Class of 1972 Teaching Initiatives

Class of '72 Teaching Initiative

2026 Update

MEMORANDUM

May 23, 2026

To: Mike Schneider

From: Skip Rankin

Re: Class of 1972 Teaching Initiatives

I am pleased to report on the teaching initiatives proposed by members of the faculty of Princeton University that have been supported by the Class of 1972 Endowment Fund for Initiatives in Undergraduate Education (the “Fund”). To date, our Class has supported 32 courses since the creation of the Fund at the time of our 25th Reunion. A complete list of those courses is attached to this memorandum.

The payout from the Fund for fiscal year 2025-2026 was $60,809 and we are expecting a payout of approximately the same amount for fiscal year 2026-27, which will be made available to us in the Fall to support courses in the academic year 2026-27. As of March 31, 2026 our Fund had a book value of $256,850 (the original amount to establish the Fund) and a market value of $1,298,672. These are the latest figures available as of the date of this Memorandum.

We will be funding two new courses in full this coming academic year, and partially funding a third “revised” course, as follows:

ENG 280: Writing

Professor Jeff Dolven (Department of English)

Year 1: $19,612.50

Now that it is no longer necessary to learn to write, we are in a good position to ask what writing is and what it might still be good for. This is a course on the theory and history of writing: where it comes from, and how it works as a medium of reasoning, persuasion, and art. It is also a course on the practice of writing: at its heart are daily exercises that develop stylistic range, precision, and versatility. Readings gather sources from linguistics, literary theory, and cognitive science, along with examples of electric prose across many genres. This is a course for writers who want to know what they’re doing.

Two lectures a week will treat topics that allow us to theorize and historicize the process of writing, and to name its elements. The course is designed not only to help students become better writers, but to communicate clearly and precisely about writing, their own and others’. A weekly precept will allow for further exploration and structured workshopping of exercises.

The Meaning of Relativity: Einstein at Princeton

Professor Sebastian Murgueitio Ramirez (Department of Philosophy)

Year 1: $24,612.50

In 1921, Einstein presented a series of lectures at Princeton titled “On the Meaning of Relativity.” The lectures, published a year later by Princeton University Press in a book of the same name, remain one of the most comprehensive introductions to Einstein’s special and general theories of relativity. Perhaps surprising to many, the opening pages are distinctly philosophical and ruminate on the nature of experience, knowledge and the methods of science. But this is not coincidence: Einstein was not only a sophisticated and well-read philosopher of science himself, but his physical theories also hide a rich conceptual and philosophical structure that is neglected in standard presentations. Unveiling that structure and its historical underpinnings is the main goal of this interdisciplinary course, which draws from philosophy, history and physics.

The class is designed for a wide range of students, and no prior courses will be required.

The course will begin with a historical and philosophical discussion focusing on what thinkers like Galileo, Descartes, Newton, Du Châtelet, Mach and Poincaré said about motion, space, time, and the laws of nature. This will offer us the required context to truly appreciate the novelty of Einstein’s theories and recognize the ways in which some of his ideas were a natural development of the ideas of prior figures. At this point, we will read some of Einstein’s articles and passages from his lectures on the meaning of relativity in tandem with his more pedagogical expositions on the subject. We end with a discussion of Einstein’s more philosophical texts about the methods of science.

Our readings will be enriched by in-class physics demonstrations, visits to Princeton’s Special Collections (to engage with Einstein’s original manuscripts and correspondence), and a field trip to the Institute of Advanced Studies (to visit the archives, Institute Woods and to walk back to his home at 112 Mercer Street). These are just some examples of how this course would offer students in the humanities and the sciences a unique opportunity to explore the University and the town’s own history through the lens of Einstein, leaving them with an experience that they are sure to remember long after they graduate.

ARC 380: Introduction to Robotics for Digital Fabrication

Professor Arash Adel (School of Architecture)

Year 1: $23,612.50

In the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sectors, robotics and digital fabrication are reshaping how the built environment is conceived, designed, and constructed. As robotic systems become increasingly integrated into manufacturing processes and fabrication workflows, architects and engineers must develop the theoretical foundation and the technical skills necessary to design and implement robotic processes.

