February 19, 2025
By Donald Gilpin
The town of Princeton, recent immigrant residents, and a number of local organizations are feeling the pressure from Trump administration policies on immigration.
In his first month in office President Trump has signed numerous administrative orders on immigration. He has promised mass deportations and declared a national emergency at the southern border with major changes to border security.
The Trump administration has closed the refugee resettlement program and the asylum application system and adopted a new policy which allows immigration authorities to enter schools, hospitals, and places of worship to arrest immigrants. more
COMMON AND FORGOTTEN: John Rees’ book about the under-appreciated efforts of Black soldiers during the American Revolution will be discussed by the author at an upcoming Princeton Battlefield Society event at Morven.
By Anne Levin
The second event of the Cadwalader Lecture Series, one of the Princeton Battlefield Society’s (PBS) initiatives leading up to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the nation’s birth and the Battle of Princeton, honors Black History Month.
A partnership with the Battlefield’s neighbor, Morven Museum & Garden, the talk on Thursday, February 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the museum features author and historian John Rees discussing the mostly unknown and under-appreciated role of Black soldiers in the fight for independence. Rees’ new book Don Troiani’s Black Soldiers in America’s Wars, 1754-1865 was written with Troiani, a prominent military artist. Rees will be on hand to sign copies of the book at the event. more
SCIENCE BOWL EXCITEMENT: It was a dramatic face-off between teams from Princeton Charter School and West Windsor-Plainsboro’s Community Middle School in the finals of Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science (PRISMS) first ever Science+ Bowl Tournament. The New Jersey Regional Science Bowl will take place this weekend, February 21-22, at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory with the winning middle and high school teams going on to the national championships in Washington, D.C., in April. (Photo courtesy of PRISMS)
By Donald Gilpin
It’s Science Bowl season, and a cluster of local teams are preparing to compete in the New Jersey Regional Science Bowls on February 21 for the middle school competition and February 22 for the high school contest sponsored by the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Among the 16 middle school teams facing off in the question-and-answer rounds in the fields of chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, mathematics, and general and earth sciences are four area schools: defending champion Princeton Charter School (PCS), the French American School of Princeton, Lawrence Middle School, and the Noor-Ul-Iman School of South Brunswick. PCS has won the regional middle school contest and gone on to the National Science Bowl six times in the past seven years. more
By Anne Levin
Robbert Dijkgraaf, Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) Director and Leon Levy Professor from 2012 to 2022, has been appointed as president-elect of the International Science Council, (ISC) it was announced on February 6. He will officially take over as ISC president in October 2026.
Dijkgraaf has made significant contributions to the understanding of string theory and black holes. He is committed to the advancement of science education. Before his term as IAS director, he was a researcher at Princeton University from 1989 to 1991, and then a member in the IAS’ School of Natural Sciences.
A renowned mathematical physicist, Dijkgraaf served as minister of education, culture and science of the Netherlands after leaving the IAS in 2022. He remained in that position until 2024, the year he was elected to the ISC governing board. more
COMMUNING WITH A GENIUS: As manager of the social media accounts for Albert Einstein, Benyamin Cohen has to mind-meld with the world’s most popular deceased celebrity. (Photo by Shoshi Benstein)
By Anne Levin
Benyamin Cohen is not a scientist. He is not a scholar. But several times a day, he posts an anecdote, quotation, or little-known fact about Albert Einstein on social media.
As official manager of the Einstein Facebook and other accounts, Cohen — news director at The Forward newspaper and the author of the book The Einstein Effect — is the keeper of trivia and more about the world’s most famous physicist. He is also “the digital avatar of Einstein,” he writes in the book. “Teenagers in India message me for help with their science homework, physicists in Florida email me the findings of their latest research, and producers at PBS call and ask if I’ll promote a new Einstein documentary.” more
By Donald Gilpin
As artificial intelligence (AI) spreads its influence into every corner of 21st century life, Princeton Public Schools (PPS) has subscribed to a program called SchoolAI and has been encouraging teachers and administrators to explore how this technology can help them and their students. Riverside Elementary School has responded eagerly with many positive results and some exciting breakthroughs for both students and educators.
