PRINCETON UNIVERSITY BULLETINVolume 100, Number 2 Oct. 18, 2010 been such a fantastic pleasure for me all Princeton Distinguished Visitor Vargas my life that I cannot believe I am hon- ored and recompensed for something that has been so recompensive to me.” He will receive 10 million krona ($1.5 Llosa wins Nobel Prize in literature million) as the prize winner. At a press conference at the Instituto Cervantes in New York City with a JENNIFER G REENSTEIN A LT M ANN crowd of more than 150, Vargas Llosa cclaimed Peruvian novelist Mario was asked how the prize will affect Vargas Llosa, who is spend- him. “I’ll keep on writing to the last A ing this semester as the 2010 day of my life. I don’t think the Nobel Distinguished Visitor in Princeton Prize will change my writing, my University’s Program in Latin Ameri- style, my themes — that comes from a can Studies, has been awarded the very intimate part of my personality. 2010 Nobel Prize in literature. He also What I think the prize will change is is a visiting lecturer in Princeton’s my daily life,” he quipped. “I thought Program in Creative Writing and the these months I will spend in the Lewis Center for the Arts. United States will be very quiet, (but) Known for his deep engagement with everything has changed. My life will politics and history, as well as his deft be, I think, a life in a madhouse.” storytelling and eye for the absurd, At Princeton this fall, Vargas Llosa Vargas Llosa has been a major figure in is teaching a course in Spanish on Latin American fiction since his debut techniques of the novel and another on novel, “The Time of the Hero,” was Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. published in Spanish in 1963. Vargas Llosa has had a relationship with He won this year’s Nobel “for his the Program in Latin American Studies cartography of structures of power and for several years and taught at the Uni- his trenchant images of the individu- versity in the 1992-93 academic year. In al’s resistance, revolt and defeat,” the addition, his literary papers — including Swedish Academy said in announcing notebooks, correspondence, and manu- the award Oct. 7. scripts of novels and other writing — are “I was wondering if it was a joke,” housed in Firestone Library. Vargas Llosa said of the early-morning The Lewis Center and the Latin phone call he received from the acad- American studies program hosted a emy, according to an interview on the celebratory reception on Oct. 11 for Nobel Prize website. It was 5:30 a.m. Vargas Llosa. Following the reception, Brian Wilson Brian but he was already awake, he said, pre- he presented a public lecture that was Novelist and visiting lecturer Mario Vargas Llosa (left), this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize in paring for one of his Princeton classes. scheduled before he was awarded the literature, is greeted by President Tilghman (right) at a reception in his honor. They are joined “I’m deeply moved and grateful,” he by Rubén Gallo (center), director of the Program in Latin American Studies. said. “I feel very surprised. Writing has Continued on page 6 3-D simulations help envision supernovae explosions KITTA MACPHERSON The new 3-D simulations are based on the idea that the collapsing star or scientists, supernovae are true itself is not sphere-like, but distinctly superstars — massive explo- asymmetrical and affected by a host of F sions of huge, dying stars that instabilities in the volatile mix sur- shine light on the shape and fate of the rounding its core. universe. “I think this is a big jump in our For a brief burst of time, superno- understanding of how these things vae can radiate more energy than the can explode,” said Adam Burrows, a sun will emit in its lifetime. With the professor of astrophysical sciences at potential energy of 25 hundred trillion Princeton, who led the research. “In trillion nuclear weapons, they can out- principle, if you could go inside the shine entire galaxies, producing some supernovae to their centers, this is of the biggest explosions ever seen, what you might see.” and helping track distances across the Writing in the Sept. 1 issue of cosmos. the Astrophysical Journal, Burrows Now, a Princeton-led team has found — along with first author Jason Nord- a way to make computer simulations of haus, a postdoctoral research fellow supernovae exploding in three dimen- at Princeton, and Ann Almgren and sions, which may lead to new scientific John Bell from the Lawrence Berkeley insights. National Laboratory in California — Even though these mammoth explo- reports that the Princeton team has sions have been observed for thousands developed simulations that are begin- of years, for the past 50 years research- ning to match the massive blow-outs ers have struggled to mimic the astronomers have witnessed when step-by-step destructive