2007-2010 Progress Report

Grand
Challenges
Program
2007-2010
Progress Report
The Grand Challenges

Program is designed to
help solve some of the most
important problems that
confront humanity by training
a generation of leaders
committed to these problems,
and by recruiting the talents of
faculty, postdoctoral fellows,
graduate students, and
undergraduates to research
solutions.

Stephen W. Pacala, Frederick D. Petrie Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Director, Princeton Environmental Institute
Front cover: With Grand Challenges project funding to develop sustainable technologies for Africa,
faculty member Winston Soboyejo designed a solar-powered refrigeration system for camel transport
of vaccines to remote areas in Kenya and Ethiopia. Photo: Tiffany Tong
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
December 2010
Princeton Universitys Grand Challenges Program was started three years ago as a collaboration between the Princeton
Environmental Institute, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and the School of Engineering
and Applied Science. The initiative is designed to help solve some of the most important problems that confront humanity
by training a generation of leaders committed to these problems, and by recruiting the talents of faculty, postdoctoral
fellows, graduate students, and undergraduates to research solutions. It also provides a new model for university education
and research designed to help resolve long standing tensions in higher education between teaching and research, basic
versus applied inquiry, disciplinary versus interdisciplinary study, and experiential versus classroom learning.
Undergraduates today have a strong sense of social responsibility and seek direct engagement with important social
problems. Princetons formula of a rigorous major in a traditional academic discipline dominated by classroom learning
and mandatory independent work has proven to be a very effective way to sharpen young minds. But it leaves little time
for the interdisciplinary, applied, and experiential learning essential to address problems of poverty, environment, health,
and conflict.
Individuals with the scholarly accomplishments required to join the Princeton faculty are good at identifying basic
research questions that are ready to be solved because basic research is the surest path to fundamental breakthrough.
Most Princeton faculty also believe in the social contract and would like to devote a portion of their time to addressing
an important social problem. But traditional sources of funding do not allow researchers to develop a new focus while
still maintaining the fundamental research that got them to Princeton in the first place. The Grand Challenges Program
provides a way for every stratum at Princeton to work to solve important social problems, while still protecting what the
University does best.
The pages that follow document the many successes in the first three years of the Grand Challenges Program. We
established three research cooperatives: one on the energy and climate problems, one on African poverty and biodiversity,
and one on global health with a focus on infectious disease. Forty-six Princeton faculty from 18 academic disciplines
are teaching 30 new courses. Grand Challenges is now the largest purveyor of undergraduate internships and research
fellowships on campus with well over 100 students working on projects annually in 35 countries. It has given brilliant
basic researchers a chance to contribute to the nations service and the service of all nations, with important early
breakthroughs and new directions that could prove revolutionary. The Programs undergraduate vanguard has received
prizes for the best theses, entered the most prestigious graduate programs, joined the most selective companies, and
started ventures on their own.
None of this would have been possible without the generosity of alumni and friends of Princeton. Special thanks to
our primary sponsors, the High Meadows Foundation and the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation, for taking a risk
and believing in an idea. Their generosity has already transformed hundreds of lives and we have only just begun.
Stephen W. Pacala
Christina H. Paxson
H. Vincent Poor
Director, Princeton Environmental

Institute
Dean, Woodrow Wilson School

of Public and International Affairs
Dean, School of Engineering

and Applied Science
Introduction
aunched in 2007, the Grand Challenges Program is an ambitious and broadly inclusive
University initiative that addresses global environmental problems with scientific,
technological, and public policy dimensions. Informed by the intellectual energies of the
Princeton Environmental Institute, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, the Program seeks solutions to
focal problems of energy and climate, sustainable development in Africa, and global health
and infectious disease.
Above: Associate Professor of

Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering, Craig Arnold (center),
interacts with students in a new
freshman seminar, Science and
Technology for a Sustainable
Future. Photo: Denise Applewhite
The signature of the Grand Challenges

Program is an unprecedented integration
of Princeton Universitys research and
teaching missions to advance scholarship,
contribution, and leadership among all
sectors of the academic community. Grand
Challenges faculty are designing new
courses, internships, and opportunities
for undergraduate independent work in
and around faculty-led research projects.
The Program increases opportunities for
students at all levels to learn about Grand
Challenges themes and to take part in a truly
transformative educational experience.
The Grand Challenges Program is funded

for an initial five year period, 2007-2012. This
report reflects on progress in the Programs
inaugural three years, highlights important
program features including novel research
and teaching dimensions, and outlines plans
for growth and development of the initiative
into the future.
Establishing Research and Teaching Cooperatives

Grand Challenges Research
Grand Challenges Education
Grand Challenges outreach and Global Collaborations
Program Funding
Future Directions
T h E
SI E B E L
E nE R G Y
C h A L L E n G E
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D E vE L o P M E n T
C h A L L E n G E
h E A LT h
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D E v E L o P M E n T
Progress (2007-2010)
Future Plans
Research Projects
Participants
T h E
E nE RG Y
Future Plans
Research Projects
Participants
T h E
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Contents
o v E R vI E W
C h A L L E nG E
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34
36
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Financial Report
Participating Faculty
Academic and Campus Affiliates
Acknowledgements
Grand Challenges Leadership and Administration
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44
45
46
46
A P P E n D I C E S
A P P E nD I C E S
h E A LT h
Future Plans
Research Projects
Participants
Establishing Research and Teaching Cooperatives

The Grand Challenges Program has established three integrated research and teaching
cooperatives to tackle some of the most pressing global environmental challenges of the
21st century.
The Siebel Energy Challenge focuses on
the need for substantial transformation
of the global energy system during
the lifetimes of current Princeton
undergraduates. The program confronts
climate change and other environmental
impacts of the energy system with projects
that address the management of fossil-fuel
carbon, the expansion of non-fossil energy
sources, and the reduction of energy
demand through technology and social
change. The geopolitical dimensions of
the worlds energy crisis are addressed
through a continuing program on oil,
Energy and the Middle East.
The Development Challenge confronts

the difficult task of eliminating poverty in
Africa while conserving the continents
biodiversity and vast store of natural
resources. The program capitalizes on
Princetons research interests in Africa
with projects that focus on resolving
human-environmental conflicts to improve
livelihoods while fostering sound resource
management and biodiversity conservation
practices.
The Health Challenge supports
multidisciplinary research to develop
new technological, scientific, and policy
approaches to global public health. The
program focuses on developing methods to
prevent and treat hIv/AIDS, tuberculosis,
malaria, and other infectious diseases
around the globe. The leadership team is
establishing collaborations in Ghana and
other countries with high incidence of
infectious disease to facilitate scholarly
exchanges, to develop educational
opportunities including internships, and to
augment faculty and student field research.
Banner: In Panama, Princeton undergraduate students

learn about climate change. Photo: Lise Pacala
Left: Raphael Frankfurter 13 (left) traveled to Sierra Leone
to intern with the Global Action Foundation. Photo
courtesy of Raphael Frankfurter
Grand Challenges 2007-2010 Progress Report
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E nE RG Y
Grand Challenges funds

have helped build a multidisciplinary team that
integrates undergraduate
students in research labs
and contributes to advances
in atmospheric modeling
that have important
implications for energy,
development, and health.
h E A LT h
Elie R. Bou-Zeid, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering
A P P E n D I C E S

Recruiting elite faculty to solve problems that confront humanity
46
Princeton faculty
from 18 academic
departments
25
interdisciplinary
research projects,
including 22 seed
projects
The Grand Challenges Program enables Princeton faculty to refocus their research and
teaching to address critical problems in energy, development, and health. To date, the Program
has awarded more than $5.0 million to support 25 projects involving faculty from 18 academic
disciplines. A competitive application process challenges faculty to propose new directions
in their research and teaching and to forge strategic collaborations across disciplinary lines.
Funding priority is given to faculty proposals that demonstrate solid commitments to involving
undergraduates in the research enterprise and to expanding the undergraduate curriculum to
capture themes emerging from their Grand Challenges work. The unique emphasis of the Grand
Challenges Program on undergraduate education has paved the way for 116 students to become
involved in cutting edge research projects aimed at solving global environmental problems.
116
undergraduates
contributing to Grand
Challenges research
projects
Banner: Undergraduate students

conducting laboratory research.
Photo: Brian Wilson
Right: Emily Carter (center),
professor of mechanical and
aerospace engineering, whose
research focuses on theoretical
chemistry, engages in discussion
with students about designing
new materials for harvesting solar
energy. Photo: Brian Wilson
Facing page: Equipment in a health
Challenge laboratory. Photo: Carol
Peters
Joo Biehl, professor of anthropology

and Woodrow Wilson School faculty
associate, leads field research on
treatment strategies and the impact of the
social determinants of health in the fight
against hIv/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa
and several Latin American countries. his
research has integrated the work of more
than 20 undergraduates on independent
projects in Guatemala, Uganda, South
Africa, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Brazil, Peru,
Ecuador, Mexico and El Paso, Texas.
Daniel Rubenstein, animal behaviorist and

professor of ecology and evolutionary
biology, works with hydrologists Kelly
Caylor, Michael Celia, and Ignacio
Rodriguez-Iturbe from civil and
environmental engineering to investigate
the interconnectedness of human and
wildlife populations and vegetation as
factors influencing water availability and
land use in the semi-arid grasslands of
central Kenya.
Professor of Electrical Engineering, Mung
Chiang, teamed up with Michael Freedman,
Margaret Martonosi, and Jennifer Rexford
from the Department of Computer Science
to reduce the energy demands of data
centers. Early progress in optimizing data
traffic pathways has been recognized and
awarded $100,000 in additional funding
from Google.
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Early progress in the search for solutions

Since the Programs inception in 2007, Grand Challenges research has contributed to advances
in the fields of energy, development, and health. Several faculty have received substantial outside
grants stemming from Grand Challenges-seeded projects. other projects have achieved preliminary goals and are moving to more advanced stages of research and technology development.
The Grand Challenges Program provided seed

funding for taking my labs research in a new,
pathogenesis-related direction. We have since
been able to secure funding from the national
Institutes of health based upon our preliminary
work.
Zemer Gitai, assistant professor of molecular biology
h E A LT h
Zemer Gitai (molecular biology) shifted his

work on the molecular structure of bacteria
to address pathogenic strains. he has
discovered a novel antibiotic compound
that inhibits cell division by disrupting the
scaffolding within bacterial cells. Gitais
Grand Challenges-supported work earned
the Directors new Innovator Award and
$1.5 million in funding from the national
Institutes of health.
Emily Carter (mechanical and aerospace

engineering) redirected her research
in quantum mechanics to develop more
cost-effective materials for converting
solar energy into electricity and fuels. Early
breakthroughs in her Grand Challenges
work have attracted significant external
funding from the Department of Energy and
the Air Force office of Scientific Research.
A P P E n D I C E S
Winston Soboyejo (mechanical and

aerospace engineering) designed ceramic
water filters for household use in nigeria.
Biomedical data collected in the field by
Princeton undergraduates demonstrated
near elimination of the incidence of
diarrhea among participating households.

