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IMAP opens a new era for heliosphere science and space weather
The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, a Princeton-led NASA mission to study the Sun and everything it touches, has officially begun its science mission. Princeton marked the occasion with a panel discussion of IMAP leaders, science talks and a reception on Thursday, Feb. 26, hosted by the Center on Science and Technology.
Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber appeared in a video welcome to the event. “IMAP is a multi-institutional effort that spans 82 U.S. partners in 35 states, plus partners in the United Kingdom, Poland, Switzerland, Germany and Japan,” he said, noting that it “exemplifies what a successful partnership between government, industry and higher education can achieve.”
On Sept. 24, IMAP launched from Cape Canaveral, beginning its journey to a point in space a million miles from Earth known as Lagrange Point 1, or L1, a gravitationally balanced spot between the Earth and Sun. IMAP will orbit around L1 for years to come, traveling around the Sun at the same rate the Earth does and remaining a million miles Sun-ward of Earth throughout its mission.
“From L1,” Eisgruber said, “it will investigate the outermost boundary of the heliosphere — the cosmic shield that protects our solar system from harmful cosmic radiation — and will play a central role in advancing heliophysics and space weather prediction for the next era of space exploration.”
Read on princeton.edu
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Students compete at New Jersey Regional Science Bowl for spot in national competition
Middle and high school students from 45 different schools in New Jersey tested their scientific and mathematical knowledge in the 2026 Regional Science Bowl, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) on Feb. 20 and 21. Each Q&A round of the annual competition tests students’ knowledge in chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, mathematics, and general and earth sciences.
First-time participants from Heritage Middle School won each round of the double-elimination contest, securing first place and an opportunity to compete in DOE’s national competition in April. Princeton Charter Middle School came in second place, with William Annin Middle School in third.
The 2025 champions, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, won first place again and will travel to Washington, D.C., for the national tournament. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South came in second place, and Livingston High School came in third.
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Princeton SPIA Faculty Reflect on America’s Past As 250th Anniversary Approaches
On July 4, 1776, delegates from the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to ratify the Declaration of Independence. The moment marked the beginning of the United States of America as a country independent from the British monarchy. Now, 250 years and many additions, amendments, and awakenings later, the U.S. is set to celebrate its semiquincentennial.
To commemorate the moment, scholars and practitioners from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs came together for a panel discussion examining how the nation has repeatedly reinvented itself over its 250 years — and what those moments of transformation can teach us today.
Read on spia.princeton.edu
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Princeton Research Day spotlights undergraduate scholarship
Princeton offers undergraduates an unsurpassed opportunity for original scholarly research, advised by faculty who are preeminent scholars in their disciplines. The rigor and breadth of the students’ work was on display Friday at Princeton Research Day.
More than 150 students presented their work in poster sessions in the soaring Grand Hall at the new Princeton University Art Museum. Some added video and interactive elements for live 5-minute “Poster+” presentations in an adjacent lecture hall.
The research spanned disciplines, from a policy paper about connecting foster youth to skilled trades (Alyssa Lloyd, Class of 2026), to an economic evaluation of energy resilience after natural disasters (Emmanuela Omole, Class of 2026), to research focused on letters written by a soldier “in the trenches” of the first World War (Samuel Coleman, Class of 2028).
Read on princeton.edu
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The Ronald E. Hatcher Science on Saturday Lecture series has been held for more than 40 years.
This annual series of lectures is given by scientists, engineers, and other professionals involved in cutting-edge research. Held on Saturday mornings throughout winter, the lectures are geared toward high school students. The program draws more than 300 students, teachers, parents, and community members. Topics are selected from a variety of disciplines.
On March , Tania Lombrozo of Princeton University presents Why We Ask Why: The Science of Explanation and the Human Drive to Understand.
Free and open to the public.
Saturday, March 7
9:30 AM
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, 100 Stellarator Road, Princeton
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Circus Quixote at McCarter Theatre
Cervantes’ classic is reimagined in a dazzling new production from the creators of McCarter audience favorites, Lookingglass Alice and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Somewhere in La Mancha there lived a man who read so many books that his brains dried up…so he becomes a knight! As Don Quixote embarks on his impossible quest for justice, Lookingglass Theatre’s signature acrobatics, breathtaking visuals, and boundless imagination transport audiences into his wild, windmill-tilting world.