“We believe that this technology could be a game changer for differentiation of instruction, personalization based on student interests, student engagement, and intervention,” said Riverside Counselor Ben Samara, who uses AI in working with groups of students from kindergarten through fifth grade.
Samara is fully aware of the concerns over privacy and the potential for student misuse of AI in schools, but his explorations have led him to discover that AI can enhance the human element in education as well as the mutual engagement of students and teachers. more
By Stuart Mitchner
I see life in nothing but the certainty of your Love…
—John Keats to Fanny Brawne,
May 1820
When John Keats wrote about life and love to Fanny Brawne, he had less than a year to live. In a letter from Rome on November 30, 1820, his last, he told his friend Charles Brown, “There is one thought enough to kill me; I have been well, healthy, alert, &c., walking with her, and now — the knowledge of contrast, feeling for light and shade, all that information (primitive sense) necessary for a poem, are great enemies to the recovery of my stomach.”
Decades before eavesdropping on Keats, I was reading about the doomed romance of Abraham Lincoln and Ann Rutledge in a “young adult” biography. Curious to see how John Ford handled the story, I sampled his 1939 film Young Mr. Lincoln on YouTube and found that, thanks to Henry Fonda’s ungainly charm, Ford manages to suggest a romance without actually showing it.
Played by Pauline Moore, whose next picture was Charlie Chan in Rio, Ann has a basket full of flowers, Abe sniffs one, takes the basket and carries it as they walk along the river talking, she telling him he’s going to be somebody important someday, he poking fun at the idea, until they come to a stop and he takes a good look at her and says, with the tone of quietly awestruck discovery unique to Henry Fonda, “You sure are pretty, Ann.” Uncomfortably pleased, she lowers her eyes, and says “Some people don’t like red hair.” He looks at her and says “I love red hair” with a subtle, tender emphasis on the verb, so you know he’s just told her he loves her even if he doesn’t know it yet, but she knows it, smiling, holding out her hand to him, as if she might fall into his arms. Instead, she takes back her basket, and walks off. As he throws a thoughtful stone into the river, the hesitantly romantic soundtrack becomes dark and stormy, the river turns to snow and ice, and next thing you know he’s kneeling at her grave, putting some flowers on it, talking to her, not like a lover but as a poet communing with his spirit muse. more
OPERA AND MORE: Ruth Ochs leads the Princeton University Sinfonia in a program of music from opera as well as works by student composers.
Ruth Ochs conducts the Princeton University Sinfonia on Friday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m. in Richardson Auditorium on the Princeton University campus for “A Night at the Opera,” an evening of excerpts from operas by Bizet, Mozart, Rossini, Delibes, and Rimsky-Korsakov.
The concert will include Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Procession of the Nobles” from Mlada and “Dance of the Tumblers” from The Snow Maiden; two selections by Bizet, a quintet from Carmen, as well as the famous duet “Au fond du temple saint” from The Pearl Fishers; the “Flower Duet” from Delibes’ Lakmé, and the finale from Act 1 of Rossini’s The Italian Girl in Algiers.
The program also features new works by student composers Kasey Shao ’25 and Julia Young ’27, and Clara Conatser ’25 will play movements from Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 3. Singers from the University’s Glee Club Opera Scenes and the University Clarinet Ensemble will also perform. Tickets are $15 general admission/$5 students and are available at tickets.princeton.edu. For more information call (609) 258-4241 or visit music.princeton.edu.
The Garden Theatre will be hosting its 7th annual Hollywood Awards Watch Party on Sunday, March 2. The second annual Red Carpet Reception will be held at the Nassau Inn before the ceremony.
The Watch Party will begin at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Bottomless popcorn and drinks are included with admission.
The Red Carpet Reception begins at 5:30 p.m. Guests will gather in the Palmer Room at the Nassau Inn and have light fare and drinks before strolling over to the Garden for the watch party, which is included with reception tickets.
Tickets for the Watch Party are $13.75 for general admission and $8.50 for members of the nonprofit Garden Theatre. Red Carpet Reception tickets are $50 for general admission and $40 for members. more
ONE NIGHT ONLY: Lou DiPietro, playwright, left, and Louis Josephson, composer, of the new musical “It’s Never Too Late,” which will be presented as a one-night-only staged reading at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 20, at the Kelsey Theatre.
