood said it was important for the moisture readings and river discharge, disasters. One of them, the Variable Infiltration project’s future that African research- that could be used to improve the “There may be another jump between Capacity model (or VIC), was developed ers develop ways that the model can model’s accuracy. what we are producing and what is by researchers from Princeton and the best suit local needs. He said the The first of those projects, the really useful for people on the ground, University of Washington. workers in the field will also be able to Global Precipitation Measurement, is but that is what we are relying on our “We started thinking how we could suggest ways to improve the model and scheduled for launch in 2014. Arthur collaborators for,” Sheffield said. “That use the drought model globally,” said to provide data that will lead to further Hou, the mission scientist for the is the kind of thing that interests me — Wood, the Susan Dod Brown Pro- refinement of its accuracy. NASA project, said it will consist turning this into a practical tool that fessor of Civil and Environmental “We want the feedback,” he said. of eight satellites linked to a central can help save lives and prevent people “We have the technology, the knowl- observatory that will provide obser- from going hungry.” Princeton March 12, 2012 university Bulletin 7 Wildlife, cows can be partners, not enemies, in search for food

Morg a n K e l ly place in an organ located after the of 10 donkeys; and a mixed group of African savanna with cattle: Grévy’s stomach that is similar to the human 15 cows and 10 donkeys, for a total 60 zebras, African buffalos, elands, harte- rinceton researchers are leading appendix (though humans are not cows and 40 donkeys. The animals beests, gazelles, elephants and giraffes. an effort to put to pasture the fermenters). For bovines, on the other grazed seven hours each day. Odadi worked with ecology profes- P long-held convention of cattle hand, fermentation happens in the For 12 weeks, the researchers docu- sor Truman Young of the University ranching that wild animals compete rumen, an organ before the stomach mented the animals’ weight changes and of California-Davis; Moses Karachi with cows for food. that produces cud, which is regurgi- eating habits. In addition, the excrement of Egerton University in Kenya; and Two recently published papers — tated for the animal to further chew. of tagged cows in each grazing area Shaukat Abdulrazak, chief executive including one in the journal Science As a result of these digestive distinc- was analyzed for protein, parasite and officer of the National Council for Sci- — offer the first experimental evi- tions, Rubenstein said, equines can eat digested-grass content. Study co-authors ence and Technology in Kenya. dence that allowing cattle to graze the rough low-quality grass that would and ecologists Herbert Prins and Sipke The researchers created nine grazing on the same land as wild animals can linger and fester in a cow’s slower, Van Wieren of Wageningen University areas of equal size, each with four cows. result in healthier, meatier bovines by more complex gut. The bovines in turn in the Netherlands validated the effec- The pastures fell into three categories: enhancing the cows’ diet. The findings enjoy the lush, easily digestible grass tiveness of these measurements. cows only; plots open to medium-sized suggest a new approach to raising cat- underneath the stems. At the end of the experiment, cows herbivores and closed to elephants and tle that could help spare wildlife from Both Princeton studies showed that that fed alongside donkeys had beefed giraffes; and plots open to all wild encroaching ranches, and produce the presence of equines resulted in less up by an average of 64 pounds (29 herbivores. Each variety was randomly more market-ready cows in less time. dry-grass cover and a more nourishing kilograms) per animal in the low-den- assigned to three grazing areas. The reports stem from large-scale diet for the cows. Although the study sity pasture, and slightly less than 37 The experiment consisted of two studies conducted in Kenya wherein in Science matched cattle with other pounds (17 kilograms) for the high- 16-week trials (conducted a year apart) cows shared grazing land with don- wildlife — including bovines such as density group. In comparison, cattle with each trial beginning in the dry keys in one study and, for the other, buffalo — Odadi and his co-authors dining only with their own put on an season and ending during the wet grazed with a variety of wild herbivo- largely attributed the removal of the average of 55 pounds (25 kilograms) season. In each trial, the team weighed rous animals, including zebras, buffalo low-quality grass to zebras. per cow with more room to roam and the cows and examined the animals’ and elephants. The lead author on both What was not expected was just how only nearly 28 pounds (12.6 kilo- excrement to determine diet quality. papers was Wilfred Odadi, a postdoc- much the cattle can benefit, Rubenstein grams) in tighter confines. In the wet season, cattle that ate toral research associate in the lab of Dan said. When compared to the weight of the with wild herbivores took in a more Rubenstein, the Class of 1877 Profes- “Scientists had this intuitively cattle