Purchase tickets on mccarter.org.
Performances through March 15
McCarter Theatre Center
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University Chapel: An Inside Look
Tour the nearly 100-year-old Princeton University Chapel, designed by renowned Gothic Revival architect Ralph Adams Cram, and explore its rich history, stained-glass windows, furnishings, and memorials. Binoculars are welcome.
Admission is free, and each tour is limited to 24 participants. To reserve your spot or for more information, contact [email protected]
Sunday, March 8
12:00 PM
Princeton University Chapel
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Princeton University Concerts presents
Tabea Zimmermann, Viola
Javier Perianes, Piano
It is no exaggeration to say that you have not heard the extraordinary power of the viola until you have heard Tabea Zimmermann play it. Regularly cited as the world’s greatest living violist, her revelatory performances have been sold-out triumphs on our past seasons. In a rare U.S. recital appearance featuring the long-awaited debut of Spanish pianist Javier Perianes, the duo brings a deeply retrospective program spanning the poetic lyricism of Schumann’s Fantasy Pieces and Brahms’ late second viola sonata, Britten’s melancholic tribute to Renaissance composer John Dowland in its seldom-performed original arrangement, and Shostakovich’s final composition, written weeks before the composer’s death. This is music at its most profound—played by instrumentalists at their most transcendent.
Tabea Zimmermann will also teach a public masterclass for Princeton University student violists on Friday, March 20 at 4:00 PM in Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall. No tickets or registration required to attend.
Purchase tickets for the concert on concerts.princeton.edu.
Thursday, March 19
7:30 PM
Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall
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Art for Families
Upcycling
Saturdays are for young makers in the Creativity Labs! Stop by and create a collage inspired by the artist El Anatsui.
Drop in any time between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to explore a work of art, play with different materials, and exercise your imagination. Come for fifteen minutes or two hours—whatever your schedule allows. All ages are welcome; no tickets or reservations required.
Ghanaian artist El Anatsui takes everyday objects and transforms them into something amazing—like the bottle caps he used to make his shimmering tapestry, Another Place (2014). Join us for this collage activity and explore what you can make with recycled materials! We provide the materials, you bring the creativity!
Saturday, March 7
10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Princeton University Art Museum
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Princeton University Concerts
Little Listeners: Time for Music
Imagine time as a big, blank piece of paper, just waiting for something magical! We can’t draw on time with crayons, but we can fill it with beautiful music! In this fun and playful program, we’ll discover how time makes music special. We’ll feel the steady beat (like music’s very own heart!), tap along to rhythms, and zoom fast or slow with tempo. Along the way, we’ll see how music can match our feelings—whether we’re happy, sleepy, or ready to dance! Let’s make time for music together!
For ages 3-6. Purchase tickets on concerts.princeton.edu.
Saturday, March 14
1:00 PM and 3:00 PM
Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall
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Youth Writing Contests
350 for 50
Cotsen Children's Library is accepting submissions for the annual 250 for 50 writing contest. Writers age 9-16 are challenged to write a 350-word story that includes the sentence "Immediately, it was upside down.” Submissions are due by March 23.
View full contest and submission details on popgoesthepage.princeton.edu.
Ten-Minute Play Contest
The Lewis Center for the Arts invites students in eleventh grade to submit 10-minute plays. Submissions are due by March 31. Entries will be judged by a guest playwright.
View full contest and submission details on arts.princeton.edu.
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Images
IMAP - Photo by David Kelly Crow
Science Bowl - Photo by Michael Livingston / PPPL Communications Department
Research Day - Photo by Sameer A. Khan/Fotobuddy
Art for Families - Nick Cave, Soundsuit, 2013. Princeton University Art Museum. Gift of Joshua R. Slocum, Class of 1998, and Sara T. Slocum. © Nick Cave. Image courtesy Jack Shainman Gallery
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