Bringing innovation and new opportunities to the academic curriculum
44
new/significantly
modified courses
new Certificate Program
in Sustainable Energy
288
internships and senior

thesis field research
projects
The Grand Challenges Program is driving innovation and growth in Princetons academic program.
opportunities for academic concentration have been enriched with new courses added to the
curriculum and numerous experiential learning opportunities introduced for undergraduate
students.
Expanding the undergraduate curriculum

From freshman seminars to senior and graduate level courses, a suite of offerings has been
developed for students concentrating in discrete disciplines as well as for those electing to
immerse themselves in interdisciplinary study of the Grand Challenges themes. Faculty
introduced 30 new courses and modified an additional 14 courses to incorporate insights
emerging from Grand Challenges research projects.
Faculty are at their best when their instructional and research

activities intersect.
Daniel M. Sigman, Dusenbury Professor of Geological and Geophysical Sciences
Adding course-related fieldwork and international exposure

Multiple Grand Challenges courses involve research at field sites including locations in Bermuda,
Kenya, norway, Panama, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.
Banner: Daniel Sigman (far-right),

geosciences professor on Bermuda
field excursion with the students
enrolled in his course, Observing
the Marine Environment. Photo
courtesy of Daniel Sigman
Facing page: An undergraduate
student taking the Grand Challenges
freshman seminar, The Everglades
Today and Tomorrow: Global
Change and the Impact of Human
Activities on the Biosphere, collects
water samples from a stormwater
treatment area in the Everglades
ecosystem. Photo: nick McAfee
Students enrolled in Saudi Arabia: Security,

Energy and U.S. Policy visited with
governing elites, diplomats, journalists,
and nGo and industry leaders during a
weeklong visit to Saudi Arabia.
Undergraduate and graduate students
taking Carbon Capture and Geologic
Sequestration toured feasibility study sites
in norway to get an up-close look at cutting
edge carbon capture and geologic storage
technologies.
An interdisciplinary group of juniors

and seniors conducted field research
in Panama for an upper level course,
Ecosystems and Global Change.
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E nE RG Y
Building a campus-wide curriculum in energy, development, and health

The Grand Challenges Program increases opportunities for students to learn about Grand
Challenges themes and prepares them to address complex environmental problems in their
future studies and careers. Working in collaboration with academic departments across the
University campus, the Grand Challenges Program identified more than 100 courses with links
to Grand Challenges topics. The Program regularly publishes a Courses of Interest list for
each of the three focal areas as a road map for students seeking in-depth exploration of
topics in energy and climate, sustainable development in Africa, and global health and
infectious disease.
Creating new programs of study for undergraduates

Grand Challenges courses are the nucleus for several expanded curricular opportunities including signature programs in the School of Engineering and Applied
Science and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Siebel Energy Challenge-sponsored
courses, Solar Energy Conversion
and Nuclear Energy in a Carbon
Constrained World, are foundational
components for the Department
of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineerings new Certificate Program
in Sustainable Energy.
h E A LT h
Critical Perspectives in Global

Health, The Politics of Responding
to Epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa,
and Disease Ecology, Economics
and Policy are among core and
elective offerings for undergraduates
pursuing the Woodrow Wilson
Schools Certificate in Global health
and health Policy.
Field Eco-Hydrology and Science and

Technology for African Development
have been added to Princetons
Semester in Kenya as rigorous
academic offerings for science and
engineering majors.
A P P E n D I C E S
Introducing internships as a critical component of undergraduate education
218
undergraduate
internships in 35
countries
The Summer Internship Program is a novel and central dimension of the Grand Challenges
educational agenda. With opportunities around the globe for undergraduates from diverse
academic backgrounds, the Internship Program is shaping a generation of Princeton students
with international exposure and hands-on problem solving experience, uniquely preparing them
for lives distinguished by service and leadership.
Since 2007, 218 undergraduate students from 29 academic departments have participated in
the Grand Challenges Internship Program including assignments with faculty research projects
as well as positions with national laboratories, government organizations, and industry and not-
70
senior thesis
research projects
53
faculty mentoring
undergraduates
Banner: Livestock in a pastoralist

community in Kenya. Photo:
holly Welles
Right: Undergraduate Justine
hausheer 10 reports on her
internship experience during
the Summer of Learning
Symposium. Photo: Denise
Applewhite
for-profit enterprises. half of all interns travel overseas with placements in 35 countries on six
continents. Students emerge from the internship experience with an enriched understanding of
the global challenges that confront humanity. In their respective summer internships:
neal Yuan 10 (molecular biology)
assisted faculty member Manuel Llins
in elucidating the significance of ApiAP2
transcription factors in malaria causing
parasites.
Ashley Schoettle 10 (Woodrow Wilson
School) evaluated the impact of
insecticide-treated bed nets on malaria
transmission factors in sub-Saharan Africa.
Jonathan Bradshaw 10 (civil and

environmental engineering) developed a
cost-benefit analysis for large scale water
and energy retrofit programs.
Kathryn Laney 10 (chemical and biological
engineering) worked with faculty member
Jay Benziger to optimize the performance
of hydrogen fuel cells.
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Enriching the senior thesis as a culminating experience
Molly OConnor 11 (civil and environmental engineering)

In successive summers, Katie Friedman
10 (chemical and biological engineering)
worked with professor Winston Soboyejo
to design water filtration systems for
nigerian households and, with an
international nGo, developed clean water
and sanitation precautions for disasterprone countries. Post graduation, Friedman
is leveraging her accumulated experience
as a Princeton in Africa fellow with the
International Institute for Water and
Environmental Engineering before pursuing
a masters degree in environmental
engineering.
Above: Undergraduates Ming Lu

12 and Molly oConnor 11 collect
soil samples for laboratory analysis
in Botswana. Photo courtesy of
Molly oConnor
h E A LT h
over two summers as an intern with

Paul Ginoux at the national oceanic and
Atmospheric Administrations Geophysical
Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), Dmitri
Garbuzov 10, a computer science major,
completed a dynamic parameterization
of dry aerosol depositions, making a
significant contribution to GFDLs global
climate model.
My Grand Challenges internship with Professor

Caylor in Botswana and the funding I received to
conduct research for my senior thesis in Kenya
have allowed me to combine environmental
engineering and ecology in a unique and exciting
way. They have been the best parts of my
Princeton experience.
Molly oConnor 11 (civil and environmental

engineering) deployed underground
penetration radar to measure the lateral
spread of below ground biomass and
evaluated parameters impacting rainfall
penetration in the Kalahari region of
Botswana during the summer following her
sophomore year. Subsequent experiences
as a student in the Semester in Kenya
program and as a summer intern conducting
research at the Mpala Research Centre are
enhancing her senior thesis.
E nE RG Y
The Grand Challenges internship experience promotes more thoughtful and refined senior
thesis projects that reflect multiple years of academic inquiry involving course related fieldwork,
internship assignments, and independent study. Ambitious students entering the Grand
Challenges Program in their freshman year create four-year uninterrupted learning experiences
by bridging sequential years of a traditional academic program with summer internships and
independent research experiences. All students participating in the program are mentored
throughout their internship placements with a goal of complementing their academic course of
study and advancing personal career objectives.
A P P E n D I C E S
Rohit Gawande 11
analyzed the energy
efficiency of low income
housing in Trenton, new
Jersey. Photo courtesy
of Rohit Gawande
Sara Peters 11 worked

in new York City on the
energy and environment
desk at the New York
Times. Photo courtesy
of Sara Peters
Edward Lee 12
researched hIv/AIDS
at the Instituto de Salud
Carlos III in Spain. Photo
courtesy of Edward Lee
Netherlands (3)
Germany (1)
Switzerland (1)
Italy (4)
Spain (1)
United States (99)

Bermuda (6)
Kathryn Laney 10
examined fuel cell
efficiencies in Jay
Benzigers lab. She is one
of 52 undergraduates
who have held Grand
Challenges research
internships on campus
since 2007. Photo courtesy
of Kathryn Laney
Mexico
(1)
Belize (1)
Guatemala (2)
Nicaragua (1)
El Salvador (1)
Costa Rica (1)
Ghana (8)
Nigeria (1)
Brazil (3)
Jonathan Hezghia 13
addressed water quality
issues in El Salvador.
Photo courtesy of
Jonathan hezghia
Grand Challenges Interns

Around the Globe
From 2007-2010, 218 undergraduates held Grand Challenges
internships in 35 countries around the globe including positions
with faculty led research projects and on assignments with
local and international NGOs, and academic, government and
industry enterprises.
10
Sierra Leone (7)

Liberia (1)
Ecuador (3)
Peru (9)
Allison Daminger 12
studied the linkages
between nutrition and
health on assignment in
Peru. Photo courtesy of
Allison Daminger
Amy Gobel 12 conducted

nitrogen fixation research
at the Bermuda Institute
of ocean Sciences in
Bermuda. Photo courtesy
of Amy Gobel
Ukachi Emeruwa 10
focused on malaria
prevention in Ghana.
Photo courtesy of Ukachi
Emeruwa
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Finland (2)
E nE RG Y
Emily Trautner 11 interned

with the Global Fund in
Switzerland to fight AIDS,
tuberculosis, and malaria.
Photo courtesy of Emily
Trautner
China (4)
India (3)
Chenyu Zheng 12
interned with the Joint
U.S. China Collaboration
on Clean Energy (JUCCCE)
in China. Photo courtesy
of Chenyu Zheng
Thailand (4)
Singapore
(1)
Ethiopia (5)
Uganda (1)
Kenya (10)
Tanzania (7)
Mozambique (1)
Madagascar (1)
Botswana (4)
Lesotho (1)
Australia (1)
h E A LT h
Joongyu Daniel Song 12

with community members
in Kenya. Photo courtesy
of Joongyu Daniel Song
South Africa (19)
11
A P P E n D I C E S
Jeremy Chen 11 and

Rodrigo Munoz Rogers 12
researched the dynamics
of belowground carbon in
Botswana savannas.
Photo courtesy of Jeremy
Chen
Enhancing graduate education
64
graduate students
on Grand Challenges
research projects
12
two-year fellowships for

Ph.D. candidate students
22
Princeton Energy and

Climate Scholars
The Grand Challenges Program has increased support for graduate research and is providing
new opportunities for interdisciplinary fellowship in target areas. Sixty-four graduate students
worked on dimensions of Grand Challenges research initiatives and 12 doctoral candidates
received two-year graduate fellowships to pursue the policy dimensions of their graduate
research with connections to Grand Challenges themes. Awarded students serve as role
models and mentors for undergraduate interns.
Yan Zhang, PEI Kelley Fellow and Ph.D.
candidate in civil and environmental
engineering, is studying the impact of
atmospheric aerosols on air quality in
China.
Stephanie hauk, Ph.D. candidate in ecology

and evolutionary biology, is assessing the
impact of ecological, economic, social, and
nutritional factors on the health and life
expectancy of Kenyan pastoralists.
Luke MacDonald, PEI Perkins Fellow and

