Community Connections a Princeton University Community and Regional Affairs Publication Fall 2019

community connections A Princeton University Community and Regional Affairs publication Fall 2019

Fire Department and University mark 10 years of volunteer firefighter program

When the Princeton Fire Department sounded the shifts, augmenting the municipal department’s students have long volunteered on their own with alarm for more volunteers, Princeton University ranks during critical daytime hours. The University the fire department (as well as the Princeton First responded to the call. In fact, University volunteers respond to emergencies both on and Aid and Rescue Squad), the program was the employees have responded to nearly 1,950 fire off campus. first formal partnership of its kind between the and rescue calls over the past 10 years as part University and the Princeton Fire Department. of a unique partnership. The program launched as a pilot in 2009 as the fire department experienced a decline in “A University associate is a full member of The Princeton Fire Department Associate members, particularly during the day when the Princeton Fire Department and is rightly Member Program allows University employees volunteers were busy working, many far from considered a Princeton firefighter on equal to volunteer as firefighters during their work Princeton. While University employees and standing with those who live in Princeton,” said Princeton Councilman and Fire Commissioner Tim Quinn. “There’s no doubt the University program has enabled the fire department to remain all- volunteer for longer than it would have otherwise. This has allowed the municipality to hold down taxes and utilize revenue for other services.”

Quinn said the partnership exemplifies a spirit of cooperation between the University and town that extends into other areas of civic life.

“There’s a camaraderie among firefighters that I’ve witnessed between University staff and our homegrown members,” Quinn said. “They’ve gone through the same training and share a strong desire to serve, and a sense of duty that reflects the importance of their work.”

That camaraderie was on display at a summer picnic celebrating the affiliate program’s 10th anniversary. University Fire Marshall Scott Loh Princeton University employees volunteer as municipal firefighters through the Princeton Fire Department Associate noted the program’s growth from 13 original Member Program. Here, the associate members gathered for a group photo last fall in front of the University Chapel. (Photo by Christopher Lillja, Facilities) members to 34 University volunteers today. continued on back page Art@Bainbridge opens with neighborhood block party

Following extensive restoration and preservation Visitors will have the rare opportunity to discover Art@Bainbridge, located at 158 Nassau St., is a efforts, Bainbridge House, one of the few remaining the whole of Bainbridge House, including the private brief walk from the museum at the heart of the 18th-century structures in downtown Princeton, has upper floors. Princeton campus. In its inaugural year, been transformed into a compelling public venue Art@Bainbridge will offer installations and programmed by the Princeton University Art Museum. “The museum looks forward to launching exhibitions tied to the theme of shelter. The opening Called Art@Bainbridge, the new gallery space will Art@Bainbridge with the entire Princeton installation presents hand-embroidered pictures feature the work of contemporary artists in an community,” said James Steward, the Nancy A. by artist Jordan Nassar, organized by the Princeton intimate domestic setting. Nasher–David J. Haemisegger, Class of 1976, University Art Museum. Director. “This beautifully restored and updated On Saturday, Sept.14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the historic building represents the institution’s ongoing Ground-floor galleries also will serve as a convening museum will host a neighborhood block party to commitment to examining the powerful work of space for museum programs, community gatherings celebrate the grand opening of Art@Bainbridge. The today’s most exciting practitioners as it relates to and partnerships with neighbors such as the event, which includes live music, exhibition tours our shared histories, values and concerns.” Princeton Garden Theatre and Labyrinth Books. and family-friendly activities, is free to the public. One of the oldest houses in Princeton, dating to 1766, Bainbridge House has housed members of the Continental Congress and for University students, served as the Princeton Public Library for more than 50 years, and was home to the Historical Society of Non Profit Org PD US Postage Princeton NJ #186 Permit Princeton from 1967 to 2015. Owned by Princeton University since 1877, the University supported the cost of its renovation. Newly restored Bainbridge House, a gallery project of the Princeton University Art Museum, will showcase the work of emerging contemporary artists. (Artwork courtesy of the Princeton University Art Museum) save the date Community and Staff Day Saturday, Sept. 21, 3:30 p.m. • Princeton Stadium Join in a special celebration of sports, entertainment and community. Enjoy a Princeton Tigers football game (5 p.m. kickoff), a youth sports clinic for ages 5-12 hosted by Princeton University athletes, entertainment, crafts, and an information fair featuring local organizations. Questions? Email [email protected]. For FREE tickets visit tickets.princeton.edu/athletics. Offer ends Sept. 19. connections The Princeton University Office of Community and Regional Affairs is pleased to send this publication to our neighbors with information about the many ways the University and the local community intersect.