However, Princeton University lacks an undergraduate course dedicated to this rapidly evolving field within the curricula of Architecture and Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). ARC 380 / CEE 380 / ROB 380 – Introduction to Robotics for Digital Fabrication has been created to fill this gap. This interdisciplinary course, first offered in Spring 2024, introduces undergraduate students from various disciplines to the principles of robotics in digital fabrication, emphasizing both theoretical concepts and hands-on applications.

The funds from the Class of 1972 Endowment Fund for Initiatives in Undergraduate Education will be used to significantly revise and further develop this recurring course for the following years after its first offering, based on the data and feedback collected during Spring 2024. Enhancements will include a robust assessment plan with formative and summative evaluations to track students’ understanding of fundamental robotics concepts, robot programming, and fabrication methodologies. Formative assessments will feature auto-graded quizzes, interactive coding exercises embedded in real-time simulations, and peer feedback mechanisms, allowing students to develop and refine their technical skills iteratively. Summative assessments will include structured lab assignments, applied robotic fabrication challenges, and a final interdisciplinary collaborative project integrating computational design with robotic fabrication. Additionally, real-world case studies and industry-relevant scenarios will be embedded into coursework to align students' learning with emerging trends and applications in robotic construction and digital fabrication.

To date, we are the only class with an endowed fund supporting teaching initiatives.

C.E.R.

TEACHING INITIATIVES SUPPORTED BY THE CLASS OF 1972

(Fiscal Years 2000-2026)

Set forth below are summaries of the courses supported by the Class of 1972 Endowment Fund for Initiatives in Undergraduate Education:

(1) a course entitled “Conservation and Biodiversity, Science and Policy for an Endangered Planet”, taught by Andy Dobson of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, together with The Woodrow Wilson School;

(2) a British history lecture course (as reorganized), taught by Professor Frank Trentmann of the Department of History;

(3) a vertebrate biology course offered by the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology;

(4) a freshman seminar entitled “Sound, Image, Movement, Meaning: Collaborations in Multimedia” offered by the Department of Music;

(5) a course on “World Literature” offered by the Department of Comparative Literature as a “gateway” course to the Department and to the study of literature generally;

(6) a course offered by the School of Engineering and Applied Science to demonstrate the fundamental connections among engineering, math and physics;

(7) a course offered by the Department of East Asian Studies to convey to Princeton undergraduates an appreciation for the study of Chinese, Japanese and Korean civilizations;

(8) a course offered by the Center for African American Studies, entitled “The Civil Rights Movement in the United States”;

(9) a freshman seminar entitled “Transformations of an Empire: Power, Religion, and the Arts of Medieval Rome;

(10) a course offered by the School of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering entitled “Networks: Friends, Money and Bytes.” This was an inter-disciplinary and foundational course and the pioneer course offered by Princeton online, under arrangements with Coursera;

(11) a course taught by David Spergel ’83, Charles Young Professor of Astronomy and Chair, Department of Astrophysical Sciences, in Fall Semester 2013 and entitled “Imagining Other Earths.” This course, based on a freshman seminar, was offered as a Coursera course, and introduced students to a range of key concepts in astronomy, physics, chemistry and evolutionary biology;

(12) a course in the Department of Comparative Literature taught by Maria A. DiBattista entitled "Modernist Portraits: Literature, Painting, Photography, Film";

(13) a course in the Department of Sociology taught by Miguel A. Centeno and entitled "Discipline." This course used ethnographic fieldwork and historical evidence to examine

the concept of discipline as a technique through which it is possible to achieve skills, expertise and existential peace;

(14) a course in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering taught by Egemen Kolemen entitled "Engineering the Climate: Technical and Policy Challenges." Students studied the science, engineering, policy and ethics of climate engineering;

(15) a course taught by John Danner of the Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education, entitled "Designing Ventures to Change the World" which was offered as an interdisciplinary, hands-on, immersive opportunity to design services, technologies, products and ventures addressing the UN's 17 new Sustainable Development Goals;

