PRINCETON BAKES: Unpack a box of homemade cookies (in this case, from one of Princeton’s best bakers, Matilda Luk, over in Communications), to find time, effort and attention and esteem for others distilled and embedded in uncommonly fine combinations of butter, sugar, chocolate, flour, eggs, salt, nuts and jam. Happy holidays made happier by such a gift!
“A Grain of Salt: Isn’t it Ionic?” by Howard Stone drew near-capacity crowds of parents and children at McDonnell Hall on Saturday. Participants were treated to four sections, each with audience participation: Thinking about salt and water; dissolution and precipitation; puzzles and wonders; and conductivity and osmosis. Mentioned: french fries, pretzels, salt and diet, salt and health.
From the program: Stone researches fluid dynamics, materials science and applied mathematics; he enjoys the challenge of thinking about real-world problems. He was assisted by Bonnie Bassler, who researches molecular mechanisms that bacteria use for intracellular communication. Both are passionate about teaching. Chief experiment leader for the morning session was Kitty Wagner, lecture demonstrator in chemistry at Princeton University since 1991 and director of the Princeton Chemistry Outreach program since she organized it in 1996.
Under Construction: Two former Dinky station buildings will be transformed into a bar and a restaurant. (File photo June 2014).
From the story: The bar will be housed in the smaller, north building, with 60 indoor seats and 30 outside and will serve drinks and small bites for lunch and dinner.
For the south building, formerly used for baggage handling, the group is proposing an “approachable French-influenced menu” serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. There will be seating for 125 people inside and 50 outside. In addition, there will be counter seating and a private dining room.
The bar is scheduled to open in spring 2016 and the bistro in spring 2017.
Read more here in the story by Min Pullan, from the Office of Communications.
Knife and Spatula: Nora Schultz ’19; Amy Lerner, postdoc lecturer on Corn, Chiles & Chocolate; and Associate Professor Kelly Caylor, lead faculty for the course, made two dishes: corn tortillas from scratch, and seared zucchini with roasted tomato and chipotle (an adaptation of a Rick Bayless recipe).
Chemistry Demonstration: Chef Craig Shelton discussed phase changes, heat and conductivity as he seared fish filets from Nassau Street Seafood during the pilot.
This seminar bridges the science of the plate and the community of the table – and it couldn’t have been done without support. Thanks to Rozalie Czesana ’18, Rocky! Kelly Caylor, lead professor, of CEE and PEI! Thanks to Harriet Flower, Mathey College master, who paved the way with Flavor Labs! To Maria Bohn of CBLI! To Gordon Douglas MD ’55 and Sheila Mahoney S’55. To Tim Searchinger, research scholar extraordinaire! To Naomi Leonard and Evelyn Laffey, CST! To Shana Weber and crew at Sustainability! To Laurel Cantor at Communications! To Steve Cochrane ’81, superintendent at Princeton Public Schools! And a host of others, on campus and off, whose first answer is Yes. At the pilot, Amy Lerner, postdoc, lectured on politics, economics and cultural significance of Chile, Corn & Chocolate in Mexico, and Chef Shelton guided students through making a full meal with a Cinco de Mayo flavor (including mole from scratch).
Cheeses made at Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse will be featured at Science, Society & Dinner.
Thanks to Prof. Anne Cheng, the Department of American Studies and the Department of Anthropology for hosting what promises to be a provocative workshop on our daily bread: “Cooking is a Chore, Cooking is a Craft, Cooking is What Other People Do: Investigating Contemporary American Practices and Perceptions.”
The workshop is with Amy Trubek, associate professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Vermont. She is the author of “The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir,” which begins with a look at French agrarian and culinary traditions, then moves to California and, eventually, to the East Coast and the Vermont Fresh Network (http://www.vermontfresh.net/).
The event is Monday, Nov. 9, from noon to 1:20 p.m. at 102 Jones Hall, and of course includes lunch (register, especially if you’re planning to eat, by emailing cwkessel@princeton.edu).
A small garden includes a hoop house in the making, where some crops will be nurtured through the winter months.
The Farminary is a 21-acre plot that was once a sod farm, just a couple of miles away from downtown Princeton.
He is looking to connect the land – adamah in Hebrew – to theological education. In the words of a piece on him and his project in The Mennonite World Review (read it here), he hopes to “grow the project in an intentional, disciplined way, using the best of agrarian sensibilities, paying attention to the seasons, what is prudent and will bear fruit.”
If current projections hold true, the agriculture sector will need to produce about 70 percent more food by 2050, research shows. How can entrepreneurship in all its forms move the needle?
The challenges range from malnutrition — obesity and diabetes in wealthier countries and hunger and micronutrient deficiency in poorer countries – to meeting an expected demand for roughly 70 percent more food by 2050 while reducing agriculture’s environmental footprint, including its contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, loss of habitat and air and water pollution.
The symposium will explore the efforts of private and non-profit entrepreneurs from Princeton and elsewhere; what entrepreneurship can and cannot help to address; and how the research community, the public sector and the finance sector can improve outcomes.
This all-day event is open to Princeton students, faculty and administration, as well as to interested community members. The event is in partnership with Career Services, which will facilitate a Meetup during the event to connect students with alumni for conversations and networking. The following day, February 20, 2016, is Princeton University Alumni Day. For more information or to reserve your spot, write Karla Cook, coordinator: karlac@princeton.edu.