Kelsey Theatre, on the West Windsor Campus of Mercer County Community College (MCCC), will host a one-night-only staged reading — complete with a nine-piece orchestra — of the new musical It’s Never Too Late, presented by Theater to Go on February 20 at 7:30 p.m.
East Windsor resident Lou DiPietro began writing this play at the age of 90 and now, at 94, is excited to share his work with an audience. more
On Sunday, March 2 at 3 p.m. in Richardson Auditorium, the Princeton University Department of Music Performance faculty and undergraduate students comprising the Richardson Chamber Players will present “Serenade Meets Steampunk.”
The ambitious program pairs David Bruce’s whimsical 2010 piece Steampunk for Mixed Octet with the majesty and romance of Johannes Brahms Serenade No. 1, Op. 11, written in 1858.
“The Richardson Chamber Players often put together programs of lesser-heard works,” said Princeton University Concerts Director Marna Seltzer. “This is one such program, through which we look forward to celebrating the talents of our music department faculty and students.”
Performers are flutist Sarah Shin, oboist Yousun Chung, clarinetists Jo-Ann Sternberg and Dongkon Lee ’27, horn player Eric Reed, bassoonist Robert Wagner, violinists Erick Wyrick and Melody Choi ’25, violist Jessica Thompson, cellist Clancy Newman, and bass player Jack Hill.
Tickets are $15 general/$5 sStudent and can be purchased online at puc.princeton.edu or by calling (609) 258-9220.
VOCALIST AND GUITARIST: Guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas will perform with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard in recital at State Theatre New Jersey on March 2. (Photo by Lisa Mazzuco)
State Theatre New Jersey presents Isabel Leonard and Pablo Sáinz-Villegas In Recital on Sunday, March 2 at 3 p.m. Tickets range from $39-$79.
In October 2021, Sainz-Villegas was invited by Peter Gelb of The Metropolitan Opera to join forces, in part, with opera superstar Isabel Leonard in a worldwide broadcast live from Versailles. Following its success, the artists decided to work creatively to build out a special vocal guitar program for a limited-run tour in the United States, featuring popular arias and songs beloved around the world. more
The Westminster Conservatory of Music will host an upcoming recital, that is free and open to the public.
On February 20 at 12:15 p.m., the Volanti Flute Quartet will perform as part of the series Westminster Conservatory at Nassau in the Niles Chapel of Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street.
Quartet members Jill Crawford, Ellen Fisher Deerberg, John Lane, and Katherine McClure will perform on piccolo, flute, alto flute, and bass flute. The program will include original flute music, Lullaby by Jennifer Higdon, Harmony in Blue and Gold by Eric Ewazen, and an arrangement for flutes of Debussy’s Arabesque No. 2.
For more information, visit rider.edu/arts.
IN MEMORY: Pianist Kairy Koshoeva and cellist Jordan Ensinger will play works by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Bach in a concert in New Brunswick.
A memorial concert honoring music journalist Elaine Strauss will be presented by pianist Kairy Koshoeva and cellist Jordan Ensinger on Saturday, March 1 at 7 p.m. at Christ Church, 5 Paterson Street, in New Brunswick. Admission is free.
“I want to honor Elaine’s legacy and keep her spirit alive by sharing this with her fans and loved ones,” said Koshoeva. “Elaine Strauss was not just a dear friend to me; she was a kindred spirit who welcomed me into her home for many memorable concerts and gatherings. Her warmth and passion for music have left an indelible mark on my heart.”
A polymath, Strauss had several careers and began her journalism career at age 67, writing hundreds of articles for U.S.1 and Clavier magazine, mostly about music. An accomplished pianist, she was a student of Dorothy Taubman. She died on April 22, 2024 at the age of 95. more
HALL OF FAMER: Peter Frampton, recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, comes to State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick on April 7.
State Theatre New Jersey presents Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award-winning guitarist, Peter Frampton in the “Let’s Do It Again! Tour” on Monday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $80-$360.