(16) a course offered by Alison Isenberg from the Department of History and Purcell Carson from the Woodrow Wilson School that examined Trenton in the 1960’s, race, the economy and media representation. Students made video sketches using archival sources and interviews and the course resulted in a work of historical scholarship, a documentary film and a public event;

(17) a course entitled “Foundations of Engineering I: Mechanics, Energy, and Waves”, taught by Claire Gmachl in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and melding the classical, inward-looking Physics I curriculum with outward-looking global grand challenge material, with the aim being to empower freshmen to combine fundamental knowledge about the world around them with their desire to solve societal problems and doing good;

(18) a course entitled “Disability Studies, The Disabled Body”, taught by Gayle Salamon in the Department of English and the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies, analyzing the social decisions that surround and define the bodily experiences of disability and explore the premise that these decisions create a “social construction” of the disabled body in the sense that what becomes labeled as a disability is a social decision and not merely a biological fact;

(19) a course entitled “Public Speaking” taught by Tamsen Wolfe in the Department of English, considered a “Gateway Course” available to freshman and sophomore students to help them develop the critical skill of public speaking;

(20) a course entitled “Foundations of Chemical and Biological Engineering” taught by James Link in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department providing exposure to concepts that students will explore in greater depth later in the department’s curriculum and introduce them to exciting developments occurring in chemical and biological engineering. (supported twice);

(21) a course entitled “Integrating Industrial Applications in Thermodynamics” taught by Professor Lamyaa El-Gabry in the Engineering Department (the first engineering course students take, seeking to introduce students to the applications as well as the theory);

(22) a course entitled “What Is A Classic?” taught by Professor Joshua H. Billings, a new gateway course in the Classics Department expanding the concept of a Classic by countering traditional exclusivity and proposing a new, forward- and outward-looking approach;

(23) a course in the English Department entitled “Democracy and Education” taught by Professor Gorän Blix, examining the relationship between education and democracy in

Western nations since the French Revolution through a study literature and social science, asking how schools prosper and fail, emancipate and discipline, and exclude and assimilate;

(24) an interdisciplinary course entitled “The Future of Reading” taught by Efthymia Rentzou in the French and Italian Department investigating the ways we read now and in the future along with the cultural, social and cognitive ramifications of our reading habits;

(25) a course entitled “Optimization: decision-making in the age of computers” taught by Bartolomeo Stellato teaching how to solve decision-making problems with modern computing technologies, with students implementing these techniques on insightful practical examples, and featuring a wide range of applications in data science, supply chain finance, transportation and robotics. This was a core curriculum course in the Operations Research and Financial Engineering Department in the School of Engineering and Applied Science;

(26) a course for the Junior Seminar Program in Panama entitled “Mutualism and Sybmiosis”, taught by Andy Dobson in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department with Mark Torchin (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, STRI) and other STRI faculty. As background, the Junior Seminar Program’s current course on parasitism was split into two sequential courses, parasitism and mutualism (mutualism focuses on relationships where both species benefit from their interaction: pollination, seed dispersal, protection). The new mutualism course expanded access to the Junior Seminar Program and allowed students to delve more deeply into this pressing and relevant set of questions in the field, while also drawing on the expertise of researchers at STRI, where the program is based, with the goal of ultimately encouraging more students to become tropical biologists;

(27) a course taught by Robert S. Fish in the Computer Science Department entitled “Special Topics in Computer Science-Web3: Blockchains, Cryptocurrencies, and Decentralization.” This course was newly offered in Spring 2022 to fill a significant curriculum gap. It had a large enrollment and waitlist. In addition, the field is new and radically changing in real time (technically but also in economic, policy, and legal terms). Because of these factors, a new and improved iteration of the course was offered in the 2022-2023 academic year. The new version benefited from significant revision and retooling – including more developed lectures, guest speakers active in the field, new active learning activities and problem sets, and the use of newly-identified open-source tools and platforms that can be leveraged for final projects;

