May 8, 2018: Obama ’85 Celebrates College-Bound Students; Ellis ’61 Questions Manafort Charges; and More

“We have such high hopes for you,” former first lady Michelle Obama ’85 told a crowd of 8,000 college-bound high school students in Philadelphia May 2. “I know you have everything it takes to succeed.” Read more about the celebrity-filled National College Signing Day celebration in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

David Petraeus *87, Jennifer Weiner ’91, and Louis Bayard ’85 recommend getting rid of sit-ups, homework, and the label of “women’s fiction” as part of The Washington Post’s annual “10 things to toss” spring-cleaning feature. — The Washington Post
 
U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis ’61 challenged Special Counsel Robert Mueller ’66’s authority to bring financial-crime charges against Paul Manafort. — Politico 

Economist Bridget Terry Long ’95 was named dean of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. — The Harvard Gazette
 
Kathryn Graddy *93 was promoted to dean of Brandeis University’s International Business School, where she has been the senior associate dean since 2016. — Brandeis Now
  
Soprano Erika Baikoff ’16 won first prize among vocalists in the Founder’s Division of the Mondavi Center’s Young Artists Competition in Davis, Calif. — Davis Enterprise
 
Dmitry Savransky *11, an assistant professor at Cornell University, is part of a team of 15 scientists tasked with designing a modular space telescope for NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program. — Cornell Chronicle
 
North Carolina lawyer Satana Deberry ’91, a candidate for district attorney in Durham, is part of a new wave of progressives who advocate for curbing cash bail and cutting back on filing low-level charges. — The Marshall Project
  
Texas State Rep. Eric Johnson *03 announced his candidacy for speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. — Dallas Morning News
 
Lisa Goddard *95, the director of Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society, explains that she is less concerned about melting icecaps than developing a “global framework for climate services.” — Ozy
 
Nader Al-Naji ’13, the founder of cryptocurrency startup Basis, has raised $133 million in funding to develop an algorithmic central bank. — Tech Startups
 
Yogesh Goyal *17 was named to the inaugural class of Schmidt Science Fellows, a program for postdoctoral students started by Eric Schmidt ’76 and his wife, Wendy, that aims to “drive world-changing advances across the sciences and society.” — Princeton.edu

Allan Amico ’13, the founder and CEO of DonorUp, explains how his app connects potential donors with nonprofits. — ROI NJ
 
Nathan Myhrvold *83 and Francisco Migoya received a James Beard Foundation Media Award for their cookbook Modernist Bread. — Eater
 
Actress Ellie Kemper ’02 is set to publish her debut book, My Squirrel Days, a series of essays about her childhood and interactions with other celebrities. — Entertainment Weekly