Ph.D. candidate in civil and environmental
engineering, developed a treatment strategy to halt the spread of fluorosis in India.
The opportunity that Grand Challenges provided to work

overseas was the determining factor in my decision to attend
Princeton and pursue a Ph.D. in civil and environmental
engineering.
Trenton Franz (Ph.D. candidate, civil and environmental engineering)
Banner: Mpala Research Centre

in Kenya. Photo: holly Welles
Above: Trenton Franz, a graduate
student in civil and environmental
engineering, examines a washedout trees root system in a dryland
ecosystem in Kenya. Photo: Alex
Lester
The Grand Challenges Program is developing a community of graduate scholarship around

Grand Challenges topics. Within the Siebel Energy Challenge, a new honorific graduate
fellowship society the Princeton Energy and Climate Scholars (PECS) fosters interdisciplinary
dialogue around energy and climate. To date, 22 students have been selected to participate
in the PECS program including graduate students from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public
and International Affairs as well as the Departments of Chemistry, Economics, Geosciences,
Politics and Chemical and Biological, Civil and Environmental, Electrical, and Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering. Similiar fellowship programs may be developed for Ph.D. candidate
students studying sustainable development and global health.
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Grand Challenges outreach and Global Collaborations

E nE RG Y
Advancing the search for sustainable solutions

With support from the Grand Challenges Program, Princeton faculty and students are making
important contributions to communities around the world by developing technology and policy
solutions. Collaborations with universities and governing bodies in developing regions enhance
the capacity of local communities to develop their own programs to promote sustainability.
Fatu Conteh 10 (chemistry) and hassen

Yusef 10 (astrophysical sciences) installed
three wells in a remote village in a semiarid region of northeastern Ethiopia,
bringing safe drinking water to this small
community.
13
A P P E n D I C E S
The Ewaso Water Project empowers

pastoralists, land owners, and governing
authorities in central Kenya to introduce
sustainable grazing and conservation
practices. Grand Challenges-sponsored
conservation clubs in rural schools provide
important educational outreach to local
communities.
Department of Geosciences faculty

Michael Bender, Satish Myneni, George
Philander, and Bess Ward are working with
colleagues at the University of Cape Town,
the Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research, and Stellenbosch University
to understand biological and chemical
changes in the southern ocean and their
influence on the climate system.
h E A LT h
With Grand Challenges support, Mathias

Esmann 11 (Woodrow Wilson School)
led a team of 11 undergraduates to
distribute 4000 long-lasting insecticidetreated mosquito nets to households in
35 villages in Sierra Leone to stem the
spread of malaria. Esmann received the
Davis Centers 2010 International Service
Award in recognition for his cross-cultural
humanitarian service.
Left: Catherine Peters, associate

professor of civil and environmental
engineering, tours the homestake
Mine in South Dakota where she
conducts research to determine
whether greenhouse gas carbon
dioxide can be stored safely
underground. Photo: Bill harlan/
Sanford Underground Laboratory
Professor of Anthropology and African

American Studies, Carolyn Rouse,
established an environmentally sustainable
high school the Pan-African Global
Academy in oshiyie, Ghana. By incorporating sustainable technologies in the
design process, the project helps preserve
the landscape while contributing to the
livelihoods of local residents.
Program Funding
Rapid deployment of the Grand Challenges Program is funded by generous donations from two
principal donors the high Meadows Foundation and the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation
and resources of the Princeton Environmental Institute. Aggregate investment in Grand
Challenges research and educational programs will reach $16.5 million over the next two years
with annual spending settling in the $3.5-$4.0 million range. Additional details regarding the
sources and uses of Grand Challenges funds are provided in the Financial Appendix to this report.
Banner: Antarctica glacier.
Photo: Pascale Poussart
Right: Daniel Sigman discusses
variations in temperature and Co2
concentrations at a Princeton
Energy and Climate Scholars (PECS)
meeting. Photo: David hunsinger
Facing page: During theSummer
of Learning Symposium, undergraduate Solomon Abiola 12 holds
a compact laser platform used to
monitor atmospheric pollutants
that he helped to design during
his Energy Challenge internship.
Photo credit: holly Welles
Future Directions
The Grand Challenges Program is a robust new model for integrated research and teaching
at Princeton. The approach capitalizes on the capacity of Princeton faculty to contribute to
new frontiers of knowledge while simultaneously providing mentorship to undergraduate
and graduate students. The Program has potential to impact the world and to provide better
outcomes for humanity and the planet. Additional projects will be funded in 2010 and 2011 while
Princeton identifies additional and permanent sources of funding.
The balance of this report provides summary statements of progress in each of the three
Grand Challenges cooperatives and sets the stage for growth of the initiative moving forward.
14
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Simon A. Levin, George M. Moffett Professor of Biology
E nE RG Y
The Grand Challenges

Program has enabled serious
undergraduate involvement in
large-scale research projects.
Their contributions have
enhanced our research.
h E A LT h
A P P E n D I C E S
The Siebel Energy Challenge
T
16
academic departments
11
research projects
27
new/modified courses
116
undergraduate
thesis projects
22
Princeton Energy
and Climate Scholars
16
he Siebel Energy Challenge (Energy Challenge) prepares Princeton students for the
substantial transformation of the global energy system that is certain to occur during their
lifetimes. The initiative capitalizes on the expertise of faculty in the science, engineering,
and policy disciplines to seek solutions for a resource-limited and carbon-constrained world.
Innovations in academic programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels are shaping
a transformative educational experience and preparing Princeton students to create a new
energy future.
In its first three years, the Energy Challenge provided $3.1 million for research and education.
Research
The Energy Challenge launched 10 seed
research projects to tackle challenges in
alternative energy, energy efficiency, climate
dynamics, and the impacts of global change
on the Earths ecosystems. Funded projects
involve faculty from the Departments of
Chemistry, Computer Science, Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology, Geosciences, near
Eastern Studies, Physics, and Chemical and
Biological, Civil and Environmental, Electrical,
and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
as well as the Woodrow Wilson School.
Significant research advances to
date include demonstration of band-gap
engineering in nickel and manganese oxides
for use in solar cells; the development
of optimization techniques to increase
data center efficiency; and discovery of
fundamental controls on the ocean biosphere
that will shape its response to climate change.
Three projects received substantial
external funding based upon results stemming
from advances in Grand Challenges-funded
research.
In addition to support for new research,

the Energy Challenge has transformed
Princeton into a hub of scholarship on oil
resources, and the economics and politics of
the Middle East by expanding the Universitys
oil, Energy and the Middle East initiative with
support for an extensive postdoctoral program
and a multi-year lecture series featuring more
than 20 internationally-recognized speakers.
Education
The Energy Challenge has contributed to an
expansion of undergraduate and graduate
educational programs in energy and climate at
Princeton.
Participating faculty introduced 27
new and significantly modified courses that
incorporate Grand Challenges-supported
research outcomes as integral components of
course pedagogy. Several of these courses,
most notably Solar Energy Conversion and
Nuclear Energy in a Carbon Constrained
World: Fission and Fusion, were formative
in establishing a new Certificate Program
in Sustainable Energy within the School of
o vE Rv IE W
E nE RG Y
The Grand Challenges Program enabled me to focus my

broad passion for environmental issues into a more tractable
concentration on biological energy production. I am now
pursuing a Ph.D. in microbiology at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
Mark Smith 09 (ecology and evolutionary biology)
candidates working on dimensions of the

climate and energy challenge received tuition
and research stipends to explore the public
policy dimensions of their graduate research.
Above: off the Bermuda coast, an

undergraduate student deploys a
research instrument. Photo:
Daniel Sigman
h E A LT h
Outreach and global collaborations

To raise awareness about climate and
energy issues on campus and among
the broader public, the Energy Challenge
produced several well-attended lecture
series featuring faculty and guest lecturers
from academia, government, industry, and
17
A P P E n D I C E S
Engineering and Applied Science.

The Energy Challenge provided 116
undergraduates with research training
through mentored internships and support
for independent field research projects.
Working with faculty-led research groups,
local and international nGos, and academic,
government, and industry enterprises,
students worked on projects involving ocean
geochemistry, climate impacts, renewable
and alternative energy technologies,
atmospheric modeling, energy storage,
green roofs, air pollution in Beijing, coral
and reef sediment microbiology in Bermuda,
urban transportation, energy efficiency
in low income neighborhoods, and land
conservation.
To enhance the experience of Ph.D.
candidates, the Energy Challenge established
the Princeton Energy and Climate Scholars
(PECS) a new honor society for top graduate
students from across the University whose
work addresses energy and climate. In
twice-monthly meetings with faculty and other
guest lecturers, PECS students deepen their
understanding of the global environmental
context for their graduate research. In a
separate program, ten Princeton Ph.D.
The Siebel Energy Challenge
Right: Princeton faculty and

graduate students traveled to
Shanghai to participate in the
2nd Princeton-China Forum on
Energy, Environment and Economic
Policies at the Antai College of
Economics & Management. Photo
courtesy of Pascale Poussart
Facing page: Energy Challenge
director, Robert Socolow (front),
visits the Mercer County coal
power plant with students from his
class Energy for a GreenhouseConstrained World. Photo: Samir
Succar
nGos. In addition to the aforementioned Oil,

Energy, and the Middle East series, other
highly visible programs included Inside
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change with talks by faculty who contributed
to the 4th IPCC Assessment Report; and
Ethics and Climate Change a provocative
The Grand Challenges Program has catalyzed

cross-department and interdisciplinary
interactions that have enriched our research.
Margaret R. Martonosi, professor of computer science
series featuring engineering and sciences

faculty alongside faculty from the University
Center for human values and the Woodrow
Wilson School to probe ethical dimensions
of the climate debate. (Recordings of these
and other Energy Challenge programs are
available online http://www.princeton.edu/pei/
videos/.)
The Energy Challenge supports
international exchanges with leading
institutions in China, Europe, the Middle East,
Bermuda, and the Caribbean to advance
common research interests and to inform
the search for global energy and climate
solutions. Energy Challenge-fostered
collaborations have involved joint meetings
with leading energy research centers in
Beijing and Shanghai, a graduate student
exchange with cole Centrale (a preeminent
engineering school in France), as well as
a sequence of visiting scholars from Saudi
Arabia, Europe, and the United States around
topics of oil, Energy, and the Middle East.
Future Plans
Moving forward, the Siebel Energy Challenge will continue to encourage new directions in
faculty research and to further expand Princetons undergraduate teaching program focused
on energy sustainability and climate. Emphasis will be placed on projects that explore the
intersection of land use, water, and energy consumption and the linkages between energy
and international security. Energy technology research innovations will benefit from the
establishment and growth of the Universitys new Andlinger Center for Energy and the
Environment.
By fostering collaborations with colleagues at the nearby Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
Laboratory, the Energy Challenge will provide opportunities for Princeton researchers to
uniquely influence academic scholarship on the dynamics of the climate system.
18
o vE Rv IE W
E nE RG Y
h E A LT h
A P P E n D I C E S
Siebel Energy Challenge Research Projects

