Volume LXXIX, Number 28
Princeton Student Film Festival Endures . . . . . 5 NFL VP Enhances Trenton Garden with Donation . 9 Health Department Recognized Again By PHAB . . . . . . . . . 11 PU Summer Chamber Concerts Continues with Quartet Music . . . . . . 13 Building on Superb Debut Season for PU Men’s Golf, Greyserman Earns 2 Wins this June, Makes U.S. Amateur . . . . . . 20 Summer Hoops Legend Grant Picks Up Where He Left Off, Starring in Cameo Appearance Before His HOF Induction . . . . . . . 22
Celebrating Ringo Starr On his 85th Birthday . 12 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . 25 Home and Design . . . . . . 2 Mailbox. . . . . . . . . . . . 11 New Business Spotlight . . . . . . . . 14, 15 New To Us . . . . . . . . . . 19 Performing Arts. . . . . . . . 16 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . . . 9 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . 25 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Topics of the Town . . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
New Max Planck Center Means Enhanced Research Collaboration The establishment of the Max Planck IAS-NTU Center (MPC) for Particle Physics, Cosmology, and Geometry will broaden and enhance the capability for collaborative research among the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton and its partner institutions. The Center, which will allow for better understanding of the theories of the universe, is a collaborative research initiative between the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (MPG) in Germany; the IAS; and National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei, Taiwan. “Since its founding in 1930, IAS has worked to convene global talent to enable foundational discovery,” said Lee Sandberg, a spokesperson for the Institute. “This new Center, comprised of three world-leading institutions — Max Planck, IAS, and NTU — establishes a robust collaborative network that will bring the brightest minds to bear on the most fundamental questions of the universe.” Over the years, the three institutions have enjoyed various opportunities for intellectual exchange, and IAS has welcomed researchers from both institutions to conduct research, as members of IAS, and to take part in seminars and conferences, Sandberg noted. The Center begins operations this month, with five years of initial funding. An opening symposium at NTU will take place from September 1-3, and a kick-off conference at IAS is planned for March 16-20, 2026. The three co-directors of the Center are Johannes Henn, now based at the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Germany, Nima Arkani-Hamed at IAS, and Daniel Baumann of NTU. “By uniting the expertise and scientific potential of its three founding partners under a single umbrella, the Center forms a global hub for excellence and knowledge transfer in theoretical physics,” stated Henn, who is the Marvin L. Goldberger Member (2011–15) in the School of Natural Sciences, now based at MPP. “It enables collaborative research across institutional and disciplinary boundaries, fostering synergies that span from novel mathematical frameworks relevant to quantum field theory to interactions of elementary particles and to the physics of the early universe.” Continued on Page 10
75¢ at newsstands
Murphy Urged to Adopt Coastal Flooding Rules A coalition of environmental organizations and elected officials gathered in Trenton Tuesday morning to mount a final push to get Gov. Phil Murphy and his administration to adopt coastal flooding rules that have an August 4 deadline for adoption. The NJDEP NJPACT REAL coastal flooding rules reflect climate science, which anticipates sea level rise of up to five feet by the end of the century. Environmentalists say the initiative is stalled due to opposition from developers. The meeting at South Riverwalk Park along the Delaware River took place at a time when coastal flooding, which reached tragic proportions in Texas last week, is prominent in the news. And at press time, New Jersey was on a flood watch related to intense thunderstorms predicted to hit the area in early evening. “In New Jersey, we flood,” said Mike Pisauro, policy director of The Watershed Institute, following the event. “We know we flood. We’ve got to stop pretending we don’t. There have been multiple flash flood warnings in the last three months, and lots of flooded roads across the state.” The meeting, which was attended by representatives of local government, environmental organizations, and sustainable business networks, marked the official
launch of a digital ad campaign to urge the public to reach out to Gov. Murphy on the issue. Over the last few weeks, municipalities have been asked to fight against misinformation about coastal flooding predictions involving sea level rise. “Anyone who thinks that greenhouse gases won’t ramp up over the next few years is sorely mistaken,” Pisauro said. “We know we can expect an 83 percent chance that sea level rise will be up to 5.1 feet by the end of the century.”
Others who attended the event provided comment in a press release. “When it rains, it pours. As Texas recovers from historic flash flooding, it’s clear that our climate is changing and we are living in a wetter and wilder world,” said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. “Sadly, we have too many examples in New Jersey of coastal flooding devastating communities. Our land use rules need to reflect this new reality – especially in our coastal communities along Continued on Page 8
Princeton Academy, Ridgeview Conservancy Join Forces for Innovative Learning Program
A new collaboration between Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart (PASH) and the nonprofit Ridgeview Conservancy gives new meaning to the term “taking it outside.” Starting this fall, students at the private school on Great Road will be learning about everything from identifying trees and invasive species to outdoor survival skills, amid the 200 acres of forest and wetlands — recently preserved as open space by the municipality and a consortium of local land trusts — that surround the campus. The program also extends to the public,
who will be able to engage in presentations by international authorities in forest conservation, climate resilience, and environmental advocacy as well as artists and writers under Forest & Climate Training (FACT), an international initiative to empower the next generation of environmental stewards. “We’re really enthused,” said Christopher Barr, executive director of the Ridgeview Conservancy. “It seems like such a win/win/win for Princeton Academy, the Ridgeview Conservancy, and the Princeton community itself. The school has an extraordinary resource that very few Continued on Page 10
NEXT GENERATION OF STORYTELLERS: Graduates of the two-week Romus Broadway Photography Camp proudly displayed their certificates during the camp’s closing ceremony at the Arts Council of Princeton on Thursday. Now in its third year, the teen camp honors the late photographer Romus Broadway, who documented life in the WitherspoonJackson neighborhood for decades. (Photo courtesy of Arts Council of Princeton)
Linda Twining | Recognized by RealTrends for Ranking in the Top 1.5% of Real Estate Professionals Nationwide* Sales Associate c 609.439.2282 o 609.921.1050 ltwining@callawayhenderson.com lindatwining.com 4 Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08542 *Based on 2024 sales volume. Each office is independently owned and operated.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025