July 9, 2019: CBO Director Swagel ’87; Sittenfeld ’02 Documentary; Wind Power Study by Dabiri ’01

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Phillip Swagel ’87

Congressional Budget Office

Phillip Swagel ’87, who took the helm as Congressional Budget Office director last month, projects that the federal debt will reach 78 percent of gross domestic product by the end of the year. — USA Today

Photographer and filmmaker Josephine Sittenfeld ’02’s latest documentary, “Growing Up Ethan,” features the story of a young man with autism coming of age and finding ways to be independent. — The New York Times

New research led by Stanford engineering professor John Dabiri ’01 shows how coordinated control of wind-farm rotors can significantly increase power generation. — IEEE Spectrum

Fifty years after the first moon landing, a device designed by engineering alumnus Jim Faller *63 to precisely measure the distance from Earth to the moon remains on the lunar surface. — Town Topics

Astrophysicist J. Richard Gott III *73, an emeritus professor at Princeton, explains his statistical approach to predictions, including a controversial calculation about the future of humanity. — Vox

Kareem Maddox ’11 helped the United States 3x3 men’s basketball team win gold at the FIBA World Cup in Amsterdam, earning a spot in the 2020 Olympic qualifying tournament next spring. — ESPN

Journalist Maria Ressa ’86 writes about how she and her news site, Rappler, have been targeted by Rodrigo Duterte’s regime in the Philippines — and how Duterte has used social media to troll his critics. — Columbia Journalism Review

Metro editor Clifford Levy ’89 has led a turnaround in local news coverage at The New York Times. — Poynter

Comedy writer Jason O. Gilbert ’09 summed up the field of Democratic presidential candidates in a collection of haiku. — The New York Times