Faculty
Researcher
Graduate Student
Undergraduate
2007-2010 Program Initiative
2007 New Investigator Award
2008 Seed Grant
oil, Energy and the

Middle East
Designing new Materials

for harvesting Solar
Energy
Greening IT: From

the Phone to the Data
Center
The Biological Effects of

ocean Acidification
The oil, Energy and the Middle

East Program, led by Bernard
haykel, integrates faculty
expertise on the resources,
economics, and politics of
the Middle East. The initiative
sponsors a postdoctoral
research program and
produced a multi-year lecture
series involving more than
20 speakers with science,
engineering, international
relations, policy, and industry
expertise.
Emily Carter uses quantum

mechanics methods to create
more efficient and inexpensive
solar cells and photocatalysts.
The project demonstrated bandgap engineering of nickel and
manganese oxides. Carter
received external funding from
the Department of Energy and
the Air Force office of Scientific
Research to continue this Grand
Challenges-seeded work.
Mung Chiang, Michael

Freedman, Margaret Martonosi,
and Jennifer Rexford are
developing innovations to
reduce the energy consumption
of information technology. The
team has created techniques
to lower electricity use by
individual data centers and to
improve the efficiency of data
trafficking between centers.
The team received a $100,000
Google Innovations Award to
continue their work.
Franois Morels group examines

changes in ocean acidification
caused by increasing atmospheric Co2. The project
demonstrated that decreasing
seawater ph results in a lower
bioavailability of dissolved
iron, a micronutrient important
to phytoplankton which are
responsible for nearly half of
primary production on Earth.
New Course
Solar Energy Conversion
New Courses
Participating Departments
Impacted Courses
Oil, Energy and the Middle

East; Political Economy
of Arab Gulf Countries;
Arabia in the 20th Century;
Saudi Arabia: Security,
Energy and US Policy; Food
Security in the Middle East
Chemical and Biological

Engineering, Chemistry,
Electrical Engineering,
Engineering
Distributed Algorithms and

Optimization Methods for
Engineering Applications;
Computer Architecture
Computer Science, Electrical
Engineering
Collaborating Institutions
near Eastern Studies, Physics,

Princeton Environmental
Institute, Institute for
Transregional Study, Woodrow
Wilson School
Chinese University of hong

Kong
Sciences Po, Paris and The
Gulf Research Center, Dubai
20
New Course
The Everglades Today and
Tomorrow: Global Change and
the Impact of Human Activities
on the Biosphere
Geosciences, Princeton
Environmental Institute
o vE Rv IE W
2009 Seed Grant
2009 Seed Grant
Extended Lifetime
Energy Storage for
Alternative Energy
Carbon Capture and

Geologic Sequestration:
Linking Undergraduate
Education with Cutting
Edge Research
Climate Change, the

ocean, and the Global
Cycles of Biologically
Active Elements
Experimental and
numerical Studies of
Stably Stratified Turbulent
Boundary Layers
Craig Arnold is developing

high-capacity, extendedlifetime energy storage devices
for use with solar and wind
technologies. Undergraduates
in Arnolds new freshman
seminar examine how energy
is used, generated, stored
and converted, and explore
emerging energy alternatives.
Catherine Peters exposes

students to cutting-edge
carbon capture and
sequestration technology
with a goal of bridging the
gap between scientists and
decision makers. A new
undergraduate course by
Peters and faculty colleague
Michael Celia leveraged
green video conferencing
technology to provide a
virtual classroom link that
taps expertise of research
colleagues at the University
of Bergen, norway.
Geochemical studies by Daniel

Sigman and colleagues have
demonstrated feedbacks
between ocean nitrogen
inputs and losses that stabilize
ocean fertility over time with
implications for the carbon
cycle and its role in past
climate changes. Sigman
and faculty colleague Bess
Ward received $520,000
from the national Science
Foundation to further this Grand
Challenges-seeded project.
Elie Bou-Zeid, Chris Golaz,

Robert hallberg, Pino Martin,
and Alexander Smits use
computer simulations and data
from wind tunnel experiments
to refine the representation
of lower atmosphere flows at
night and over ice in climate
and weather models with
implications for modeling
surface-atmosphere energy
exchange, wind fields for
wind energy production, and
pollutant dispersion.
New Course
Impacted Courses
Climate: Past, Present, and

Future
Environmental Fluid
Mechanics, Boundary Layer
Meteorology
New Course
Technology Challenges and
Opportunities in Alternative
and Sustainable Energy
New Course
Carbon Capture and Geologic
Sequestration
Civil and Environmental
Engineering, Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering,
Program in Environmental
Engineering and Water
Resources
Atmospheric and oceanic
Sciences, Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology,
Geosciences
Atmospheric and oceanic
Sciences, Civil and
Environmental Engineering,
Geosciences, Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering
h E A LT h

Engineering, Mechanical
operations Research and
Financial Engineering, Physics,
Program in Engineering and
Management Systems
2009 Seed Grant
E nE RG Y
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics

Laboratory
21
A P P E n D I C E S
Siebel Energy Challenge Participants

(2007-2010)
The Biological Effects of Ocean Acidification
FRANOIS MOREL professor of geosciences
Research Associates Ludmilla Aristilde, Jean-Philippe Bellinger,
Frank Black, Cristina Cobb-Adams, Brian hopkinson, Anne
Kraepiel, Sara Rocks, Jeffra Schaefer, Yan Xu
Ph.D. Candidates Dalin Shi, Jenna Losh
Undergraduates Raheel Anwar 12, Darcie Ryan 10,
Mark Pavlyukovskyy 13, Marjorie Willner 11
Carbon Capture and Geologic Sequestration: Linking

Undergraduate Education with Cutting Edge Research
CATHERINE PETERS associate professor of civil and
environmental engineering
Ph.D. Candidates Michael Burke, Yan Zhang
Undergraduate Dobromir Parushev 10
The Chemical Biology of Energy Production

CHARLES DISMUKES professor of chemistry
Undergraduates Steven Baldassano 11, nathan Buch 10
Climate Change, the Ocean, and the Global Cycles

of Biologically Active Elements
DANIEL SIGMAN professor of geosciences
Research Associates Katye Altieri, K. Kritee
Ph.D. Candidates Sarah Fawcett, haojia Ren
Undergraduates owen Coyle 12, Samuel Dresner 13, Amy Gobel
12, Laura Morales 09, Lija Treibergs 11
Climate Change, Shifting Settlements, and Pressure

on Biodiversity in South Africa
MICHAEL OPPENHEIMER professor of geosciences and
international affairs, Woodrow Wilson School
DAVID WILCOVE professor of ecology and evolutionary biology
and public affairs, Woodrow Wilson School
Research Associates and Visitors Bethany Bradley, Lydon Estes,
Will Turner
Undergraduate Michelle Lau 12
Climate and Tropical Ecosystems: Bridging Molecular

Biology and Functional Biogeochemistry
LARS HEDIN professor of ecology and evolutionary biology
Ph.D. Candidate Silvia newell
Designing New Materials for Harvesting Solar Energy

EMILy CARTER professor of mechanical and aerospace
engineering
Sigurd Wagner professor of electrical engineering
Research Associates Maytal Toroker, John Keith
Ph.D. Candidates nima Alidoust, Leah Isseroff, Dalal Kanan,
Peilin Liao
Facing page: Energy Challenge

intern installs solar panels in Sierra
Leone. Photo: neal Yuan
22
Experimental and Numerical Studies of Stably

Stratified Turbulent Boundary Layers
ELIE BOU-ZEID assistant professor of civil and environmental
engineering
CHRIS GOLAZ physical scientist, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
Laboratory
ROBERT HALLBERG lecturer in geosciences, atmospheric and
oceanic sciences, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
PINO MARTIN visiting research scholar, mechanical and
aerospace engineering
ALExANDER SMITS professor of mechanical and aerospace
engineering
Research Associates and Visitors Sean Bailey, Jing huang
Ph.D. Candidates Stimit Shah, owen Williams
Undergraduates Jonathan Goh 11, Laszlo Szocs 13
Extended Lifetime Energy Storage for Alternative

Energy
CRAIG ARNOLD associate professor of mechanical and
aerospace engineering
Warren Powell professor of operations research and financial
engineering
Research Associate Romain Fardel
Ph.D. Candidates Elena Krieger, Christina Peabody
Undergraduates Ashwin Atre 09, Jonathan Scholl 08, Sami
Yabroudi 11, Tom Yersak 09
Greening IT: From the Phone to the Data Center

MUNG CHIANG associate professor of electrical engineering
MICHAEL FREEDMAN assistant professor of computer science
MARGARET MARTONOSI professor of computer science
JENNIFER RExFORD professor of computer science
Research Associates hongseok Kim, Steven Ko
Ph.D. Candidates Muneeb Ali, ozlem Bilgir, Prem Gopalan, Ioannis
Kamitsos, Wyatt Lloyd, David Shue, Minlan Yu
Visiting Student Liqun Fu
Undergraduates newton Allen 11, Dana Butnariu 13, William
Fisher 10, Lavanya Jose 12, Evan Kelly 10, Patrick Wendell 11
Oil, Energy and the Middle East