(28) a course taught by Ryo Morimoto in the Anthropology Department and Alexander Glaser in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department entitled "Robots in Human Ecology: At the Frontiers of Anthropology and Engineering." This anthroengineering course pioneered the introduction of robots in Princeton interdisciplinary education and their applications for addressing complex social and environmental challenges. Through in-class discussions about the roles, meanings and ethics of robots in society and hands-on lab practicums with an agile mobile robot, students collaborated to innovate ethically-sound and community-engaged Princeton models of introducing robots in human ecology;

(29) a course taught by Jürgen Hackl in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering which presented an innovative and comprehensive approach to teaching and learning about sustainable and resilient infrastructure. The course was designed to fill a significant gap in the curriculum by integrating engineering principles, mathematical concepts, and computer science knowledge. It focused on preparing students to effectively address the complex challenges facing modern infrastructure systems;

(30) a course taught by Molly Crockett in the Psychology Department which used diverse scholarly projects across the humanities and sciences to seek to answer deep and intersecting questions about human nature. The projects took different methodological approaches with distinct epistemological commitments, which resulted in students who concentrated in the humanities arriving at different conceptualizations of "the human" than students who trained in the sciences. The course aimed to bridge this gap, fostering intellectual humility by giving students a broad range of epistemic resources to engage with longstanding questions about human nature. The course utilized theory and methods spanning neuroscience, psychology, economics, anthropology, philosophy, and science and technology studies for students to learn how to critically evaluate research examining the boundaries between self and society;

(31) a course taught by Professor Ruha Benjamin in the African American Studies Program entitled “Friendship, Freedom Dreams, and Filmmaking” which focused on the “loneliness epidemic” in the U.S. and the critical questions about how modern social isolation impacts well-being, mental health, and physical health, drawing attention to the centrality of human connection and community in shaping both individual lives and larger social structures. The course proposed to answer these questions by investigating the role of intimate relationships – specifically the friendships of Black writers, intellectuals, and activists – in shaping and disrupting social norms; and

(32) a course taught by Professor Udi Ofert in the School of Public and International Affairs entitled “Princeton Policy Advocacy Clinic” which focused on enhancing experiential learning at Princeton by immersing students in the policy advocacy process. In addition to coursework covering policy advocacy, students also developed practical skills, learned how to draft policy analysis memos, create campaign plans and conduct feasibility analyses. The clinic was designed to create new pathways for students interested in public service, including careers in international policy and advocacy.

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2025 Update

Teaching Initative

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March 2024 Update

MEMORANDUM

May 17, 2024

Mike Schneider

From: Skip Rankin

Class of 1972 Teaching Initiatives

I am pleased to report on the teaching initiatives by members of the faculty of Princeton University that have been supported by the Class of 1972 Endowment Fund for Initiatives in Undergraduate Education (the "Fund"). To date, our Class has supported 28 courses since the inception of the Fund at the time of our 25th Reunion. A complete list of those courses is attached to this memorandum.

The payout from the Fund for fiscal year 2023-2024 was $53,000 and we are expecting a payout of $55,000 for fiscal year 2024-25, which will be made available to us as of July 1, 2024 to support courses in the academic year 2024-25. As of March 31, 2024 our Fund had a book value of $256,850 (the original amount to establish the Fund) and a market value of $1,178,510. These are the latest figures available as of the date of this memorandum.

We will be supporting two new courses this coming academic year, as follows:

Networked Infrastructure Systems

Jürgen Hackl (Civil and Environmental Engineering)

Year 1: $23,700

The proposal for CEE320, Networked Infrastructure Systems, presents an innovative and comprehensive approach to teaching and learning about sustainable and resilient infrastructure. The course is designed to fill a significant gap in the curriculum by integrating engineering principles, mathematical concepts, and computer science knowledge. Its focus is on preparing students to effectively address the complex challenges modern infrastructure systems face.