recorded at the experiment’s out- nutritious diet and experienced greater sor of Zoology and chair of Princeton’s pleasing, circumstantial evidence that set, cows grazing with donkeys gained weight gain than cows that did not, Department of Ecology and Evolution- according to the Science report. In the ary Biology. cow-only enclosures, each animal put In August, Rubenstein and Odadi on roughly a half-pound (0.25 kilo- reported in the journal Evolutionary grams) each day. In the other pastures, Ecology Research that cattle paired with each cow bulked up by three-fourths donkeys gained 60 percent more weight of a pound (0.35 kilograms) daily. The than those left to graze only with other experiment coincided with 18 weeks cows. The researchers proposed that the of Kenya’s wet season. For that period, donkeys — which were chosen as tamer daily weight gain translated to 69 stand-ins for zebras and other wild pounds (31.5 kilograms) for each ani- horses — ate the rough upper-portion of mal in the cow-only enclosures, versus grass that cows have difficulty digesting, 97 pounds (44 kilograms) per cow in leaving behind the lush lower vegetation the other areas. on which cattle thrive. The dry season and resulting scar- In September, Odadi and his co- city of grass turned that dynamic on authors on the Science paper reported its head, however, as Odadi and his that other grazers, especially zebras, co-authors expected. Cows grazing did remove the dead-stem grass layer without other animals gained more and that cattle indeed seemed to benefit than a half-pound per day. Weight gain from sharing land with wild animals. for cows in the mixed enclosures plum- Cows in mixed grazing pastures took in meted to roughly one-third of a pound a more nutritious diet and experienced each day. A future direction of the greater daily weight gain — but this project may be to determine if adjusting effect was limited to the wet season,

Photo courtesy of Dan Rubenstein cattle-to-wildlife density based on the the length of which can vary by region. season would reduce competition when Princeton researchers reported in the journal Evolutionary Ecology Research that cattle Cattle competed with wild species for food is scarce, Odadi said. paired with donkeys gained 60 percent more weight than those left to graze only with other food in the dry months. cows. The researchers proposed that the donkeys — which were chosen as tamer stand-ins for Nonetheless, the Princeton studies Taking it back to the ranch zebras and other wild horses — ate the rough upper-portion of grass that cows have difficulty help counter an enduring perception The Princeton researchers make an digesting, leaving behind the lush lower vegetation. that wildlife is an inherent threat to important contribution to the study of the food supply of livestock, Ruben- how to reconcile the demand for grazing stein explained. These results could equines make the landscape more habit- an average of 60 percent more weight land with ecosystem conservation, said prove crucial to preserving animals able to bovines, but the idea was never than cows that did not, the authors Michael Coughenour, a senior research that are increasingly threatened as tested,” Rubenstein said. “This was reported. Moreover, none of the cows scientist at the Colorado State University the human demand for food drives the the first demonstration that the animals in the mixed groups remained at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory. expansion of land used to raise cattle. behave accordingly, but also that the same weight or lost weight, unlike The research not only shows that Zebras and wild horses are especially performance of the cows as measured some of the cows in the bovid-only facilitation between livestock and vulnerable to the spread of pastures by growth is actually enhanced. Previ- pastures. Analysis of the protein and wildlife is possible, but also suggests because of their abundance. ous evidence of the effects we found on grass-remnant content of the cows’ the mechanisms — for example, the “Grazing competition from other the health and development of cattle dung showed that the animals con- removal of dry stems — that pro- animals has been an issue throughout had been missing.” sumed a healthier diet when sharing vide that benefit, he said. Naturally, history,” Rubenstein said. land with donkeys. Coughenour said, many questions “There’s a fear that if some other Cows versus donkeys A notable feature of the study Odadi remain, such as if the mere presence animal is eating grass meant for live- Rubenstein conducted the experi- conducted with Rubenstein is that it of many grazers results in more robust stock, that hurts the rancher. Those ment reported in Evolutionary Ecology provides some understanding of how plant growth, as existing research has perceived competitors were seen as Research on rangeland in northern the other animals respond to grazing suggested might occur. vermin and exterminated,” he said. Kenya with Odadi, who is based at with cattle, Odadi said. But the results should nonethe- “These experiments suggest that in Kenya’s Mpala Research Center — The donkeys did not exhibit the ben- less prompt researchers to investigate certain cases cattle can actually experi- with which Princeton is a partner efits of intermingling to