action on gigantic stars die. computers. Researchers argue that In the past, simulated explosions such simulations, even crude ones, represented in one and two dimensions are important, as they can lead to new often stalled, leading scientists to con- information about the universe and clude that their understanding of the help address this longstanding prob- Courtesy of Adam Burrows and Jason Nordhaus lem in astrophysics. The new 3-D simulations like this one are based on the idea that the collapsing star itself is Continued on page 8 not sphere-like, but distinctly asymmetrical and affected by a host of instabilities. What’s Working group to focus on social, residential life 2 Physicist Gubser Committee to assess disability services 3 looks to strings for answers 7 inside? Ph.D. programs receive high national marks 4 PRINCETON 2 UNIVERSITY BULLETIN Oct. 18, 2010 Life Cynthia Cherrey and Vice Presi- Tilghman appoints working group on dent and Secretary Robert Durkee, Spotlight who chaired the Eating Club Task campus social and residential life Force and co-chaired an earlier Task Force on Health and Well-Being. The undergraduate members will resident Tilghman has asked a • What is and should be the role of be senior Cesar Devers, a residential 13-member working group com- fraternities and sororities at Princeton? college adviser in Rockefeller College, P posed of undergraduates, faculty • Is it desirable, and if so, feasible, to vice president of the Black Box The- and staff to review Princeton’s goals reintroduce a campus pub? ater Dance Club and events chair at regarding undergraduate on-campus Tilghman indicated that “these ques- Charter Club; senior Samuel Dorison, social and residential life, and to con- tions are timely, in part because they vice president of the Undergraduate sider several questions that were raised arose out of the campus-wide conversa- Student Government (USG) and a but not fully addressed last year by a tion that was facilitated last year by the former chair of the Whitman Col- task force that focused on relationships Eating Club Task Force, and in part lege Council; junior Angela Groves, between the University and the eating because the four-year residential college a member of the Eating Club Task clubs. system is now fully in place, as are other Force; sophomore Cameron Hough, In her charge to the new working recent additions to campus life like the junior coordinator of the Leadership group, she asked it to examine, among Carl Fields Center and Campus Club.” and Mentoring Program at the Fields other topics, the following issues that Tilghman asked the working group Center and former social chair of the were raised by the task force: “to provide ample opportunity for class of 2013; and senior John Mona- • How can undergraduate social members of the campus community to gle, chair of the USG Projects Board. and residential life be enhanced and offer comments, perspectives and sug- The other members of the work- improved on campus? gestions,” and to aim to issue its report ing group will be Christina Davis, • How can the University enrich the during the spring semester. director of student life in Whitman Denise ApplewhiteDenise social and residential experience in the The working group will be co- College; Thomas Dunne, associ- residential colleges? chaired by Vice President for Campus ate dean of undergraduate students; Jeff Nunokawa, professor of Eng- Name: Trevor A. Dawes lish, master of Rockefeller College Position: Circulation services director for and a member of the Eating Club the Princeton University Library. Over- Eating Club Task Force issues progress report Task Force; Michael Olin, director seeing the work of several Firestone of student life at Wilson College; The University’s Eating Club Task Force has issued a progress report sum- Library public services departments Robert Sandberg, lecturer in English, marizing steps that have been taken to address the group’s recommendations — including circulation, reserve, theater and the Lewis Center for the since the issuance of its report earlier this year. The report can be found at interlibrary loan, borrow direct, stacks Arts; and Susan Teeter, head coach of <www.princeton.edu/ectf/reports/progress/>. management and the access office women’s swimming. — and coordinating these services throughout the campus library system. Quote: “I know we have done a great job, and I am satisfied when faculty and students come to the library, either and full-day noncooperative care for physically or virtually, and they leave Nursery school to host open house Oct. 20 children ages 3 and 4. The school is with the resources or information that accredited by the National Association they need. As we embark upon our he University League Nursery The school offers two-, three- and for the Education of Young Children.