BERNARD HAyKEL professor of near eastern studies
Michael Cook professor of near eastern studies
Shivaji Sondhi professor of physics
Research Associates and Visitors Christopher Boucek, Steffen
hertog, Toby Jones, Miriam Lowi, Giacomo Luciani, Roger Stern,
Eckart Woertz
E nE RG Y
Franois Morel, Albert G. Blanke, Jr., Professor of Geosciences
o vE Rv IE W
In addition to expanding
our research, Grand
Challenges funding has
expanded opportunities for
undergraduates, improved
the quality of junior papers
and senior theses, and
offered new opportunities
for mentoring.
h E A LT h
A P P E n D I C E S
The Development Challenge
T
14
he Sustainable Development Challenge (Development Challenge) connects biodiversity

conservation and sustainable resource management with a mission to improve human
livelihoods. nowhere is the challenge greater than in Africa where development has been
erratic, tempered by corruption, lacking in true capacity building, and pursued without concern
for preserving the continents wildlife and store of natural resources. The Development Challenge
encourages faculty, researchers, and students from the natural, social, and engineering
sciences as well as the humanities to meld their different perspectives to better understand how
sustainable development plans can be implemented across the African continent.
research projects
In the Programs inaugural three years, the Development Challenge invested $2.9 million to
support research and teaching initiatives.
10
Research
Above: In Kenya, undergraduate

students walk a transect to
measure vegetation for height,
biomass, greenness, and species
diversity as part of a Natural
History of Mammals course.
Photo: Daniel Rubenstein
The Development Challenge sponsored six

research projects involving faculty from the
Departments of African American Studies,
Anthropology, Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology, Geosciences, and Chemical and
Biological, Civil and Environmental, and
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
as well as the Princeton Institute for the
Science and Technology of Materials and
the Woodrow Wilson School.
These include several continuing projects
that identify water as the essential natural
resource shaping the African landscape.
Working side by side in the field, teams of
Princeton ecologists, anthropologists, and
hydrologists document the linkages between
water, wildlife, and human populations in East
African drylands and contribute scholarship
concerning the role of vegetation in the
hydrological cycle and in the preservation of
landscapes and wildlife habitats.
Additional projects seeded by the
24
69
undergraduate
thesis projects
Development Challenge include the creation

of a climate research and educational center
in South Africa that is educating the next
generation of climate scholars; a modeling of
climate changes impacts on South African
agriculture and biodiversity; the establishment
of an environmentally and economically
sustainable high school in Ghana; and the
development of sustainable technologies for
deployment in Africa.
The Development Challenge has
expanded capacity at the Mpala Research
Centre in Kenya to serve as a secure host site
for Princeton faculty, postdoctoral fellows,
and graduate and undergraduate students
with research and teaching interests involving
wildlife, human populations, hydrology, land
use, poverty, population growth, and health
in the region. operated as a partnership
involving Princeton, the Kenya Wildlife
Service, the national Museum of Kenya, and
the Smithsonian, the facility was upgraded
with dormitory styled accommodations and
o vE Rv IE W
E nE RG Y
improved research and communications

capabilities. With resources in place and
success as a research and teaching facility
documented, use of the site is expanding
to include Princeton faculty and students
pursuing health Challenge research agendas
as well.
Education
The Grand Challenges Program has allowed me

to use the skills and concepts Ive learned in my
courses to address important ecological and social
problems which impact peoples lives.
Kohei Noda 11 (ecology and evolutionary biology)
25
A P P E n D I C E S
Educational outreach and capacity building

are important elements of the Development
Challenges strategy to advance sustainable
solutions and improve human livelihoods.
At the community level, faculty, researchers,
and students work with and through local
pastoral communities to raise awareness
of environmental challenges and to
demonstrate sustainable practices for land
management and resource conservation.
Related to research at the Mpala Centre,
the Development Challenge organizes
after-school conservation clubs, develops
curriculum guides for local teachers,
and hosts an annual Community Day for
Above: on Mafia Island, Tanzania,

Development Challenge interns
teach local children about the
environment. Photo courtesy of
Katie LeRow and Diana Lam
h E A LT h
The Development Challenge contributed 10

new and significantly modified courses that
underscore natural resource management
as the keystone of sustainable development
and provide students with the technical,
scientific, policy, and human perspectives
to contribute sustainable solutions for
Africa. The new courses, along with
resources to support field research, have
shaped an expanded Semester in the Field
program in Kenya and inspired students to
design and carry out independent projects.
Since 2007, 69 undergraduates
have pursued Development Challenge
research projects including internships
and independent field study connected
to junior and senior independent work.
Student contributions have been diverse
and include establishing a school library in
Ghana, designing and building wells for a
remote community in Ethiopia, investigating
the impact of rainfall on vegetative biomass
and soil in the African landscape, gathering
data on the movements and habitat use of
the endangered Grevys zebra, and creating
educational materials on water issues in the
developing world.
The Development Challenge
primary school students to share lessons on

biodiversity conservation with families and
neighbors. The Development Challenge trains
local pastoralists in basic environmental
monitoring techniques, provides scholarships
for local school children to attend high school,
and sponsors B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. students
at a variety of Kenyan universities.
Faculty members supported by the
Development Challenge develop connections
Above: Princeton faculty members

Daniel Rubenstein (far left) and
Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe (far right)
discuss dimensions of the Ewaso
Water Project. Photo: Denise
Applewhite
Facing page: Construction of the
Pan-African Global Academy in
oshiyie, Ghana. Photo: Carolyn
Rouse
Future Plans
26
with universities and non-governmental

organizations in the region in an effort to
engage and empower African scientists and
scholars. Current partners include the African
Wildlife Foundation, the Laikipia Wildlife
Foundation, the Science and Technology
Council, Conservation International, the
University of Cape Town, and Stellenbosch
University.
At Princeton, the Development Challenge
sponsors lectures, workshops, and symposia
to inform the University community about
challenges in African development. Recent
events include a symposium on the Role
of Science and Technology for African
Development, a workshop on Health, Disease,
and Environment in Africa, and a four-part
lecture series entitled Water and Climate:
Science, Policy and Security in the Face of
Change and Uncertainty.
With new research and monitoring facilities installed at Mpala, studies of ecological,
hydrological, and anthropogenic impacts on water availability in dryland ecosystems will
remain a primary focus of Development Challenge research. The program will fund projects
that forecast climate impacts in Africa and that use innovative technologies to improve the
livelihoods of people in the developing world. The program seeks new projects that illuminate
how population processes and gender influence decisions with ramifications for both
livelihoods and conservation of natural resources.
The Development Challenge is expanding its emphasis on sustainable design in schools
and homes by involving faculty from the School of Architecture. As part of this effort, Princeton
faculty and students are designing an environmentally-friendly school and tackling design
challenges posed by the need for suitable and affordable housing in arid rangelands.
The Development Challenge will continue to invest in education as capacity building in
Africa and to seek affiliate enterprises to assist in developing expanded research, teaching,
and internship opportunities.
E nE RG Y
h E A LT h
Corinna Riginos (postdoctoral research associate,

Ewaso Water Project)
o vE Rv IE W
Partnerships between
scientists and local
development organizations
are rarely funded through
traditional means. With
support from the Grand
Challenges Program, I have
been able to work directly
with local organizations
to promote better land
management leading to
improved livelihoods among
the rural poor.
A P P E n D I C E S
Development Challenge Research Projects

Faculty
Researcher
Graduate Student
Undergraduate
2008 Seed Grant
2008 Seed Grant
Ewaso Water Project
Water in Africa
Climate Change, Shifting

Settlements, and
Pressure on Biodiversity
in South Africa
African Centre for

Climate and Earth System
Science
Daniel Rubenstein leads an

interdisciplinary team of hydrologists, ecologists, and political
scientists to promote sustainable
landscapes in Africa. The team
has observed increased rainfall
intensity and its impacts
on vegetation, wildlife, and
pastoralists and their herds in
the Ewaso ecosystem in Kenya.
Extensive outreach programs
have helped resident pastoral
herders alter their grazing
practices to reduce habitat
degradation.
Kelly Caylor and colleagues

are developing measures of
land degradation to predict
ecosystem responses to
climate variations in dryland
ecosystems. They have installed
a measurement facility at the
Mpala Research Centre in
Kenya to monitor energy,
water, and carbon fluxes
in the savanna ecosystem
over the next 5 years. Caylor
received $2 million from the
national Science Foundation
to augment Grand Challengessupported fieldwork.
Michael oppenheimer and

David Wilcove model interactions among agriculture,
climate change, and biodiversity
variables in South Africa.
Preliminary projections indicate
that the wheat and maizegrowing regions of South Africa
will suffer a net contraction,
with implications for biodiversity and conservation efforts.
(This project is jointly funded
with the Siebel Energy
Challenge.)
Michael Bender, George

Philander, Satish Myneni, and
Bess Ward are advancing
climate research and earth
sciences education in South
Africa. In joint projects with
colleagues at South African
universities, they assess the
role of the southern ocean in
climate change and observe
changes in ocean productivity.
Princeton undergraduates
studying in Cape Town mentor
local high school students.
New Courses
Impacted Program
Global Warming: Causes,

Consequences and Policy
Responses; Environmental
Decision Making
Semester in Africa
Ecology and Evolutionary

Biology, Geosciences,
Princeton Environmental
Institute, Woodrow Wilson
School
University of Cape Town,

Stellenbosch University,
Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research
New Courses
Water, Savannas and Society;
Water: Keystone for
Sustainable Development
New Course

Engineering, Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology, Princeton

Engineering, Comparative
Literature, Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology, Princeton
Institute for International and
Regional Studies
African Wildlife Foundation,
Science and Technology Council,
Mpala Research Centre
28
Field Ecohydrology
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, Conservation
International, University of
Cape Town, University of
Kwazulu-natai, Agriculture
Research Council
Geosciences, Princeton
o vE Rv IE W
Pan-African Global
Academy
Sustainable Technologies
in Africa
Carolyn Rouse spearheaded

construction of an environmentally and economically
sustainable high school in an
underserved area of Ghana.
her research documents the
economic and demographic
impacts of the school in
oshiyie. Undergraduates
working on this project
received departmental
awards for their
research.
Winston Soboyejo designs

sustainable technology
innovations for Africa.
his team deployed a
solar-powered refrigeration system for camel
transport of vaccines
to remote areas in Kenya
and Ethiopia. Undergraduates
received departmental awards
for their contributions to this
project.
New Course
New Course
The Anthropology of
Development
Anthropology, Woodrow
Wilson School
Science and Technology for

African Development
2008 Seed Grant
E nE RG Y
2008 Seed Grant
A P P E n D I C E S
29
h E A LT h

Electrical Engineering,
Engineering, Princeton Institute
for the Science and Technology
of Materials
Development Challenge Participants

(2007-2010)
African Centre for Climate and Earth System Science
Pan-African Global Academy
MICHAEL BENDER professor of geosciences

SATISH MyNENI associate professor of geosciences
GEORGE PHILANDER professor of geosciences
BESS WARD professor of geosciences
Visiting Graduate Students Bjorn von der heyden, Warren Joubert
CAROLyN ROUSE professor of anthropology and African