the extent the the existence of facilitation in other ence considerable advantages in terms — and co-author Meha Jain, who researchers observed in cattle. Don- regions and ecosystems, as well as of growth when allowed to graze with earned her bachelor’s degree from keys grazing with cattle gained only 51 the livestock-to-wildlife densities that other species.” Princeton in 2007 and whose senior percent more weight than donkeys that make it possible, Coughenour said. thesis was the basis of the project. did not, and dung analysis showed the For instance, the United States and Experimental proof of old observations The team chose donkeys as sur- donkeys in the mixed groups actually other temperate-zone countries do not The studies are the first to experimen- rogates for zebras, which suffer from took in a less digestible diet. have a distinct wet and dry season. tally test and prove hypotheses from the food and habitat loss due to cattle But the dung of donkeys in the Also, it cannot be assumed that grass 1960s that equines make grazing land operations, particularly the endan- mixed groups also contained lower in the American West would respond more suitable for bovines, a dynamic gered Grévy’s zebra. Because donkeys levels of parasitic worm eggs, possibly to mixed grazing in the same way as known as facilitation, Rubenstein said. are tame, the researchers could more due to the cattle taking in some of the savanna grass, nor that a similar con- Observations of zebras and wildebeests easily observe, weigh and record the parasites during grazing, Rubenstein centration of zebras and American wild had suggested that the zebras’ ability diet quality and health of the individ- said. As a result, parasite infection was horses would benefit cattle in the same to digest grass stems exposed the leafy ual animals, Rubenstein said. less debilitating in these donkeys. way in their respective environments. grass wildebeests prefer. The researchers constructed six “These findings add to the dialogue Animals in the horse and cattle separate grazing areas divided into Where the wild things are by providing evidence that interactions families both process food through three high-density and three low- For the second study, Odadi and between wild equids and livestock fermentation as microbes in the diges- density pastures. Both the high- and his co-authors on the Science report are not necessarily negative, as would tive system break down vegetation. In low-density areas hosted an all-bovid changed the project’s scope to include horse-like animals, this process takes group of 15 cows; an all-equid group large, wild herbivores that share the Continued on page 8 Princeton 8 university Bulletin March 12, 2012

or 300 kilograms, that he intends to there are hind-gut fermenters like populations in lands that are focused Wildlife sell after the animals put on an extra zebras present,” he said. “So, by our on traditional grazing practices is Continued from page 7 200 pounds, or 100 kilograms. In observations, competition becomes potentially a benefit, rather than a cost, their scenario, they first substituted facilitation and expands to become to these societies.” the 10 donkeys in the experiment with mutualism as both species actually At the Mpala Research Center, Odadi commonly be assumed among ranchers 10 more cows to make up a herd of 25 benefit each other.” has presented his findings to local farm- and commercial pastoralists,” Coughe- cattle. These cows would take nearly Cows with a few extra kilograms of ers, but understands the difficulty of nour said. 18 months to reach the target weight of weight could be a “huge” benefit to overturning long-held views about the “Clearly, blanket statements that 400 kilograms if the animals packed it ranchers and pastoralists, particularly livestock/wildlife competition. wild equids invariably compete with on at the rate of roughly 0.2 kilograms, in Africa, as well as to the preservation “The farmers we have presented livestock can no longer be accepted. or a half-pound, a day, as many of the of natural lands, said Joshua Ginsberg, these findings to are generally sur- Facilitation is a very real possibility cows in the researchers’ single-species senior vice president for the Wildlife prised that zebras and other wildlife that should be considered and inves- pastures did. Conservation Society’s Global Con- can facilitate cattle,” Odadi said. tigated,” he explained. “However, it Replacing 10 cows with donkeys, servation Program. Ginsberg, who “However, we have not been able to would be equally invalid to assume however, would bring the remaining 15 received his Ph.D. from Princeton in determine whether and to what extent that the extent and mechanisms of cows to the preferred weight in about 1988, focuses his research on conserva- their perception that grazing wild facilitation are universal. Research is 11 months. The researchers assumed tion and animal-human interaction. animals are detrimental to livestock required to clarify the relationship so those cows would gain weight at the “A few kilograms is a major production has actually changed.” as to gain a more precise understand- average of nearly 0.3 kilograms, or increase,” Ginsberg said. “If the cattle The first study was published in ing of the conditions under which 0.66 pounds, a day seen in