Princeton University Library starts high school summer internship program

This summer, three students from Princeton and Lawrenceville high schools spent much of their break interning at Princeton University Library (PUL), learning more about library work and research as well as preparing for their academic and professional futures.

Nabia Evans, Toniyah Harris and Jayvee Lam joined PUL’s pilot summer internship program developed with Princeton’s Office of Community and Regional Affairs and summer youth employment programs in Princeton and Trenton. Working closely with PUL mentors and supervisors, the students carried out a number of responsibilities, from digital mapping and preparing course reserves for University faculty and staff to shelving and cataloging.

“When [Associate Director] Erin Metro from the Office of Community and Regional Affairs asked if we were interested in hosting summer interns, we were delighted to have this unique opportunity to connect with the local community,” said Anu Vedantham, assistant University librarian for research services. “Our interns will gain not only professional experience but also a stronger understanding of academic libraries, whether as a potential career path for them or as a partner in Three high school students are spending this summer interning at the Princeton University Library, learning more about their future research.” library work and research as well as preparing for their academic and professional futures. From left to right: Jayvee Lam, Nabia Evans and Toniyah Harris. (Photo by Shelley Szwast, Princeton University Library) In addition to everyday tasks, each student is required to complete a research project of their choice, a challenge that excites them as they the library as one beyond academics. “Honestly, I Princeton’s Summer Youth Employment Program, prepare for college-level research. Evans, who think I want to take away something about myself, which provides students ages 14 through 18 living will soon start her first year at the University of being that I am working in African American in Princeton or attending PHS with professional Maryland Eastern Shore, said learning about the studies [with librarian Steve Knowlton],” said experience and career development training. key components of the library, such as searching Harris. “I want to learn something about me, my and scanning materials or creating a bibliography, culture, my background, where my people came “This is a superb opportunity for these youth will really help her in college. Lam, 16, is studying from, [their] great accomplishments.” to learn about Princeton University, working on how early American wars affected society through a college campus and, in particular, the many an art history lens, using the collections in the Evans said “learning the history behind [the library interesting opportunities that are available Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology. collections] is really interesting.” A recent graduate in the area of library science,” said Kristin from Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, Appelget, director of the Office of Community “Art is a major part of culture,” Lam said. “I’m she learned about the internship through the and Regional Affairs. “We are thankful for the looking at the art history books on America and Millhill Child and Family Development Center, which Princeton University Library leadership and staff [observing when and how the style] changes.” partners with the city of Trenton and the Princeton who are managing this pilot program. We hope He’s currently researching how paintings became Regional Chamber of Commerce to offer students to learn from the experience, take feedback from more patriotic after the Revolutionary War and how ages 16 through 21 summer employment with a participants in the program this summer, and art expanded, from portraits to scenes. local organization or city government. perhaps expand to other departments on campus in future years.” While the interns gain experience in research and Harris and Lam, rising juniors at Princeton High scholarly work, they also view their experience at School (PHS), found the opportunity through n Stephanie Ramirez, Library Communications Office

In fall 2019, management of the Dinky Bar Kitchen and Cargot Brasserie — located on Univer- sity Place adjacent to McCarter Theatre Center for the Performing Arts — will transition to Harvest Restaurant Group. As part of the management change, Cargot Brasserie has closed for interior renovation work.