American studies
Ph.D. Candidates Celeste Alexander, Gwen Gordon, Eva harman,
Amy Moran-Thomas
Undergraduates Adaugo Amobi 09, Ashley Schoettle 10
Climate Change, Shifting Settlements, and Pressure

on Biodiversity in South Africa
Sustainable Technologies in Africa
MICHAEL OPPENHEIMER professor of geosciences and

international affairs, Woodrow Wilson School
DAVID WILCOVE professor of ecology and evolutionary biology
and public affairs, Woodrow Wilson School
Research Associates and Visitors Bethany Bradley, Lyndon Estes,
Will Turner
Undergraduate Michelle Lau 12
Ewaso Water Project
Below: Development Challenge

postdoctoral fellow, Lizzie King
(second from left), with Tiemamut
women in Kenya. Photo: Daniel
Rubenstein
Facing page: Grevys zebra.
Photo: holly Welles
30
DANIEL RUBENSTEIN professor of ecology and evolutionary

biology
Michael Celia professor of civil and environmental engineering
Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe professor of civil and environmental
engineering
Research Associates and Visitors Sandro Azaele, Elizabeth King,
Mahiri Mwita, R. Muneepeerakul, Corinna Riginos, Wilfred odadi
Graduate Student hassan Boru, nairobi University
Ph.D. Candidates Ryan Chisholm, Trenton Franz, Stephanie hauk,
Corinne Kendall, Joseph Kirathe, Eva Kaye-Zwiebel, Alex Lester,
Luke MacDonald, Blair Roberts
Undergraduates Elaine Bigelow 10, Erin K. Buchholtz 11, Zackory
Burns 10, Lisa Carmona 11, Sarah Chambliss 10, Catherine
Digovich 08, William harvey 09, Stephanie Ivins 10, Lisa Kelly 08,
Daniel Maselli 11, Bradley Milligan 08, Andria Mirabal 08,
Stephanie noble 12, Kohei noda 11, Torri Patel 10, Chip Snyders
09, Sarah Stroud 12
WINSTON SOBOyEJO professor of mechanical and aerospace

engineering
Research Associate Mahamadou Sagna
Ph.D. Candidates Wali Akande, onobu Akogwu, Yusuf oni, Emily
Paetzell, Tiffany Tong, Ismaiel Yakub
Undergraduates Katie Camille Friedman 10, David Kwabi 10,
Meghan Mcnulty 10, Andy Usoro 10, Edward Weng 10
Water in Africa
KELLy CAyLOR assistant professor of civil and environmental
engineering
Ph.D. Candidate Trenton Franz
Undergraduates Jeremy Chen 11, Carola hernandez-Cappas 11,
Ming Lu 12, Molly oConnor 11, Rodrigo Munoz Rogers 12
o vE Rv IE W
E nE RG Y
By providing support for

faculty to do difficult work in
developing regions, the Grand
Challenges Program is making
the research we do more
relevant to the critical issues
that are facing the developing
world.
Kelly Caylor, assistant professor of civil and
environmental engineering
h E A LT h
A P P E n D I C E S
The health Challenge
T
16
he health Challenge seeks solutions to the pressing problems of infectious disease

around the globe. To address the complex threats posed by pathogens, the health
Challenge catalyzes interdisciplinary infectious disease research across the University,
integrating knowledge from biology, engineering, the social sciences, ethics, and public policy.
The initiative provides educational and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate
students who are interested in learning about global health issues and applying that knowledge
in their research and future careers.
Since the programs inception in 2008, the health Challenge has invested $1.7 million in research
and educational programs.
research projects
103
undergraduate
thesis projects
Research
The health Challenge funded eight research
projects on the prevention and treatment of
infectious disease involving faculty from the
Departments of Anthropology, Chemistry,
Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Comparative Literature, Molecular Biology,
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Economics,
Geosciences, Politics, and Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering as well as the
Woodrow Wilson School. The scope of topics
includes an anthropological assessment of
hIv/AIDS treatment aftermath in the era of
antiretroviral therapy; novel therapeutics for

tuberculosis and malaria; new approaches to
arrest the spread of disease at the molecular
level; engineering innovations to improve
the safety of community water supplies; an
economic approach to the growing problem of
drug resistance; and the local, provincial, and
national governance of infectious disease.
All eight health Challenge projects
engage undergraduates in innovative
laboratory and field-based research projects.
Student experiences translate into junior
papers, senior theses, articles published
The Grand Challenges initiative has given me extremely

enriching experiences in teaching, fieldwork, and scholarship
that would not have been possible otherwise. It is no
exaggeration to say that the impact of the Grand Challenges
Program on my career and professional development has
been enormous and enormously positive.
Peter Locke (postdoctoral research associate, The Future of Global Aids)
32
o vE Rv IE W
E nE RG Y
in peer-reviewed journals, conference

presentations, scholarships to advance
graduate work, and career opportunities.
Three projectsthe development of
novel antibiotics, the future of global AIDS
treatment, and the factors influencing
antibiotic prescribing practices in hospitals
have attracted awards from the national
Institutes of health, the Ford Foundation,
and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
technologies to reduce the spread of waterborne pathogens; and conducted clinical and
laboratory research on a range of infections.
Above: Ashley Schoettle 10,

(center) health Challenge intern,
pictured while delivering bed nets
in an effort to curtail malaria in
Ghana. Photo courtesy of Ashley
Schoettle

The health Challenge pursues international
partnerships to exchange knowledge
on infectious disease management.
Collaborations have been explored towards
the development of a potential health
Challenge research station in Ghana to
support faculty and student field research,
internships, educational opportunities, and
scholarly exchanges with local institutions
including the noguchi Memorial Institute for
Medical Research. Cooperative arrangements
have also been established with Mdecins
Sans Frontires (Doctors without Borders),
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis,
and Malaria in Geneva, and with various
nGos in sub-Saharan Africa as host sites for
undergraduate and graduate student interns.
33
A P P E n D I C E S
h E A LT h
The health Challenge has expanded the

academic curriculum in global health and
infectious disease. nine new and significantly
modified courses, introduced by health
Challenge faculty, tie to summer research
opportunities for participating and qualified
students. The courses are important elements
in the Universitys new undergraduate
certificate program in Global health and
health Policy which offers a multidisciplinary
lens to health-related studies.
From 2008-2010, the health Challenge
supported more than 100 undergraduate
internships and senior thesis projects in
laboratories and field sites around the
globe. In assignments with faculty-led
research projects, nGos, and public health
and government agencies, participating
students engaged in grassroots, national, and
international efforts to prevent the spread
of malaria, tuberculosis, and hIv/AIDS;
researched the economic, cultural, and public
policy dimensions of disease treatment;
helped design and distribute innovative
Education
The health Challenge
Grand Challenges funding for postdoctoral

and undergraduate research has been crucial
to our efforts to develop novel and effective
antibacterial agents to combat threats to
human health.
Erik J. Sorenson, Arthur Allen Patchett Professor in organic Chemistry
With a goal of informing the wider
Princeton community, the health Challenge
hosts multidisciplinary seminars, workshops,
and colloquia on global health and infectious
disease, and sponsors talks by prominent
outside speakers with expertise in global
health and health policy. of particular note
were an address by Julie Gerberding, the
former director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention; a visit by Peter Piot,
former executive director of UnAIDS and a

pioneer in hIv/AIDS treatment; and Seizing
Opportunity, a student-organized symposium
on Princetons role in the fight against
malaria. Complementing the health Challenge
events, the Universitys Center for health and
Wellbeing and the Woodrow Wilson School
of Public and International Affairs cosponsored over a dozen events relevant to
health Challenge themes.
Future Plans
Above: Christina Paxson (third

from left), dean of the Woodrow
Wilson School of Public and
International Affairs, and Kristina
Graff (far right), associate director,
Center for health and Wellbeing
at Princeton, visited with
colleagues in Ghana to advance
research collaborations. Photo:
Kwame obeng
Facing page: Undergraduate
analyzes water samples in
Princeton lab. Photo: Carol Peters
In the coming years, the health Challenge will leverage international partnerships to foster
additional research collaborations and hands-on learning opportunities for undergraduate
students. Beginning in the fall of 2010, the health Challenge is hosting Jeremy Farrar, a leading
infectious disease specialist from oxford University, as a Princeton Global Scholar. Farrars
multi-year appointment will involve recurring extended visits at Princeton, collaboration with
faculty on teaching and research, and mentorship of students on campus and abroad.
Additional research sites for students and faculty are being identified with a prospective
partner institution in vietnam as well as at organizations in the United States and abroad. new
placements for students include internships with nGos addressing hIv/AIDS in newark, new
Jersey, and in South Africa.
Complementing these cooperative relationships, the health Challenge will continue to
sponsor visits by other prominent scholars and practitioners from around the globe, hold
conferences and seminars on multidisciplinary aspects of infectious disease, offer several new
courses addressing health Challenge themes, and expand opportunities for faculty and students
alike to engage in cross-cutting field research.
34
o vE Rv IE W
E nE RG Y
h E A LT h
A P P E n D I C E S
health Challenge Research Projects

Faculty
Researcher
Graduate Student
Undergraduate
2009 Seed Grant
2009 Seed Grant
2009 Seed Grant
The Future of Global AIDS

Treatment
Multidisciplinary Program
on Disease Management:
Drug Resistance and
Social norms
new Strategies to
Detect and Prevent
Tuberculosis
Applying Basic
Bacteriology to the Global
health Challenges of
Infectious Disease
Using the Brazilian therapeutic

response to hIv/AIDS as an
ethnographic baseline, Joo
Biehl assesses the aftermath
of large-scale drug access
programs and the social
determinants of health in
Latin America and Africa.
The project has involved more
than 20 undergraduates in
field research projects around
the globe. External funding
from the Ford Foundation has
supported expansion of the
project.
Simon Levin and Ramanan

Laxminarayan lead an
integrated research and
teaching program to address
challenges in drug resistance
management and the role
of social norms in health
care. As part of this project,
six undergraduate interns
conducted research on
antibiotic and anti-malarial
resistance at study sites
in Washington, D.C., new
Delhi, and nairobi. The
program received a $250,000
grant from the CDC to study
factors influencing antibiotic
prescribing practices in six
U.S. hospitals.
John Groves and Joshua

Rabinowitz use advanced
imaging technologies to
monitor changes within human
cells in response to antituberculosis therapy. Their
study focuses on iron uptake
by the bacteria which can be
exploited as an early indication
of tuberculosis infection. The
findings have been significantly
impacted by undergraduate
work and have potential for
determining new drug therapy
regimes.
Zemer Gitai is studying bacterial

structure at the molecular level
to identify novel pathways for
antibiotic action. his research
revealed new mechanisms of
bacterial pathogenesis and
identified a simple and inexpensive compound that blocks the
growth and virulence of a wide
range of human pathogens.
Gitai was awarded the national
Institutes of health Directors
new Innovator Award and $1.5
million for research emerging
from this Grand Challenge
project.
New/Impacted Courses
Critical Perspectives in Global
Health and Health Policy;
Medical Anthropology
New Course
Anthropology, Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology,
Molecular Biology, near
Eastern Studies, operations
Research and Financial
Engineering, Religion,
Woodrow Wilson School
Disease Ecology, Economics

and Policy
Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology, Economics,
Molecular Biology, Princeton
Impacted Course
Advanced Organic Chemistry
Participating Department
Molecular Biology
Chemistry, Lewis-Sigler
Institute
Collaborating Institution
John hopkins University,
Center for Tuberculosis
Research
Center for Disease Dynamics,
Economics and Policy
36
o vE Rv IE W
2009 Seed Grant
2009 Seed Grant
Potable Water for

Global health
Who Governs the Microbe?