the mixed- are managed well, and the markets Evolutionary Ecology Research in neutral or positive interactions occur.” group cows in the experiment. exist and are used, it would allow August 2011, and supported by grants In the Evolutionary Ecology “Time has a cost. If cows grow for greater income, greater protein from the National Science Foundation, Research paper, Rubenstein, Odadi faster per day, they can get to market and the ability, at least in theory, to the Keller Family Trust and Wagenin- and Jain delved into how the weight sooner and the landowner can preempt reduce cattle-stocking rates because of gen University, the Netherlands. gain they observed in cows grazing the costs of cattle dying from predation increased productivity. The second study was published in with donkeys could translate to eco- or disease as the animal is exposed “Many pastoralists think that zebras Science on Sept. 23, 2011, and sup- nomic gain for ranchers by producing to the elements for longer periods,” compete for food and this study sug- ported by grants from the National cattle that are ready for market sooner. Rubenstein said. gests that in many circumstances, that Geographic Society, the National As an example, they imagined a “From the perspective of the rancher may well not be the case,” Ginsberg Science Foundation, the U.S. Fish and farmer beginning with a cattle herd and the people awaiting the food from said. “The authors clearly suggest that Wildlife Service, and the International with an average weight of 660 pounds, his cattle, the cows develop better if the expansion and recovery of zebra Foundation for Science.

professor of comparative literature at “Les Misérables” that have crept into And in The Wall Street Journal, Bellos Princeton. “Translation is not only for English-language culture through film, Bellos reflected on the difficulties Continued from page 1 literature majors; it’s gaining impor- television, fiction, drama and pop music. prosecutors face when translating tance in the social sciences, the sciences “There’s this idea that a translation little-used languages — highlighted and engineering, as well as in the is just not as good as the original,” during the recent arrest and subse- humanities. Even students at Princeton Bellos said. “Why does it annoy me so quent release in New York City of Bellos said that the different transla- who have no particular literary interests much? Well, a translation is different Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former tions and subtitles gave the film three take courses in the certificate program, from the original. It can never be the managing director of the Interna- distinct impressions. and David has done a superb job get- same thing. But it’s not worse.” tional Monetary Fund, on the basis of Ankit Panda, a concentrator in the ting that program off the ground.” “I often wonder if this notion doesn’t testimony translated from a Guinean Woodrow Wilson School of Public Bellos also developed and moderates function as a way of holding foreign- dialect of the Fulani language. and International Affairs who is from an informal weekly luncheon series ness away from one at arm’s length, He was critical of attorneys and Bhubaneswar, India, nodded. of talks on recent scholarly research of protecting oneself from what is not prosecutors bickering over whether a “It’s also weird,” Panda said, “that related to translation. Presentations familiar by not taking things that are disputed phone call translation might the original name of the TV show in range across topics such as sources not in English as seriously as those have been accurate or unfaithful. Hindi is ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ and for the Bible, the languages used to that are in English,” he added. “How would they even know if the film’s translated name is ‘Slum- write computer programs, Esperanto Bellos has been thinking about such it was good or bad?” asked Bel- dog Crorepati,’ because ‘crorepati’ is and literature from various languages, distinctions since he was a schoolboy. los. “They’re listening to a tape of a actually 10 million [in rupees] so the bringing together a broad cross- Growing up in Southend-on-Sea, Eng- translator, who is not even a full-time translation would be ‘10-Millionaire’” section of students, faculty and others. land, he was taught French, German, translator, who was probably pulled — or about $190,000 in U.S. currency. “Professor Bellos is the reason I am Latin and Russian between the ages of out of his or her day job to do it, Bellos sprang upright. doing a translation certificate,” said 11 and 17. working under great duress and time “Come on,” he beckoned to Panda, Kerry Brodie, a senior from Potomac, “I suppose learning languages was pressure, who may or may not have scribbling furiously on the blackboard. Md., who is concentrating in Near a way out from the boredom of a small made an accurate translation. “This is where I should have begun. Eastern studies. “He has been one of town, for me,” he said. “The prosecutor can’t possibly The movie title itself is already a trans- the most influential professors in my Bellos was exceptional not only at make that call. Only a few very highly lation of a game show exported from Princeton experience. It’s so exciting learning languages but also at