The upcoming performance arrives on the heels of a landmark 2024 for the musician, who, in addition to being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, played concerts at venues across the U.S. Frampton’s “Never Say Never,” “Never EVER Say Never,” and subsequent “Positively Thankful” tours were unexpected by fans after the musician shared his diagnosis of the degenerative disease inclusion-body myositis. more
Fresh from their 2025 Grammy win for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance, So Percussion will appear with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) at concerts the weekend of March 8-9 at Richardson Auditorium.
The ensemble will perform Viet Cuong’s concerto for percussion quartet, Re(new)al. Music Director Rossen Milanov conducts the program which includes Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastoral,” and Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances.
“I’m excited to perform with Sō Percussion as they are a fearless ensemble, musically gifted and always seeking to push artistic boundaries with new techniques and sound experimentation,” said Milanov. more
On Thursday, February 20 from 5-8 p.m. at Princeton University’s Friend Center, the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination will present a screening of the documentary film Between Silence and Sin, followed by a Q&A with director Diana Nicolae.
This is the first screening of the film in the U.S. after appearing in film festivals throughout Europe, including taking part in the Princess of Asturias Awards ceremonies presided by the Spanish royal family.
The documentary is about Romanian poet and activist Ana Blandiana, a symbol in the fight for democracy and freedom of speech, values that are again under threat around the world. She is a legendary figure in Romanian culture, comparable to Anna Akhmatova or Vaclav Havel.
Blaniana has been called one of Europe’s greatest living poets, and has published dozens of books of poetry and prose, which have been translated into 24 languages around the world. Among her many awards are the European Poet of Freedom Prize, the Griffin Trust’s Lifetime Recognition Award, the Gottfried von Herder Prize from the Austrian Academy, and the Légion d’Honneur from France. In 2024, she received the Princess of Asturias Award.
The documentary delves into Blandiana’s decades-long career in the context of one of the world’s most brutal dictatorships, where poetry represented the “last molecules of freedom” and poets that dared to speak the truth became icons — as well as targets. As authoritarian governments wrestle for control throughout the world, in countries long considered to be bulwarks of democracy and free speech, Between Silence and Sin explores the power of the word as the last bastion of a nation’s collective soul in the face of oppression.
Nicolae, who produces and directs the film, is a native of Romania who began her career in media working as a TV news reporter in the post-Communist era, prior to working as a writer for BBC Radio and Radio Romania on the first dramatic series inspired by the country in transition to democracy. She is a professor of documentary and television at Rowan University.
Additional speakers at the event will be Margaret Beissinger, research scholar and lecturer at Princeton University’s Department of Slavic Languages and Literature; and Nadia Crisan, executive director of the Liechtenstein Institute.
RSVP is required to attend. Visit lisd.princeton.edu.
Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) in Hamilton recently announced that it has been selected to join the Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator Program. This initiative helps cultural organizations across the U.S. and U.K. to strengthen technology and management practices to improve operations, drive revenue, increase fundraising, engage broader audiences, and deliver dynamic programming.
The award of up to $200,000 will enable Faith McClellan, GFS’ director of collections and exhibitions, to participate in the program as a Bloomberg fellow. As a fellow, she will collaborate with a consultant from Lapine Group to make digital upgrades to the management of the art collection. Investing in these upgrades will improve the internal efficiency of the collection’s management and enhance public access to information about the collection’s art and artists.
“I’m delighted GFS was selected to participate in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator Program,” said McClellan, “As a Bloomberg Fellow, I look forward to developing and implementing new tools to help our curatorial team manage our extensive collection and to providing more people with access to information about our dynamic contemporary art collection.” more
“The Most Formidable Weapon Against Errors: The Sid Lapidus ’59 Collection & the Age of Reason,” which celebrates the collecting achievements of Sid Lapidus, Class of 1959, is on view in the Milberg Gallery at Firestone Library, Princeton University, through June 8. Members of the public are welcome to visit the exhibition between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays, and between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, visit library.princeton.edu/lapidus2025. (Photo by Brandon Johnson)
Albert Einstein was born 146 years ago on Pi Day, 3.14 (March 14), and celebrating the number and the man helps get kids excited about STEM topics.