The Governance of
Infectious Disease in
Southern Africa
The Integration of
Chemistry and Biology to
Seed a next Generation of
Malaria and Tuberculosis
Therapeutics
Fighting Endemic Fluorosis

in Rural villages of northeastern India
By designing, manufacturing,
and installing ceramic water
filters in rural nigeria,
Professor Winston Soboyejo
has essentially eliminated the
occurrence of diarrhea among
participating households.
Princeton students have
contributed to the development
of the filters, the establishment
of a manufacturing factory
in nigeria, and assessments
of corresponding changes in
community health. Soboyejo
is exploring a franchise model
to expand manufacturing and
distribution to additional sites.
Evan Lieberman and his

students have mapped the
authority structures for
responding to the threat of
infectious disease in a high
hIv prevalence region of
South Africa, highlighting the
accountability deficit in the
existing goverence framework.
The project also tests a set
of hypotheses about the
drivers of citizens and elites
perception of the threat of
infectious disease. With health
Challenge colleague Joo
Biehl, Lieberman hosted an
international conference on
Judiciary and Global Health.
Erik Sorensen and Joel

Freundlich are developing more
effective, synthetic analogs
of pleuromutilin, a compound
derived from mushrooms that
has antibiotic response to
tuberculosis. Undergraduate
research is making significant
contributions to their effort
to find an analog effective
against drug resistant strains
of tuberculosis.
This multidisciplinary team has

developed a simple fluorideremoving filter that can be
manufactured in villages in
India to combat dental and
skeletal fluorosis. Led by Peter
Jaff, Burton Singer, and Satish
Myneni, researchers are
optimizing filter manufacture
and plan to collect health data
while testing a version in a village school in Jharkand, India.
Impacted Course
Chemistry
Environmental Engineering
Laboratory
vitae Pharmaceuticals
Chemical and Biological,

Keller Center, Mechanical
Princeton Institute for the
Science and Technology of
Materials
New Course
The Politics of Responding

to Epidemics in Sub-Saharan
Africa
Birla Institute of Technology
h E A LT h
Engineering, Geosciences,
New Course
Introduction to Biomedical
Innovation and Global Health
2009 Seed Grant
E nE RG Y
2008 Seed Grant
Politics
Rhodes University
37
A P P E n D I C E S
health Challenge Participants

(2008-2010)
Applying Basic Bacteriology to the Global Health
Challenges of Infectious Disease
ZEMER GITAI assistant professor of molecular biology
Undergraduates William Dixon 09, Leo Kim 10, Melina MeneguinLayerenza 11, natsai nyakudarika 08, Jonathan Turner 10
Characterizing the In Vivo Plasmodium Metabolome

MANUEL LLINS assistant professor of molecular biology
Undergraduates Fatu Conteh 10, Chad Faulkner 10, Zoe Li 12,
neal Yuan 10
The Future of Global AIDS Treatment

JOO BIEHL professor of anthropology
Research Associates Peter Locke, Ramah McKay
Ph.D. Candidates Celeste Alexander, Amy Moran-Thomas,
Sebastian Ramirez, Ari Samsky
Masters Candidate Mariana Socal
Undergraduates Kathryn Bailey 10, Adam Bradlow 11, Angelina
Caruso 12, Elizabeth Chen 10, Courtney Crumpler 13, Allison
Daminger 12, Sarina Dutta 11, Raphael Frankfurter 13, Joshua
Franklin 11, Alex Gertner 10, Kulani Jalata 12, Jessica Lander 10,
Tolu Lanrewaju 09, David Laslett 09, Karen Lillie 09, Raaj Mehta
10, Josephine Yolisa nalule 10, Benjamin oseroff 11, Sonia
Porter 11, olaf Sakkers 11, John Torrey 11, Alan Utria 12, Alyse
Wheelock 11, Sojung Yi, 12
Endemic Fluorosis in Rural Villages of Northeastern

India: Development of a Robust Water Treatment
Technology, Field Implementation, and its Health
Effects
PETER JAFF professor of civil and environmental engineering
SATISH MyNENI associate professor of geosciences
BURTON SINGER professor of demography and public affairs,
Ph.D. Candidates Luke MacDonald, Bridget oDonoghue, Zhen Yu
Undergraduates nisha Rao 12, Maryanne Wachter 11
The Integration of Chemistry and Biology to Seed a

Next Generation of Tuberculosis Therapeutics
ERIK SORENSEN professor of chemistry
JOEL FREUNDLICH visiting senior research scholar
Research Associates and Visitors Kiran Guthikonda, Stephen
Lotesta
Ph.D. Candidate Junjia Liu
Undergraduates Richmond owusu 09, Emma Yates 11
Multidisciplinary Program on Disease Management:

Drug Resistance and Social Norms
Facing page: health Challenge
intern nisha Rao 12 conducting
lab research on water treatment
technologies under the supervision
of Peter Jaff, faculty member
of civil and environmental
engineering. Photo: Carol Peters
SIMON LEVIN professor of ecology and evolutionary biology

RAMANAN LAxMINARAyAN associate research scholar,
Princeton Environmental Institute
Research Associates and Visitors Maciej Boni, Patricia GeliRolfhamre
Undergraduates Rebecca Butler 10, Erica Leavitt 11, Josephine
Yolisa nalule 10, Agatha offorjebe 09, Yuna Sakuma 11,
Ashley Schoettle 10, Lova Sun 11, Aditi vasan 10, Jane Zhao 11
38
New Strategies to Detect and Prevent Tuberculosis

JOHN T. GROVES professor of chemistry
JOSHUA RABINOWITZ associate professor of chemistry
Research Associate Dawn Wallace
Ph.D. Candidates Kiat-hwa Chan, Courtney McQueen
Undergraduates Peter Wu 09, James Yan 09, Alex Zozula 10
Potable Water for Global Health

WINSTON SOBOyEJO professor of mechanical and aerospace
engineering
Research Associate Karen Malatesta
Ph.D. Candidates Megan Leftwich, Ismaiel Yakub
Undergraduates haoqian Chen 08, Katie Friedman 10, Eden Full
13, Ishani Sud 08, Andrew Usoro 10
Who Governs the Microbe? Exploring the Emergence

of Authority as Response to the Risk of Infectious
Disease
EVAN LIEBERMAN associate professor of politics
Ph.D. Candidates Erin Lin, Gwyneth McClendon, Estelle Prinsloo,
Siyabonga-ka-Phindile Yonzi
Undergraduates Ali Kelley 09, Irfan Kherani 11, Gcobani Qambela
(visiting undergraduate), Qiong Qiu 12, Brittany Stanley 09,
Shivani Sud 12, Alex vuckovic 09
o vE Rv IE W
Ameer Elbuluk 13 (economics)
E nE RG Y
My summer internship
through the health Grand
Challenge solidified my
aspiration to become
a physician.
h E A LT h
A P P E n D I C E S
Grand Challenges Financial Report
Sources of Funds
$9.3 million has been expended to implement the Grand Challenges Program in its first three
years. Funds have been sourced principally from two private foundations ($6.8 million, 73%) and
the Princeton Environmental Institute (PEI) ($2.3 million, 24%).
Sources of Funds 2007-2010
($000)
High Meadows
PEI
Siebel
Other
$ 4,500
$ 2,252
$ 2,250
$ 325
Total $ 9.3 million
PEI resources ($2.3 million) include several donor directed/endowed funds designated for
postdoctoral and graduate fellowships and for undergraduate research. The resources of
several discretionary PEI accounts have been directed to support the Grand Challenges
Program as well.
PEIs financial commitment to the Grand Challenges Program is consistent with commitments
made at program inception and will be maintained on a go-forward basis.
Term funding contributed by the high Meadows Foundation ($7.5 million) and the Thomas
and Stacey Siebel Foundation ($5.0 million to support the Energy Challenge) extends through
2012. Additional resources are needed to support the program beyond the initial term of donor
directed support.
2007-2012 Budget Forecast

($000)
High Meadows
PEI
Siebel
Other
$ 7,500
$ 3,675
$ 5,000
$ 325
Total Grand Challenges spending through the five year program launch period is forecast at
$16.5 million inclusive of high Meadows, Siebel Foundation, and PEI committments.
Total $ 16.5 million
40
o vE Rv IE W
Uses of Funds
E nE RG Y
Program Goals
Distribution of Resources to
Support Program Goals ($000)
Research Cooperatives
Other Innovations in
Teaching
Events/Other
Reserves
Administrative
$ 5,332

$ 2,390
$ 318
$ 240
$ 1,048
$8.3 million (89 percent) of program resources directly supported Grand Challenges Program
research and educational goals. The largest component of this ($5.3 million, 64 percent)
funded an expanded network of interdisciplinary research projects around Grand Challenges
themes. An additional $2.4 million contributed to other innovations in graduate/undergraduate
education including courses, course related field work, internships, and independent projects.
Remaining funds supported events including symposia, lecture series, and colloquia centering
on focal topics. A small reserve has been maintained to provide flexibility to support new
project initiatives as appropriate. Administrative overhead represented less than 11 percent
of total program investment. The low overhead rate reflects economies of scale achieved by
integration of program administration alongside other PEI programming priorities. At build-out,
administrative overhead will remain low relative to conventional administrative cost structures.
Total $ 9.3 million
Interdisciplinary Research Cooperatives

The Grand Challenges Program leverages pre-existing strengths in Princetons research
enterprise and has recruited an elite cohort of Princeton faculty to launch projects that address
the scientific, technical, and policy dimensions of challenges in energy, development, and
health. To date, $3.3 million has been allocated to launch twenty-two (22) seed research
projects with an additional $1.1 million supporting core research projects including the oil,
Energy and the Middle East initiative (Energy) and the Ewaso Water Project (Development).
Forty-six (46) Princeton faculty from 18 academic disciplines have participated in the Grand
Challenges research enterprise since 2007.