The Dinky Bar & Kitchen will remain open and has expanded its hours to include breakfast. In early fall, Cargot Brasserie will reopen as Roots Ocean Prime.

(Photo by Jamie Saxon, Office of Communications) This resulted in the “Inchworm” campaign — q & a a way to release information and strategies to community members over time. The CAP has 80+ strategies — an overwhelming set of with Molly Jones ideas and approaches on how to change our behaviors. The Inchworm concept concentrates Climate change is here, says Sustainable Princeton on one topic for several months and goes Executive Director Molly Jones, and her team is deeper on a narrow set of behavior-change charting the path for those who live, learn and work approaches, and then moves on to a new prior- in Princeton to mitigate its impact. We spoke with ity to facilitate wider adoption. What do you do her to understand what it will take to build a health- to help reduce flooding, for example? Look at ier, resilient and more equitable local community. the plan!

What are key actions that local residents — What is Sustainable Princeton’s mission and q q including the students, staff and faculty who vision for the region’s environmental priorities? live, learn and work here — can take to help the town achieve its targets? a Sustainable Princeton emerged around 2009, as community members and government Think about where your energy comes from, leaders perceived a real void of activity in a and how you can get it from more renewable sustainability. Of the 565 towns in New Jersey, sources, either through a third-party pro- only a handful have dedicated staff working Molly Jones, executive director of Sustainable vider or solar panels. We’re looking to make on sustainability. Princeton is unique in this Princeton, speaks at an event at the Princeton renewable energy sources available not just regard, and we feel fortunate to be on that Shopping Center. (Photo courtesy of the Princeton Shopping Center) to higher-income populations but to lower- and leading edge. Today, we work with local govern- moderate-income residents as well. Energy ment, residents, businesses and nonprofits to efficiency is also key. Get a home energy surface solutions and share lessons that we Sustainable Princeton and the University audit and work to minimize your home’s and hope benefit all communities across the state. q have collaborated on multiple levels. How business’s footprint. has that collaboration helped to shape your Our top priority is reducing emissions associ- work and its impact in the community? Think also about your transportation impact. ated with energy consumption. We’re also striv- Consider an electric vehicle for your next pur- ing to reduce the miles we all drive using fossil (Director of Princeton University’s Office of chase, or reduce miles driven by car-sharing or fuel-powered vehicles. Third, we are working a Sustainability) Shana Weber and Eric Larson carpooling. The cleanest energy is always the to make our community more resilient to the (senior research engineer in the Andlinger energy that’s never consumed. The CAP has changing climate. Stormwater is one of this Center for Energy and the Environment) sat on specific, actionable recommendations. region’s greatest issues. We need to look at the CAP steering committee, bringing a depth stormwater as a resource to be captured and in scientific knowledge to the decision-making soaked back in to land, rather than diverting it process. Eric also has led CAPERS (Climate q If the CAP is successful, what do you see as away as we’ve done in the past, because we’re Action Plan Emission Reduction Strategies), the future of the Princeton region? creating problems downstream and flooding a team of graduate students, undergrads out our neighbors. and faculty working on emission projections a We’ll all be much more conscious of our con- for our plan. They analyzed, if we do X, what sumption. When you purchase something or take a trip, you’ll be more aware of the impact Sustainable Princeton presented its Climate impact is that action slated to have? It has q that has on our environment. We’ll see more Action Plan (CAP) to the town in July. What been hugely helpful in assisting us and com- density across our community … homes built are its key goals and strategies? munity leadership in prioritizing strategies. more closely together, more apartment living, more amenities within walking distance. There Our top goal is to have 80% of 2010 emis- We also worked with a Tiger Challenge team a will be fewer vehicles on the road and more sions by 2050. That is, we want to take the through the Keller Center for Innovation biking, walking and car-sharing … a collective level of carbon gases we emitted in 2010 and in Engineering Education. When the idea culture of less ownership. decrease to 80% of that total by 2050. We aim of Princeton’s CAP was first launching, we to pursue strategies that bring us to a 100% asked the Tiger Challenge team to apply their Ultimately, sustainability works toward the reduction but there are a lot of unknowns; so design-thinking skills to helping the plan be common good — it lives at the intersection much will change between now and 2050. It’s widely adopted. These undergraduate stu- of benefiting the environment, the economy a very ambitious agenda. dents interviewed more than 80 community members, and came up with a set of profiles and people. We look for that sweet spot that succinctly describe different types of where they come together. This is how we go q How does the CAP relate to the University’s Princeton residents, their views on climate about building a stronger whole … how we Sustainability Action Plan, released in April? change, and what would motivate them to find those strategies that make progress and take action to mitigate and reverse it. create a better community for us all. a The University’s plan and the CAP very much complement each other. They are two major oars put into the waters to move Princeton forward in reducing its impact on the planet. happenings

