Princeton Area Alumni Association

Join us for First Fridays, a monthly recurring event for undergraduate and graduate Princeton alumni, graduate students, and parents.  On the first Friday of each month, area alumni and their guests will meet to enjoy a prix fixe luncheon at the Nassau Club in downtown Princeton.  As a special bonus for PA3, a Princeton University PhD candidate will present his/her work to the group in this informal setting.  Topics vary monthly and are always interesting!  Have a look at our impressive roster of previous luncheons. 

Our speaker this month is Robbie LeDesma, a graduate student in the department of Molecular Biology.  His topic is a very timely one:  viruses and the human immune system.  "I will have a combination of a very brief general introduction to the innate immune system, followed by more detail on how viruses generally evade these mechanisms. While I don't actually work on coronaviruses, I can definitely offer brief insights as to what makes for an epidemic both on the sides of the virus and host, but also, more broadly in terms of global travel and the way in which governments respond to such events."

Here is Robbie's bio:

Robbie LeDesma is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Molecular Biology. Born and raised in Mesa, Arizona, Robbie took a very nontraditional path to get to where he is today. He began his own dog training / house sitting business to pay his way through community college, where he graduated as Valedictorian in 2010 before moving east and transferring to Columbia University on a full-tuition scholarship to finish his undergraduate education.  In 2014, he graduated with a degree in Neuroscience and Behavior, with a concentration in premedical sciences, and began working in a genetic nephrology lab at Columbia University Medical Center. In 2016, he matriculated to Princeton University, and has been pursuing his passions in science and community outreach ever since.  His current research focuses on viral evasion mechanisms of the innate immune system.  In his free time, he likes to make music, make hot sauce, and play with puppies.

Priced at $28/person (or $32 if you choose not to pay PA3's annual dues).  Lunch includes an appetizer, entree, dessert and coffee/tea. Wine/beer offered a la carte - select Enhanced Lunch Ticket on the PayPal button below.

REGISTRATION RULES:

Pre-registration is required, by 9 pm on the day prior to the luncheon (so that Nassau Club can properly prepare).

Date: Friday, Febuary 7, 2020
Time: 12 noon - 2 pm
Location: Nassau Club, 6 Mercer St, Princeton, NJ
Nassau Club membership is not necessary to attend this event.
Dress is business casual.

Registration (if not via Paypal) or questions:  Send email to Tom Swift via: tswift@alumni.princeton.edu

>> Looking forward to seeing you...in your orange and black! <<

PA3 INVITES YOU TO “SECOND TUESDAYS”

A PRINCETON PROPELLER EVENT

AT QUADRANGLE CLUB

FOR ENTREPRENEURS,

NAVIGATORS & THE CURIOUS

Please Join Us for Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres

33 PROSPECT AVENUE – PRINCETON, NJ

6 P, TUESDAY, February 11th, 2020

Speakers:  Stephanie Thomas & Charles Swanson

Vice President and Senior Scientist, Princeton Satellite Systems

“Frontiers in Commercializing Fusion Development:

The New Landscape of Companies Investing in Fusion Worldwide”

The 2010s saw a tremendous proliferation of private nuclear fusion companies.  There may be dozens:  including five stand-out leaders and a burgeoning host of intermediate companies.  Though not yet within our grasp, the promise of fusion energy remains obvious.  Clean, limitless power plants could:  halt deleterious global climate change; and free us from polluting, extractive industries and the resource conflicts they engender.  But what makes these companies think they can succeed where 60 years of research from world governments have not?  And, how are they now leveraging governmental support to accomplish this?  Our speakers will survey this rapidly evolving landscape and the technical and financial investments that are driving its development.

Registration Required via propellers.princetonaaa.org

NEXT PRINCETON PROPELLER:  Tuesday, March 10^th (6 P)

Join us for First Fridays, a monthly recurring event for undergraduate and graduate Princeton alumni, graduate students, and parents.  On the first Friday of each month, area alumni and their guests will meet to enjoy a prix fixe luncheon at the Nassau Club in downtown Princeton.  As a special bonus for PA3, a Princeton University PhD candidate will present his/her work to the group in this informal setting.  Topics vary monthly and are always interesting!  Have a look at our impressive roster of previous luncheons. 

Rachit Dubey  a second year PhD student in the Department of Computer Science with a focus on computational biology, will address his efforts to gain a better understanding of human curiosity.  Acccording to Rachit:  "Curiosity is considered to be the essence of science and an integral component of cognition, yet our understanding of curiosity remains limited. In this talk, I will present a computational account of curiosity that explains how human curiosity operates across a wide range of contexts. I also talk about a study that provides evidence that curiosity and value interact and that people's curiosity about scientific topics can be stimulated by evidence that a topic has potential future value."

An overview of his work may be found here:  http://cocosci.princeton.edu/rachit/

 His thesis advisor is  Professor Tom Griffiths (Psychology).  Professor Griffiths and his Computational Cognitive Science Lab was recently a feature in PAW and may be found at:https://paw.princeton.edu/article/minds-and-machines.

Please join us!  As always, there is sure to be a lively discussion.

Specially priced at $28/person (or $32 if you choose not to pay PA3's annual dues).  Lunch includes an appetizer, entree, dessert and coffee/tea. Wine/beer offered a la carte - select Enhanced Lunch Ticket on the PayPal button below.

REGISTRATION RULES:

Pre-registration is required, by 9am on the day of the luncheon.

Date: Friday, December 6, 2019
Time: 12 noon - 2 pm
Location: Nassau Club, 6 Mercer St, Princeton, NJ
Nassau Club membership is not necessary to attend this event.
Dress is business casual.

Registration (if not via Paypal) or questions:  Send email to Tom Swift via: tswift@alumni.princeton.edu

>> Looking forward to seeing you...in your orange and black! <<

PA3 INVITES YOU TO “SECOND TUESDAYS”

A PRINCETON PROPELLER EVENT

AT QUADRANGLE CLUB

FOR ENTREPRENEURS,

NAVIGATORS & THE CURIOUS

Please Join Us for Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres

33 PROSPECT AVENUE – PRINCETON, NJ

6 P, TUESDAY, December 10th, 2019

Speaker:  Greg Matzat

Engineer and Offshore Wind Consultant

 “Harnessing Ocean Winds to Generate Clean Energy for NJ & the US”

Since 2016, northeast states in the US have committed to build 20,000 MW of offshore wind on the continental shelf --- enough to power every home and business in New Jersey.  Governor Murphy has set a goal of 3,500 MW of offshore wind by 2030; and this past June, the NJ Board of Public Utilities announced the winner of its first offshore wind solicitation:  Orsted’s Ocean Wind --- an 1,100 MW project to be built off Atlantic City. Offshore wind turbines dwarf those seen on land. The newest rise more than 850 feet above the water and have blades longer than football fields.  Their foundations may be “bottom-fixed” (to the seafloor) OR float. Greg Matzat, past manager of DOE’s Offshore Wind R & D program, will bring more than 30 years’ experience in marine and clean energy technologies to our discussion, ranging from construction to markets to policy.  In particular, he will plunge us into some surprising pros and cons of offshore wind, relating to:  the market for this clean energy source; the design of the turbines, foundations and balance of plant; how the huge turbines are actually installed; and responsible approaches that simultaneously serve the interests of electric customers; stewardship of the environment; and  the creation of good-paying jobs.

Registration Required via propellers.princetonaaa.org

NEXT PRINCETON PROPELLER:  Tuesday, January 14th (6 P)