($000)
Continuing Research
Seed Research
Research Centers
$ 1,117
$ 3,321
$ 894
Total $ 5.3 million
41
A P P E n D I C E S
h E A LT h
Approximately $900 thousand has been directed to establish international research centers as
host field sites for Grand Challenges faculty, research professionals, and students. Investment
in the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya is strategic and provides access, security, and support
for faculty, researchers, and students travelling to the region for research and educational
purposes. The Mpala site is used by faculty and students affiliated with both Development
and health cooperatives. The health Challenge leadership team is exploring the potential for
international research centers in other parts of the developing world.
Grand Challenges Financial Report
Innovations in Undergraduate and Graduate Education

The Grand Challenges Program invested $2.4 million to advance innovations in undergraduate
and graduate education.
($000)
Graduate Students
$ 679
Policy Fellowships
564
PECS
115
Undergraduates
$ 1,713
Course Development
527
Teaching
393
Senior Thesis
76
Internships
717
Total Education $ 2.4 million
Senior Thesis Research

Projects/Internships
number of Students
125
100
of this amount, $1.7 million (71 percent) contributed to curricular innovations in the
undergraduate program including 44 new/modified courses, an expanded semester in the field
program, a robust program of undergraduate internships, and support for undergraduate field
research projects.
Grand Challenges provided nearly $700 thousand to support graduate study in energy,
development, and health. This includes support for 12 two-year graduate fellowships and
resources to support a new Princeton Energy and Climate Scholars (PECS) group.
Participation in the Grand Challenges Internship Program has grown steadily since the
Programs inception. The number of students pursuing field research projects on Grand
Challenges topics as part of their senior thesis also increased. In the aggregate, 288
undergraduates have engaged in Grand Challenges internships and field research projects
since the program was launched in 2007.
75
50
25
0
2007
2008
2009
2010
Senior Thesis Projects

Internships
42
o vE Rv IE W
Distribution of Grand Challenges Funds

E nE RG Y
Energy Development Health

Donor funds have been allocated across the Energy, Development, and health cooperatives
in balanced proportion. Spending on the health initiative began in earnest in 2008 following
a one year concept design/development phase. Accordingly, total expenditure on the health
Challenge slightly lags amounts awarded to the other two cooperatives.
Distribution of Donor Funds

($ 000)
Energy - Development - health
Science Technology Policy Solutions
Energy
Development
Health
Joint
Administrative
$ 2,088
$ 1,821
$ 1,494
$ 744
$ 604
Total $ 6.75 million
Grand Challenges Participation
The Grand Challenges Program invites participation from across the University community
to explore the full spectrum of scientific, technical, and policy dimensions of targeted global
environmental problems. The distribution of program resources across disciplinary divisions
reflects that commitment. In the aggregate, forty-six (46) Princeton faculty representing
18 academic departments received grants to advance research and teaching innovations
related to Grand Challenges program goals.
Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellows (Postdocs), Students

Research Distribution ($ 000)
Science-Technology-Policy
Policy
$ 1,426
Science
$ 1,803
Technology
$ 1,205

Total $ 4.4 million
h E A LT h
The Grand Challenges Program is developing an extensive community of scholarship around

focal issues in energy, development, and health. Participation is broadly representative of
a diverse coalition of academic departments and extends to all sectors of the academic
community with 46 faculty, 41 postdocs, 98 graduate students, and 288 undergraduate students
from 29 academic disciplines taking part in the combined Grand Challenges research and
teaching enterprise.
Participation
Faculty - Postdocs - Students
46
41
98
288
43
A P P E n D I C E S
Faculty
Postdocs
Graduate Students
Undergraduates
Participating Faculty (2007-2010)

The following Princeton faculty, from 28
academic departments, have contributed to
the Grand Challenges Program through their
research and teaching and by mentoring
students on internships and independent
research projects.
Humanities
African American Studies Carolyn M. Rouse
Architecture Lindy Roy
Lewis Center for the Arts Su Friedrich
University Center for Human Values
Peter A. Singer
Social Sciences
Anthropology Joo Biehl, Carolyn M. Rouse
Economics Christina H. Paxson,
Samuel A. Schulhofer-Wohl
History Emmanuel H. Kreike
Near Eastern Studies Michael A. Cook,
Bernard A. Haykel, Julie Taylor
Politics Evan S. Lieberman
Michael Oppenheimer, David S. Wilcove
Woodrow Wilson School Joo Biehl, Bryan
T. Grenfell, Robert O. Keohane, Adel A.
Mahmoud, Michael Oppenheimer, Christina H.
Paxson, Burton Singer, David S. Wilcove
44
Natural Sciences
Applied and Computational Mathematics
Emily A. Carter, Jeroen Tromp
Astrophysical Sciences Robert L. Goldston
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Paul A. Ginoux, Syukuro Manabe
Chemistry Gerard C. Dismukes, John T. Groves,
Joshua D. Rabinowitz, Herschel A. Rabitz,
Erik J. Sorensen
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Andrew P. Dobson, Bryan T. Grenfell,
Lars O. Hedin, Simon A. Levin,
Stephen W. Pacala, Daniel I. Rubenstein,
David S. Wilcove
Geosciences Michael L. Bender,
Robert W. Hallberg, Larry W. Horowitz,
Franois Morel, Satish C. Myneni,
Samuel G. Philander, Daniel M. Sigman,
Jeroen Tromp, Bess B. Ward
Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative
Genomics Manuel Llins,
Joshua D. Rabinowitz
Molecular Biology Zemer Gitai, Manuel Llins,
Adel A. Mahmoud
Physics Shivaji L. Sondhi
Plasma Science and Technology
Samuel A. Cohen, Szymon Suckewer
Lars O. Hedin, Franois Morel, Michael
Oppenheimer, Bess B. Ward, David S. Wilcove
OV E R V I E W
The following academic and administrative

affiliates, not otherwise recognized in this
report, have contributed to the success
of the Grand Challenges Program through
collaborations involving the planning and
administration of internships, senior thesis
research projects, events, and outreach.
D E V E L OP M E NT
Center for Health and Wellbeing

International Internship Program
Office of Communications
Office of the Dean of the College
Office of International Programs
Pace Center
Princeton in Asia
Program in Environmental Studies
Program in Global Health and Health Policy
University Health Services
HE A LTH
Chemical and Biological Engineering

Jay B. Benziger, Lynn Loo,
Robert K. Prudhomme
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Elie R. Bou-Zeid, Kelly K. Caylor, Michael A.
Celia, Peter R. Jaff, Catherine A. Peters,
Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe, James A. Smith
Computer Science Michael J. Freedman,
Margaret R. Martonosi, Jennifer L. Rexford
Electrical Engineering Mung Chiang,
Claire F. Gmachl, Sigurd Wagner, Gerard
Wysocki
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Craig B. Arnold, Emily A. Carter, Pino Martin,
Richard B. Miles, Alexander J. Smits,
Winston O. Soboyejo, Robert H. Socolow,
Szymon Suckewer
Molecular Biology Zemer Gitai,
Manuel Llins, Adel A. Mahmoud
Operations Research and Financial
Engineering Warren B. Powell
Kelly K. Caylor, Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe
E N E RG Y
Engineering
Academic and Campus

Affiliates (2007-2010)
45
A P P EN D I C E S
Acknowledgements
Principal funding support for the Grand Challenges Program has been provided by:
The High Meadows Foundation
The Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation
Grand Challenges Leadership and Administration

Princeton Environmental Institute Stephen W. Pacala, director
School of Engineering and Applied Science Harold V. Poor, dean
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs Christina H. Paxson, dean
Katharine B. Hackett executive director
Bryan T. Grenfell director, Health Challenge
Daniel I. Rubenstein director, Development Challenge
Robert H. Socolow director, Siebel Energy Challenge
Stacey T. Christian business administration
Kristina M. Graff health initiatives
Amy L. Hepler webmaster
Pascale M. Poussart energy initiatives
Lorin B. Romeo Romay internships
Holly P. Welles communications and outreach
Contributing Editors
Kristina M. Graff
Katharine B. Hackett
Amy L. Hepler
Roberta Hotinski
Carol H. Peters
Pascale M. Poussart
Holly P. Welles
Design
ChingFoster
Website
www.princeton.edu/grandchallenges/
Facing page: Undergraduates conducting fieldwork in Panama under

direction of faculty member Stephen Pacala. Photo: Lise Pacala
Back cover: Holder Hall archway. Photo: Princeton University, Office
of Communications, by Mahlon Lovett
The cover and text pages of this report was printed on carbonneutral, 100% recycled FSC-certified paper. The Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC) certification guarantees that trees used to produce this
paper were procured from responsibly managed forests. All copies
were printed on a Xerox iGen 4 digital color production press. The
Xerox iGen 4 is eco-friendly; up to 97% of the machines components
are recyclable or remanufacturable.
46
Bringing together faculty,

students, and post-doctoral
fellows from different
disciplines to work together
in the field is an experience
that energizes and
empowers everyone.

Daniel I. Rubenstein, Class of 1877 Professor of Zoology.
Chair, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Guyot Hall | Princeton University | Princeton, New Jersey 08544-1003

http://www.princeton.edu/grandchallenges

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Grand

The Grand Challenges

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Director, Princeton Environmental

Dean, Woodrow Wilson School

Dean, School of Engineering

Above: Associate Professor of

The signature of the Grand Challenges

The Grand Challenges Program is funded

Establishing Research and Teaching Cooperatives

Establishing Research and Teaching Cooperatives

The Development Challenge confronts

Banner: In Panama, Princeton undergraduate students

Grand Challenges 2007-2010 Progress Report

Grand Challenges funds

Elie R. Bou-Zeid, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering

Grand Challenges 2007-2010 Progress Report

Grand Challenges Research

Banner: Undergraduate students

Joo Biehl, professor of anthropology

Grand Challenges 2007-2010 Progress Report

Daniel Rubenstein, animal behaviorist and

Early progress in the search for solutions

The Grand Challenges Program provided seed

Zemer Gitai (molecular biology) shifted his

Emily Carter (mechanical and aerospace

Grand Challenges 2007-2010 Progress Report

Winston Soboyejo (mechanical and

Grand Challenges Education

internships and senior

Expanding the undergraduate curriculum

Faculty are at their best when their instructional and research

Adding course-related fieldwork and international exposure

Banner: Daniel Sigman (far-right),

Students enrolled in Saudi Arabia: Security,

Grand Challenges 2007-2010 Progress Report

An interdisciplinary group of juniors

Building a campus-wide curriculum in energy, development, and health

Creating new programs of study for undergraduates

Critical Perspectives in Global

Field Eco-Hydrology and Science and

Grand Challenges 2007-2010 Progress Report

Introducing internships as a critical component of undergraduate education

Banner: Livestock in a pastoralist

Grand Challenges 2007-2010 Progress Report

Jonathan Bradshaw 10 (civil and

Enriching the senior thesis as a culminating experience

Molly OConnor 11 (civil and environmental engineering)

Above: Undergraduates Ming Lu

Grand Challenges 2007-2010 Progress Report

over two summers as an intern with

My Grand Challenges internship with Professor

Molly oConnor 11 (civil and environmental

Sara Peters 11 worked

United States (99)

Grand Challenges Interns

Sierra Leone (7)

Amy Gobel 12 conducted

Grand Challenges 2007-2010 Progress Report

Emily Trautner 11 interned

Joongyu Daniel Song 12

South Africa (19)

Grand Challenges 2007-2010 Progress Report

Jeremy Chen 11 and