The University’s goal is to become carbon- Oct. 5 “21st-Century Princeton: Our Evolving Campus Iconography,” with Vice Provost for neutral by 2046, with early action having Institutional Equity and Diversity Michele Minter and acclaimed artist Walter Hood. Reception already begun. It makes sense that the Univer- to follow. 3:15 p.m. McCosh Hall, Room 50. Free and open to the public. wws.princeton.edu/ sity focuses on its energy sources and setting news-and-events/events/item/21st-century-princeton-our-evolving-campus-iconography stricter standards for its facilities — things Oct. 24–25 Princeton Environmental Forum, featuring Princeton faculty and alumni largely under its control. The CAP aims to environmental leaders addressing urgent environmental issues for the 21st century. Richardson motivate broader behavior change and enact Auditorium, Alexander Hall. Free and open to the public. environment.princeton.edu/pei25 sensible ordinances because we have less control in influencing the energy that people Nov. 5 A conversation with designer, architect and artist Maya Lin in honor of her new public use at home and at work. artworks at Princeton. 5 p.m. Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall. Free ticketed event. artmuseum.princeton.edu Princeton University accounts for roughly half of the town’s commercial footprint for energy Nov. 14 Public lecture featuring attorney and Brandeis University professor Anita Hill. 6 p.m. usage. So, the progress the University makes McCosh Hall, Room 50. Free ticketed event. lectures.princeton.edu will result in dramatic improvements for the entire community. Nov. 16 Princeton Athletics hosts Salute to Service Day. Service members with ID get free admission to the Princeton-Yale football game. 1 p.m. Princeton Stadium. tickets.princeton.edu/athletics Learn more: Dec. 5–8 Princeton Dance Festival. Berlind Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center. Tickets sustain.princeton.edu/plan required. arts.princeton.edu/events/princeton-dance-festival-2019/2019-12-05 sustainableprinceton.org/climate-action-plan For more details visit www.princeton.edu/events and sign up for the UPROAR community e-newsletter at community.princeton.edu/about-us/newsletter Lake Carnegie dredging project to enhance sporting and sustainability

This September, Princeton University will begin work to dredge parts of Lake Carnegie. The lake has been dredged for maintenance purposes several times since it was created, most recently in 1972. Since that dredging 45 years ago, lake depths have become progressively shallower, with some areas becoming a potential grounding hazard.

The current project will address sedimentation issues between the University’s Shea Rowing Center and the Harrison Street bridge, and at the outfall of Harry’s Brook, adjacent to the Kingston, New Jersey boat launch site.

In addition to mitigating the shoaling issues, deepening the lake improves water quality and enhances the habitat for fish, reptiles and plants. The dredged material provides a source of soil and fill for campus-wide facilities, landscaping and infrastructure improvements. Area residents should know that, unlike the 1972 project, there will be no dredging activity on the lake at night.

