BUZZ BOX: Big challenges still await robot designers

In response to: Robo Shop: Princeton students are designing machines that seem to have minds of their own

Published in the January 18, 2012 issue

Alumni responded to PAW’s Nov. 16 cover story that described Princeton’s Program in Robotics and Intelligent Systems, led by Professor Robert Stengel *65 *68, and profiled three students and the robots they had developed. “The work is wonderful; and all these people are much...

Holding the line on A’s

In response to: President's Page

By Greg Hurwitt ’82

Published in the January 18, 2012 issue

In regard to the President’s Page (Nov. 16), President Tilghman states that the new grading policy designed to reduce the number of A grades awarded has had only a small impact on GPAs and “no impact on the career outcomes that we are able to accurately measure.” The key...

Holding the line on A’s

In response to: President's Page

By Daniel I.A. Cohen ’67

Published in the January 18, 2012 issue

The mathematician William Feller, celebrated for his work on the normal “bell-shaped” distribution, once encountered a professor who proudly demonstrated the distribution of his grades for the semester. The teacher presented a beautiful instance of a bell curve. Feller ...

Holding the line on A’s

In response to: Class on modern baseball a hit; makes ‘hottest college course’ list

By Roland Kuchel ’61

Published in the January 18, 2012 issue

Now that Princeton successfully has addressed grade inflation, will it also question a curriculum that includes such seemingly spurious course offerings, by the American studies program, as “The Making of Modern Baseball” (Campus Notebook, Nov. 16)? Touted by the...

Football’s ‘moribund’ state

By Robert C. Lang Jr. ’70

Published in the January 18, 2012 issue

On Nov. 19, varsity football lost to Dartmouth in its final game, compiling a season record of one win and nine losses. This matched its record of 2010. Over the past two seasons, football has won two games and lost 18, the worst stretch since Princeton starting playing...