Unlocking the Science of Human Nature

Molly Crockett (Psychology)

Year 1: $22,200

Diverse scholarly projects across the humanities and sciences seek to answer deep and intersecting questions about human nature. These projects often take different methodological approaches with distinct epistemological commitments. As a result,

students who concentrate in the humanities can arrive at a rather different conceptualization of "the human" than students who train in the sciences. This course aims to bridge this gap, fostering intellectual humility by giving students a broad array of epistemic resources to engage with longstanding questions about human nature: What makes humans unique? Through engagement with theory and methods spanning neuroscience, psychology, economics, anthropology, philosophy, and science and technology studies, students will learn how to critically evaluate research examining the porous boundaries between self and society, and to think imaginatively about what the scientific method can reveal about humans — now and in the future. The course will explore novel pedagogical methods, delivering material in an intentional sequence designed to foster transformative instructional experiences that centers student autonomy in their own learning.

In addition to funding these two new courses, we will continue to support the course taught by Professors Morimoto and Glaser , entitled Robots in Human Ecology: At the Frontiers ofAnthropology and Engineering, which is the course that we supported last year. The funding request for the second year of this course is $9,100. The course was met with great enthusiasm by the students this past year (see the attached report from the professors), and we are pleased to support it for a second year.

To date, we are the only class with an endowed fund supporting teaching initiatives.

C.E.R.

TEACHING INITIATIVES SUPPORTED BY THE CLASS OF 1972

(Fiscal Years 2000-2024)

(1) a course entitled "Conservation and Biodiversity, Science and Policy for an

Endangered Planet", taught by Andy Dobson of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, together with The Woodrow Wilson School;

(2) a British history lecture course (as reorganized), taught by Professor Frank Trentmann of the Department of History;

(3) a vertebrate biology course offered by the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology;

(4) a freshman seminar entitled "Sound, Image, Movement, Meaning:

Collaborations in Multimedia" offered by the Department of Music;

(5) a course on "World Literature" offered by the Department of Comparative Literature as a "gateway" course to the Department and to the study of literature generally;

(6) a course offered by the School of Engineering and Applied Science to demonstrate the fundamental connections among engineering, math and physics;

(7) a course offered by the Department of East Asian Studies to convey to Princeton undergraduates an appreciation for the study of Chinese, Japanese and Korean civilizations;

(8) a course offered by the Center for African American Studies, entitled "The Civil Rights Movement in the United States";

(9) a freshman seminar entitled "Transformations of an Empire: Power, Religion, and the Arts of Medieval Rome;

(10) a course offered by the School of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering entitled "Networks: Friends, Money and Bytes." This was an inter-disciplinary and foundational course and the pioneer course offered by Princeton online, under arrangements with Coursera;

(11) a course taught by David Spergel '83, Charles Young Professor of

Astronomy and Chair, Department of Astrophysical Sciences, in Fall Semester 2013 and entitled "Imagining Other Earths." This course, based on a freshman seminar, was offered as a Coursera course, and introduced students to a range of key concepts in astronomy, physics, chemistry and evolutionary biology;

(12) a course in the Department of Comparative Literature taught by Maria A. DiBattista entitled "Modernist Portraits: Literature, Painting, Photography, Film";

(13) a course in the Department of Sociology taught by Miguel A. Centeno and entitled "Discipline." This course used ethnographic fieldwork and historical evidence to examine the concept of discipline as a technique through which it is possible to achieve skills, expertise and existential peace;

(16) a course offered by Alison Isenberg from the Department of History and Purcell Carson from the Woodrow Wilson School that examined Trenton in the 1960's, race, the economy and media representation. Students made video sketches using archival sources and interviews and the course resulted in a work of historical scholarship, a documentary film and a public event;

(17) a course entitled "Foundations of Engineering I: Mechanics, Energy, and Waves", taught by Claire Gmachl in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and melding the classical, inward-looking Physics I curriculum with outward-looking global grand challenge material, with the aim being to empower freshmen to combine fundamental knowledge about the world around them with their desire to solve societal problems and doing good;

(18) a course entitled "Disability Studies, The Disabled Body", taught by Gayle Salamon in the Department of English and the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies, analyzing the social decisions that surround and define the bodily experiences of disability and explore the premise that these decisions create a "social construction" of the disabled body in the sense that what becomes labeled as a disability is a social decision and not merely a biological fact;

