Princeton University

As the country celebrates #America250, a Princeton undergraduate history course has welcomed students into Special Collections at Princeton University Library during the past year for an extraordinary opportunity to study documents from the Revolutionary era and explore Princeton’s role in America’s founding. “I was holding Thomas Jefferson’s letters, holding George Washington’s letters, every week,” said Princeton senior Luke Johnston, a history major who took the course, “Revolution in the Archives,” last year. bit.ly/4tMAnEs

While we don’t know with any certainty which research will produce the next blockbuster result or scientific miracle, history tells us they are most likely to come from universities: bit.ly/453QMtS

The importance of deep reading and critical thinking as our brains adapt to digital distractions and information overload is the subject of this year’s Princeton Pre-read book, "Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World" by Maryanne Wolf: bit.ly/3OcXYP5 “I chose ‘Reader, Come Home’ as this year’s Pre-read because it addresses a question of vital importance to every entering student: Why should we continue to read long, challenging books when artificial intelligence agents can quickly summarize them for us?” President Christopher Eisgruber writes in his foreword to the special Pre-read edition of the book. “Deep, immersive reading is at the heart of a Princeton education,” Eisgruber writes, adding that “today, more than ever, that activity depends upon conscious and energetic commitment. We are most likely to read books fully and well only if we understand why they offer us something distinctive, valuable, and irreplaceable.”

Over the past two decades of painstaking work, @yibinkang’s team has identified a gene — MTDH, or metadherin — that allows animals to accumulate fat for lean times but contributes to obesity and cancer. After years of trying molecule after molecule to disable metadherin, he found a compound with the potential to thwart breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer and colon cancer. More recently, his team identified a separate pathway involving retinoic acid — a metabolic derivative of vitamin A. Several of his team’s discoveries have begun the long journey to FDA clinical trials. “You can almost call cancer a metabolic disease,” Kang said. “A poor metabolism weakens your immune system, promotes the proliferation of cancer cells, damages organs’ renewal ability. So I think that to cure cancer, you have to correct metabolism as well.” Learn more about this vital research happening at Princeton: t.co/GyrtYJyJCE

Diego Granados’ FPO this week is just one of many doctoral defenses we are celebrating at @PrincetonChem this spring as we send these bright, accomplished young chemists out into the world. Congratulations and our best wishes go with all of you!

🚗 A new tool developed by @PrincetonCITP researchers provides gig workers access to aggregate wage data that companies do not provide — a boon for rideshare labor advocates. bit.ly/4qhK6Rl

Artificial intelligence is accelerating innovation & shaping the bioeconomy's future. Our final panel brought together leaders from @Princeton, @NPPDnews, Roebling & @UNLincoln to discuss how AI can drive breakthroughs in medicine, transportation, agriculture, energy & more.

Congrats to Dr. Lu! 🎉

Ryan Croddick of @TigerLacrosse was named the Ivy League Goaltender of the Year for the second consecutive year. The junior backstopped Princeton to a share of the Ivy League Championship, their first since 2015, and the top scoring defense in the league. He ranked in the top five in goals against average, 10.39, saves per game, 10.60, and save percentage, 0.515 during conference play.  🌿🥍

At @Nature, Princeton's Elie Bou-Zeid explains urban heat with 3 simple words — form, function, and fabric: go.nature.com/49W7C18

"We grow seeds because seeds are the foundation of foodways." At the Princeton Seed Farm, #PrincetonU faculty members, student volunteers and community partners are committed to preserving culturally meaningful seeds: bit.ly/44o0V4g

The importance of deep reading and critical thinking as our brains adapt to digital distractions and information overload is the subject of this year’s @Princeton Pre-read book, “Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World” by Maryanne Wolf. princeton.edu/news/2026/04/0…

Through various initiatives, @PrincetonSPIA is informing lawmakers about the latest research on AI, and educating current and future public servants about policy challenges and innovation opportunities. bit.ly/4sJT6zR

A great honor (especially alongside this amazing group)!

.@Princeton_WGolf's Thanana Kotchasanmanee was unanimously voted Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year after winning the Ivy Championship individual title. 🌿🏌️‍♀️

Wastewater can replace clean water as a source for hydrogen production, eliminating a major drawback to hydrogen fuel and reducing water treatment costs by up to 47%, according to new research from Princeton engineers: bit.ly/3NHybP1

Princeton engineers are creating a new type of origami, one that alters its shape and properties in response to changing circumstances: bit.ly/3OL2YdZ

@Majumdar_Ani @GoogleDeepMind Congrats, @justinlidard! 👏

Congratulations @justinlidard for successfully defending your PhD at @Princeton! What an amazing journey it has been working with you. Wishing you the best in your new role at @GoogleDeepMind in the Robotics Safety & Alignment team!

Princeton researchers led by PMI's Jim Sturm, Princeton ECE's @futianming and postdoc Kumar Mritunjay have combined brain cells and advanced electronics into a 3D device that can be programmed to recognize patterns using computational techniques. Read: tinyurl.com/ycykzha2