Photo: Ricardo Barros
FIRED UP: Bill Baumbach ’75 *87 took his first ceramics course at Princeton with Toshiko Takaezu while working toward his undergraduate degree in biochemistry. Before beginning his graduate studies in molecular biology, he spent a year as Takaezu’s apprentice. Baumbach has pursued science in parallel with art ever since. “To me, the thought processes used in science and art are very much alike,” he says. “Experimentation, creativity, and technical excellence are driving forces in both areas.”