(19) a course entitled "Public Speaking" taught by Tamsen Wolfe in the Department of English, considered a "Gateway Course" available to freshman and sophomore students to help them develop the critical skill of public speaking;

(20) a course entitled "Foundations of Chemical and Biological Engineering" taught by James Link in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department providing exposure to concepts that students will explore in greater depth later in the department's curriculum and introduce them to exciting developments occurring in chemical and biological engineering. (Supported twice)

(21) a course entitled "Integrating Industrial Applications in Thermodynamics" taught by Professor Lamyaa El-Gabry in the Engineering Department (the first engineering course students take, seeking to introduce students to the applications as well as the theory).

(22) a course entitled "What Is A Classic?" taught by Professor Joshua H. Billings, a new gateway course in the Classics Department expanding the concept of a Classic by countering traditional exclusivity and proposing a new, forward- and outward-looking approach.

(23) a course in the English Department entitled "Democracy and Education" taught by Professor Gorän Blix, examining the relationship between education and democracy in Western nations since the French Revolution through a study literature and social science, asking how schools prosper and fail, emancipate and discipline, and exclude and assimilate.

(24) an interdisciplinary course entitled "The Future of Reading" taught by Efthymia Rentzou in the French and Italian Department investigating the ways we read now and in the future along with the cultural, social and cognitive ramifications of our reading habits.

(25) a course entitled "Optimization: decision-making in the age of computers" taught by Bartolomeo Stellato teaching how to solve decision-making problems with modern computing technologies, with students implementing these techniques on insightful practical examples, and featuring a wide range of applications in data science, supply chain finance, trasporation and robotics. This was a core curriculum course in the Operations Research and Financial Engineering Department in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

(26) a course for the Junior Seminar Program in Panama entitled "Mutualism and Sybmiosis", taught by Andy Dobson in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department with Mark Torchin (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, STRI) and other STRI faculty. As background, the Junior Seminar Program's current course on parasitism was split into two sequential courses, parasitism and mutualism (mutualism focuses on relationships where both species benefit from their interaction: pollination, seed dispersal, protection). The new mutualism course expanded access to the Junior Seminar Program and allowed students to delve more deeply into this pressing and relevant set of questions in the field, while also drawing on the expertise of researchers at STRI, where the program is based, with the goal of ultimately encouraging more students to become tropical biologists.

(27) a course taught by Robert S. Fish in the Computer Science Department entitled "Special Topics in Computer Science-Web3: Blockchains, Cryptocurrencies, and Decentralization." This course was newly offered in Spring 2022 to fill a significant curriculum gap. It had a large enrollment and waitlist. In addition, the field is new and radically changing in real time (technically but also in economic, policy, and legal terms). Because of these factors, a new and improved iteration of the course was offered in the 2022-2023 academic year. The new version benefited from significant revision and retooling — including more developed lectures, guest speakers active in the field, new active learning activities and problem sets, and the use of newly-identified open-source tools and platforms that can be leveraged for final projects.

(28) A course taught by Ryo Morimoto in the Anthropology Department and Alexander Glaser in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department entitled "Robots in Human Ecology: At the Frontiers of Anthropology and Engineering." This anthroengineering course pioneered the introduction of robots in Princeton interdisciplinary education and their applications for addressing complex social and environmental challenges. Through in-class discussions about the roles, meanings and ethics of robots in society and hands-on lab practicums with an agile mobile robot, students collaborated to innovate ethically-sound and communityengaged Princeton models of introducing robots in human ecology.

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Program on Science and Global Security

Princeton University
221 Nassau Street,
2nd Floor Princeton, NJ 08542

April 11, 2024

RE: 250th Anniversary Fund; Update on Robot Course

Dear Bob Wright and Skip Rankin:

We are writing to you with a brief update on our new course "Robots in Human Ecology: A Hands-on Course for Anthropologists, Engineers, and Policymakers" (ANT 325, sgs.princeton.edu/robots-human-ecology), which was rnade possible thanks to the generous gift by the Class of 1972 Teaching Initiative.

