In Brief

he number of students facing University disciplinary action after being cited for liquor-law violations dropped sharply last year, according to the University’s annual CAMPUS-SECURITY REPORT. Judicial referrals for such cases dropped from 109 in 2008 and 90 in 2009 to 33 last year, while liquor-law arrests dropped from 10 in each of the previous two years to none last year. Michael Yaroshefsky ’12, president of the Undergraduate Student Government, told The Daily Princetonian that the decline in referrals may show that “the collaboration between students and administrators to promote responsible alcohol consumption is making progress.” 

Drug-abuse violations led to 37 ­judicial referrals last year, up from 29 in 2009, but arrests dropped from 10 in 2009 to four last year. Overall, campus crime has been dropping over the past decade, though forcible sex offenses increased from 11 in 2009 to 13 last year. 

Peter Brown, professor of history emeritus, will receive one of four BALZAN PRIZES to be awarded Nov. 18 in Bern, Switzerland, for his research on the Greco-Roman field during the period of 250–800 A.D. Brown is credited with creating the “late antiquity” field of study. The award is valued at about $950,000; half is intended to support research work by young scholars.

PRINCETON PLACED FIFTH out of 400 uni­versities in the London-based Times Higher Education World University Rank­ings that were released Oct. 6. ­Caltech topped the list. 

Molecular biology professor BONNIE BASSLER was nominated Oct. 20 by ­President Barack Obama to serve on the National Science Board. The board oversees the National Science Foundation, the major source of federal funding for scientific research. Bassler, a faculty member since 1994, is best known for her research on quorum sensing, the process by which bacteria communicate. Her appointment requires Senate confirmation.