Oct. 16, 2018: Kastner ’73 Named Federal Employee of the Year; Wallach *99 Works Toward Verifiable Elections

Dr. Dan Kastner ’73’s work to identify a new class of rare genetic diseases earned the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute the honor of Federal Employee of the Year at the “Sammies” (the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals). Read more in Government Executive magazine.

Rice University computer science professor Dan Wallach *99 is assisting local administrators in Texas by developing verifiable election systems. — Texas Monthly
 
Alex Lorestani *17 and Nick Ouzounov *15 founded Geltor, a startup that uses a fermentation process to sustainably produce collagen for use in food and personal-care products. — Yahoo Finance
 
Judge Mary Walrath ’76 is overseeing a federal bankruptcy court dispute between Harvey Weinstein and his production studio, Weinstein Co. — The Wall Street Journal
 
President Donald Trump nominated Michael Park ’98 to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. — The White House
 
Christopher Nixon Cox ’01 may be joining the White House’s economic team to assist on trade policy with China. — Newsweek
 
Using data from a recent U.N. report, Terry Root *87, an emeritus professor at Stanford, predicts how climate change will affect the geography and ecosystem of western Florida. — Sarasota Magazine
 
As a graduate student, Sarah Brayne *15 shadowed Los Angeles police officers to observe how they use data in their daily operations. — Fast Company
 
Peter Slevin ’78 discusses former first lady Michelle Obama ’85’s return to public life and her new memoir, Becoming. — The Washington Post
 

“When I showed up at Princeton, I was pretty proud of myself, because at the time, I was the best lacrosse player in Michigan, which I didn’t realize was like being the tallest stump in the swamp.”

— David Morrow ’93, who was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Sept. 29. Read more in U.S. Lacrosse Magazine.

Eric Muhlheim ’91 was hired by Buzzfeed to be its next chief financial officer. — Variety
 
Michael Fernandez ’83 was named the founding director of the AAAS Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues, which aims to make nonpartisan information available to decision-makers. — Science  
 
U.S. Foreign Service officer David Bargueño ’08 received the Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement of Democracy for his work to counter violence against women and girls in Pakistan. — American Foreign Service Association
 
Comedy writer Marissa Lee ’11 was named to NBC’s Writers on the Verge class for 2018-19; the program focuses on preparing young writers for television staff-writer positions. — Broadway World
 
Pennsylvania’s Millcreek Township opened the Andrew J. Conner [’62]Nature Center at Asbury Woods, honoring Conner’s support of STEM education. — Erie Times-News
 
Adrienne Giovino ’83, a former president of the Massachusetts Orchid Society, says younger people are taking an interest in gardening. — Wicked Local – Canton
 
Joseph Lubin ’87, co-founder of the cryptocurrency startup Ethereum, will be a keynote speaker at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, next March. — Forbes