We also saw a lot of enthusiasm across departments and schools for this initiative. While Anthropology is the home department for this course, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) and the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) were excited to crosslist the course, which helped attract students with different backgrounds. It is in fact the first course that has been crosslisted with this combination of departments. We also received the SEL ("Science and Engineering Course with Lab Component") designation, which helps Princeton A.B. students fulfill their general education requirements.

Developed over the past fall and offered for the first time this spring, we have seen tremendous student interest and received more than 60 applications before we closed the application portal. Given that we arc all sharing and working with onc robot, we limited the size of the class to twelve students. This year, we have students from anthropology, sociology, public policy, economics, mathematics, and several engineering departments.

Throughout the semester, we have covered a wide range of topics, including the history of robots in society; robot sensors and the ethics of sensing; robotics and artificial intelligence; robots at home, at work, and in war; and robot safety, regulation, and policy. We are now entering the final and most exciting stage of the semester. The students previously pitched a wide range of possible hands-on projects to explore the rolc of robots in society. Ultimately, wc scttlcd on three group projects, and arc all looking forward to seeing the results.

One group is working with the University's Children's Library to create a one-hour activity for children to interact with our four-legged robot, learn some fundamental truths about robots and robotics, and enjoy human-robot interactions; another group seeks to use the robot as an assistant to the Orange Key Tour Guide. As one student wrote, "campus tours are an incredible opportunity to promote the University to prospective students and parents. They havc thc potential to inspire and help prospective students irnaginc thcmsclvcs on campus, pursuing their wildest passions and interests." Finally, we have a group (that includes a ballet dancer and theater director) to develop a social media presence for the robot and aims to facilitate and investigate the initial introduction of a robot (social) member into a university campus environment.

Overall, we couldn't be more excited about how the course has come together, and we are very grateful for the opportunity to teach it.

We will be sharing more materials as the course comes to a close.

Sincerely,

Ryo Morimoto
Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
Richard Stockton Bicentennial Preceptor
Princeton University
Alexander Glaser
Associate Professor
School of Public and International Affairs
Princeton University

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March, 2023 Update

A Letter of Thanks:

Professor Andy Dobson wrote the following email messages, with the photos below them, to the outgoing and incoming Teaching Initiative Chairs, Bob Wright and Skip Rankin, on the occasion of the completion of the course that ’72 supported and that he taught during Spring semester of the 2022-23 school year. The course was “Mutualism and Symbiosis”, offered in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department (see October 28, 2022 Memorandum on the Teaching Inititiave below for more information).

February 23, 2023 - Morning

Dear Bob and Skip,
Greeting from Panama where I've just wrapped up teaching the new course on "Mutualism and Symbiosis" which was very generously supported by your gift to the college's 250th Anniversary Fund.
We had 18 students in the course and we've all been living in an old schoolhouse on the banks of the Panama Canal.
The class was the first in a sequence of four courses that juniors and seniors take during their spring semester in Panama. We have just started the second three-week course on "The Ecology and Evolution of Tropical Parasites", which dovetails very nicely with the new course.
This year's group of students are exceptionally bright and motivated, they all became fanatical naturalists during their enforced lockdown during Covid. I think I can honestly say we have more naturalists from Princeton this year than we have had in the entire proceeding decade. The course focused on a balance between core lectures introducing underlying concepts and quantitative frameworks in which to study, mutualism and symbiosis and their role in structuring tropical forests. The students were then required to develop a two-week individual research project as their primary form of assessment in the class. They produced a phenomenal array of projects that ranged from looking at the impact of lichens and epiphytes on leaf efficiency, studies of the communities of beneficial fungi that live inside leaves and protect them from pathogens, the role of hummingbirds as pollinators and different ways that plants can manipulate their behavior. The class often worked from before 7.00 in the morning till 10.0 at night. They learnt a lot, asked smart and insightful questions and generally had an excellent time.
None of this would have been possible without your generous gift - many thanks from all of us.
I've attached a couple of pictures and will send more as I find time to download them.
Best regards and many personal thanks.
Andy Dobson

