Gillian Knapp receives presidential award for STEM mentorship

By Emily Aronson

Gillian Knapp

Gillian Knapp. Photo by Denise Applewhite.

Gillian Knapp, an emeritus professor of astrophysical sciences and senior scholar, has received the National Science Foundation’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

Knapp taught at Princeton for 34 years and was one of the first women to join the science faculty. In 2005, she founded the Princeton Prison Teaching Initiative (PTI), a leader in providing college-accredited classes to incarcerated individuals. The Presidential Award recognizes Knapp’s work in founding PTI, as well as her role in developing and expanding mentorship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Astrophysical Sciences, where she helped foster a diverse and inclusive student and faculty community.