The nascent Princeton Einstein Museum of Science will offer a variety of free hands-on activities related to Einstein’s scientific legacy on March 15 at the Princeton Public Library from 2-4 pm. They are suitable for ages 5-10.
Children can talk to Silvia Trinczek, a scientist from Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, to receive a free compass or space tattoo, while supplies last. Ask her your most probing physics question, or if you are not sure what to ask, choose one from the museum’s suggestions including “Why is the sky blue?” and “What’s inside a black hole?” more
This photograph by Rebecca DePorte is part of the “Members Exhibition” on view at Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography, 14 Mercer Street, Hopewell, through March 2.
CUTTING THE RIBBON: Community officials, customers, and market staff members all attended the ribbon cutting celebrating Kasia Market’s opening in Pike Run Plaza, Route 206 in Belle Mead last December. Featuring a wide range of authentic Korean food, a big selection of fresh fish, meat, and produce, the market also has a sushi bar, Kasia Kitchen hot bar, and The Hungry Tiger restaurant, all on the premises.
By Jean Stratton
To say it is just a Korean market is an understatement! They have their own hydroponic vegetable plantings, displayed in the front of the store. They are all about the freshest and best foods — fresh fish and meat, both familiar and exotic vegetables, sushi bar, informal Kasia Kitchen food bar and Hungry Tiger restaurant. Super Korean fried chicken, bubble tea, as well as a special line of Korean skincare. This is a special place!”
This high praise is from a Princeton resident, whose first visit to Kasia Market was a big success.
Located in Pike Run Plaza, 2311 Route 206 North in Belle Mead, Kasia Market opened in December. Owned by Montgomery Township resident Dennis Ahn, it reflects his vision of offering the freshest, healthiest food, supporting an eco-friendly environment, and creating a welcoming atmosphere for both staff and customers.
“I have a vision of what I want to offer customers and what I want the market to be,” he explains. “I am grateful to be able to share that vision with my staff and customers. I really want to do something good for people’s health. Our food is very healthy, always fresh, and high quality.” more
STANDING TALL: Princeton University men’s lacrosse goalie Ryan Croddick guards the crease last Saturday against Penn State as the Tigers opened their 2025 campaign. Junior Croddick, a former Hun School standout, made 21 saves in his first college start to help No. 5 Princeton edge the No. 10 Nittany Lions 11-10 in overtime. Croddick’s 21 saves set a program record for a first-time starter. The Tigers will be hosting No. 2 Maryland (3-0) on February 22. (Photo by Ben Amtsberg, provided courtesy of PU Athletics)
By Justin Feil
Ryan Croddick’s record-setting performance in the season opener last Saturday answered one of the biggest questions facing the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team.
The junior goalie made 21 saves in his first collegiate start last Saturday to help the No. 5 Tigers win their clash at No. 10 Penn State, 11-10, in overtime.
“It feels great,” said Croddick, whose 21-save effort set a program record for a first-time starter. “I think I lost a couple of years off my life during that game, but it was great. It was a big test early to start with a Big 10 opponent, which we haven’t done in a long time, but it was a great test to start the season and we came out with a win, so it was even better.” more
GOOD DAY: Princeton University women’s basketball player Amelia Osgood defends a foe in action last season. Last Saturday, guard Osgood came up big on her Senior Night, scoring a game-high and career-high 13 points to help Princeton defeat Yale 71-42. The Tigers, now 18-5 overall, 9-1 Ivy League, host Columbia (18-5 overall, 9-1 Ivy) in a first-place showdown on February 22. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Amelia Osgood couldn’t stop smiling last Saturday as she reflected on her Senior Night for the Princeton University women’s basketball team.
After Osgood and her four classmates, Parker Hill, Paige Morton, Katie Thiers, and Adaora Nwokeji, were honored in a pregame ceremony, the quintet started the game against Yale and promptly reeled off a 12-0 run. The Tigers never looked back as they cruised to a 71-42 win over the Bulldogs before a crowd of 1,254 on hand at Jadwin Gym, improving to 18-5 overall, 9-1 Ivy League. more