March 6, 2018: Powell ’17 Pitches on Shark Tank; Vandivere ’01 Examines a Vermeer Masterpiece; and More

Thrive+ founder Brooks Powell ’17 pitched his nutritional supplement for reducing the negative effects of alcohol (i.e. hangovers) on ABC’s Shark Tank Feb. 25 but was unable to convince the Sharks to invest. Read more on Culture Map Houston.

Abbie Vandivere ’01, the paintings conservator at the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery in The Hague, is overseeing a study using cutting-edge technology to determine how Vermeer painted his “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” — The New York Times

Paul Oyer *96, an economics professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, became an Uber driver in order to study the gig economy firsthand, which led to a paper detailing the gender earnings gap among Uber drivers. — Stanford Report

LabCorp CEO Dave King ’77 explains how his stints as a federal prosecutor and a high school basketball referee taught him lessons that he has applied as an executive. — WRAL TechWire

Matt Krumholtz *15 writes in a recent opinion piece that in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting, student survivors have been effective at “turning the paternalistic prerogative of straight talk on its head.” — HuffPost

Radiation oncologist Janna Andrews ’96 describes the challenges she faces as an African American woman in the specialized medical industry. — Newsday

Laura Boyce ’07, an education administrator and Teach for America alumna, and Loree Jones *93, the chief of staff at Rutgers University-Camden, are on the list of 27 candidates nominated to serve on the school board of Philadelphia. — CBS Philly

Former American diplomat and journalist Denise Burgess ’84 has been named the chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. — Dorchester Reporter

Rev. Amy Ebeling McCreath ’87 will be the first woman to become the cathedral dean in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. — The Boston Globe

Chris Young ’02, the last San Diego Padres pitcher to win a playoff game (in 2006), has returned to the team in hopes of landing a spot on the roster at age 38. — The Washington Post

Jonathan Ehrlichman ’12, the analytics director for the Tampa Bay Rays, spent time in the dugout during spring training as part of the team’s effort to integrate its front-office data team with the on-field staff. — Tampa Bay Times

Physicist Alan Nathan *75 is part of a Major League Baseball task force investigating purported changes to the cores of baseballs that may be playing a role in the increase of home runs in recent years. — FiveThirtyEight