February 23 - Afternoon

Hi Skip and Bob,
I'm totally delighted you like the pictures and can show them to your class.
The students down here will be even more delighted.
I've attached a couple of additional photographs and pasted in some descriptions.
All best and again many, many thanks from a very grateful professor and 18 very smart and happy students.
Andy

Andy’s photos and notes about them:

In the first picture, Misha Kummel '23 is enticing a hummingbird to an artificial feeder, this method would form the basis of more subtle experiment to understand pollinator behavior. As a footnote I taught Misha's father, Miro Kummel '92, when he was an undergraduate.

The second picture shows the assembled students after a visit to the canopy tower on Pipeline Road.

Mae Kennedy '24 is featured in the 3rd picture, dropping a weighted needle from different heights to test the 'toughness' of leaves with and without mutualists on and in their structure.

In the fourth picture, Janice Parks '23 and Julie Tierney GS '24 (Teaching Assistant) explore the forest with Autentico, an elder from the local river people who is an expert on medicinal plants. They are collecting plants to discover if their potential pharmaceutical properties are driven by symbiotic fungi that live within the leaves and roots.

The fifth picture is a class picture attached to a giant liana which lives in symbiotic and parasitic association with its host trees.

In the sixth picture, Mae Kennedy, Sophia Richter, Josefina Zuloaga, Kenya Ripley-Dunlap, Kojoo Baidoo and Julian Gottfried take a pause while searching for figs to dissect.

MEMORANDUM

October 29, 2022

To: Mike Schneider
From: Bob Wright

Re: Class of 1972 Teaching Initiative

After 23 years, we have now supported 25 courses (including two years’ support of one course). A complete list of those courses is attached to this memorandum.

Our payout for fiscal year 2022-23 is $53,034, which was made available in July for spending on the courses we are supporting this year. As of March 31, 2022 our fund had a book value of $256,850 (essentially the original funding) and a market value of $1,364,910. (The latest Endowment numbers were due out from the University yesterday but have not yet been received; this memo will be updated for the record to reflect those numbers when they become available.)

We are supporting two new courses for 2022-23, each to be offered in the spring semester, as follows:

(1) a new course for the Junior Seminar Program in Panama entitled “Mutualism and Sybmiosis”, taught by Andy Dobson in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department with Mark Torchin (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, STRI) and other STRI faculty. As background, the Junior Seminar Program’s current course on parasitism is being split into two sequential courses, parasitism and mutualism (mutualism focuses on relationships where both species benefit from their interaction: pollination, seed dispersal, protection). The new mutualism course will expand access to the Junior Seminar Program and allow students to delve more deeply into this pressing and relevant set of questions in the field, while also drawing on the expertise of researchers at STRI, where the program is based, with the goal of ultimately encouraging more students to become tropical biologists.

(2) a course taught by Robert S. Fish in the Computer Science Department entitled “Special Topics in Computer Science-Web3: Blockchains, Cryptocurrencies, and Decentralization.” This course was newly offered in Spring 2022 to fill a significant curriculum gap. It had a large enrollment and waitlist. In addition, the field is new and radically changing in real time (technically but also in economic, policy, and legal terms). Because of these factors, a new and improved iteration of the course is being offered this year. The new version benefits from significant revision and retooling – including more developed lectures, guest speakers active in the field, new active learning activities and problem sets, and the use of newly-identified open-source tools and platforms that can be leveraged for final projects.

Funding for these courses was $26,937.50 and $17,937.50, respectively, totaling $44,875. The Dobson course has a second-year funding requirement of $4,000 should we choose to support it again next year.

With this report, I conclude five years of service on the Teaching Initiative project. I now turn things back over to Skip Rankin and thank him and all of you for the opportunity to shepherd this wonderful ’72 project – still unique among all Princeton classes.

R.P.W.

TEACHING INITIATIVES SUPPORTED BY THE CLASS OF 1972

(Fiscal Years 2000-2022)