translat- skilled people in the world could the U.S., which actually originated in to be able to study translation in such a ing between them. maybe make that call.” the U.K. It’s different already.” unique way.” After earning a doctorate in French Such examples reinforce one of Bel- Bellos’ intellectual reach and versa- She added, “He also makes sure we literature from the University of los’ key points about translation — that tility is clear to his students. each feel appreciated and interesting. Oxford, he taught at the universities of it is not a mathematical equation, but “Though his classes are structured, I wrote a paper two years ago that Edinburgh, Southampton and Man- rather an art and a science. He believes they are also somewhat free-form, and Professor Bellos not only remembered chester. He also translated novels and a sentence is unlikely to be translated the digressions he takes are incred- later, but subsequently asked me to took on the occasional interpreting job the same way by two different people ibly well informed and intellectually present in his translation lunch series.” — and picked up significant prizes and working in the same language, and interesting,” said Alya Forster, a senior Bellos draws from material gathered plaudits along the way. not even when translated by the same from Chicago concentrating in French throughout his scholarship and teach- In 2005, Bellos won the inaugural person a second time. who has taken three of Bellos’ courses. ing in his latest book, “Is That a Fish in Man Booker International Prize for In the end, Bellos stresses, one must “He loves literature as much as Your Ear? Translation and the Meaning Translation for his translations of four put faith in a translation. anyone, and yet he also teaches us about of Everything,” in which he explores of the novels by the Albanian writer “You have no alternative, other the practical aspects of translation in how people understand each other — or Ismail Kadaré from French into Eng- than learning the language in ques- the real world. There’s never anything not — in various situations and settings. lish. In 1994, after having translated tion, than to trust the translator,” he dry or purely theoretical about what he Published this fall by Faber and into English works by modern French said. “A text and its translation are is saying.” Faber in the United States, with a writer Georges Perec, he was awarded two different objects, and they always French adaptation issued in January the Prix Goncourt de la Biographie for will be. So we must grant the transla- Deepening the understanding of translation by Flammarion, the book is intended his literary biography on him, “Georges tor authority in a language we do not It is this vital connection with his for a general audience. It highlights Perec: A Life in Words.” In 1988, the know. We don’t like to do that. But we work and love of language that enliv- translators’ importance in sensitive French government bestowed on him have to come to terms with it.” ens Bellos’ classes, and that he brings fields such as international security, the rank of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des to his own writing, both for academic scientific research, law enforcement and Palmes Académiques, for support and and for broader audiences. computer engineering. Bellos charts the advocacy of French arts and language. Bellos joined the Princeton faculty complex, fragile beehive of translators in 1997 and, in 2007, became director who keep the United Nations operat- Taking translation beyond academia of the newly created undergraduate ing; explores the mental state involved Bellos’ engagement with language Faculty submit certificate Program in Translation and in translating into and out of one’s and translation issues increasingly has Intercultural Communication. native tongue; and delves into online moved into the public forum, such as resignations The program was created to educate translation, among other topics. through writing newspaper op-eds. students about the important role that Bellos also frequently points out, both In the U.K.-based paper The Guard- translation plays across academic fields in the book and in the classroom, that a ian, he took on the thorny issue of “tu” wo following faculty members have and in cultural understanding. Since great deal of popular culture in English — the French casual form of “you” — Tsubmitted their resignations, effec- its founding, 13 students have com- actually has its foundation in another versus the more formal “vous.” In The tive Feb. 1, 2012: John Baldwin, assistant pleted certificates in the program. language. Using the example of French, New York Times, he recounted a brief professor of mathematics, to accept “David has sparked a good deal he points to Pierre Boulle’s novel “Planet history of computer-assisted and online a position at Boston College; and of student and faculty interest in the of the Apes,” Alexandre Dumas’ “The translation before considering both the Christopher Herzog, assistant professor of field,” said Sandra Bermann, the Cot- Three Musketeers” and the countless technology’s usefulness and shortcom- physics, to accept a position at Stony sen Professor of the Humanities and a variations on the Victor Hugo novel ings, with a focus on Google Translate. Brook University.