“One of the important considerations in choosing the consulting engineering firm for the project was the firm’s ecological professional staff,” Princeton University rowers approach the Harrison Street bridge over Lake Carnegie, which is being dredged beginning said project manager Robert Ortego. “It was this fall. (Photo by Denise Applewhite, Office of Communications) very important for us to partner with a firm that respected and understood the sensitive lake materials, makes an ideal blend to improve soils. Millstone River in Kingston. It was built to provide ecosystem. Part of that sensitivity is avoiding Usually this material is trucked away from dredging a venue for competitive rowing and boating, which dredging work during fish spawning season (May sites and disposed of in landfills but, in this case, remains its purpose and primary use. Publicly 1 to July 30) and bald eagle nesting season (Dec. it will be used in the soil improvement program on accessible at several locations for recreational 15 to July 30).” campus. This will save hundreds of miles of truck purposes, the lake covers 259 acres and varies in trips on local roads. width from approximately 40 feet to over 500 feet Thousands of cubic yards of sediment will be at its widest point. removed from the lake through the dredging Lake Carnegie was created in 1907 by process. This substance, high in organic constructing a concrete overflow dam across the n Christopher Lillja, Facilities

Firefighters transit tracks continued from front page Princeton University works closely with local transportation officials to provide various ways for people to get to and from campus, and around the region, conveniently and affordably. Visit “I’m not aware of any other partnership that exists princetontransit.transloc.com to get real-time bus status and arrival times for all TigerTransit like this anywhere,” Loh said. “This is a benefit to and freeB routes, and to download the Transloc mobile app for your phone. the Princeton community and beyond because staff — Princeton University’s TigerTransit bus system provides convenient and also volunteer as firefighters in their hometowns on TigerTransit reliable transportation throughout the Princeton campus and surrounding community. Residents nights and weekends.” depend on TigerTransit, for example, to ride from Palmer Square to the Penn Princeton Medical The associate program is open to all staff and Center on Route 1. The system is free and open to the public. transportation.princeton.edu/ faculty and requires no prior experience. The options/tigertransit University provides release time for employees — The University helped support the launch of the freeB shuttle bus in 2008 and to attend firefighter certification classes and freeB funded a new bus purchase in 2016. The freeB offers free rides throughout town, stopping at trainings during business hours, with approval from key locations including the Princeton Public Library, Princeton Shopping Center and the Dinky supervisors. station. www.princetonnj.gov/guide/getting-around-princeton “We have trained 29 new firefighters since the — The town and University welcomed Zagster bike share in 2016. program began. They range in age from 25 to 55 Zagster bike share Interested users can pay a one-time $20 fee, and through a smartphone app, rent a bike years old,” said Craig Stapfer, assistant director from any of the locations throughout town, including the Dinky station, Alexander Hall and the of life safety in Facilities Site Protection. “We are Princeton Shopping Center. bike.zagster.com/princeton always looking for new volunteers and we’re actually putting the final touches on sending another group to the Firefighter 1 class. Our only requirement is that you have the interest; we will provide the to every call. The volunteers use a fire truck at Quinn hopes the associate program will continue to training and support.” the 306 Alexander Road substation so they can grow, even as the Princeton Fire Department moves travel to calls together and meet other department to a mix of paid and volunteer firefighters. Caitlin Root, who worked in Environmental Health firefighters on scene. and Safety and recently moved to Oak Ridge, “The rate of volunteerism continues to decline Tennessee, never would have become a firefighter And sometimes the University volunteers don’t nationwide. While our days are covered by the without the associate program. have far to travel if the emergency call is coming University associates, the town is having increasing from campus. difficulty attracting volunteers who can commit to “The University is so supportive of employees who being on call evenings and weekends,” Quinn said. want to join,” she said. “It’s definitely hard work, “Many of us work in Facilities and have the floor “Even though we are now transitioning to a combi- but well worth it.” plans of University buildings in our heads,” said nation department, our University associates will Kevin Durham, manager for critical systems in remain a crucial part of fire safety in Princeton.” University volunteers are assigned one duty day Facilities. “We can get to the building quickly and per week, though they are not required to respond know right where to go once we’re inside.” n Emily Aronson, Office of Communications