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Pioneering civil rights attorney Mary L. Bonauto ’83 H’05 was selected from a cadre of attorneys to make an historic argument before the U.S. Supreme Court against same-sex marriage bans in Michigan and Kentucky. The court also will hear arguments on behalf of same-sex couples who want the states of Ohio and Tennessee to recognize their out-of-state marriages.

Hamilton will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Kirkland charter during Reunions ’15. The New York State Board of Regents approved Kirkland’s charter in March 1965, 153 years after their approval of the original Hamilton College charter. The first class entered in 1968.

Four Hamilton students who have created meaningful projects to address global problems through their work with the Levitt Public Affairs Center had the opportunity to share their ideas on a much larger stage when they were chosen to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) in Miami on March 6-8. Ryan Ong ’16, Sharif Shrestha ’17, Tsion Tesfaye ’16 and Jose Vazquez ’15  - all of whom are Levitt Social Innovation Fellows or Public Service Interns – were among 1000 college and university students selected to take part in the prestigious conference.

Since the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA in 1953, the study and the understanding of genetics has grown exponentially. Gene therapy, the Human Genome Project, and “designer babies” exhibit the growing interest and relevance of genetics on modern society. Kari Koga ’15, a biology major, has had the opportunity to explore her passion for genetics research for the past three summers with Evolutionary Genomics.

Hamilton’s Mock Trial team has had a successful competitive year, but it’s not over yet. The team came in 3rd place last weekend (March 6-8) at the Opening Round Championship (ORCs) at Pennsylvania State University, granting them a bid to the national competition in Cincinnati (April 17-19). Of the eight total ORCs tournaments in the country, Penn State’s is known to be one of the most competitive, hosting teams such as Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Columbia and Tufts, all of which frequently compete at the national level.

Fourteen Hamilton students in the New York City Program were among those fortunate to get tickets to the hottest show in New York on March 7. They went to see Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton,” a hip-hop musical about the rise and fall of Alexander Hamilton, the architect of our nation’s financial system, first Wall St. power broker, and of course, the College’s namesake. The show will complete its run at Public Theater on May 3 and then move to Broadway’s Richard Rodgers Theatre in July.

Joe Jensen ’15 (West Windsor, N.J./West Windsor-Plainsboro HS North) of the Hamilton College baseball team has been named the top prospect in Division III by Baseball America magazine.

Six students were awarded prizes in three categories in the annual Public Speaking Competition on Saturday, March 7, in the Chapel. The finalists were chosen after an open preliminary round held in February. Speakers’ presentations were either persuasive or informative in nature, and in one category students were asked to address an assigned topic.

American businessman Philip Murphy, the former United States Ambassador to Germany, will deliver the Hamilton College Commencement address on Sunday, May 24, at 10:30 a.m., in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House.

In an American Public Media Marketplace broadcast on Feb. 25, Ann Owen, the Henry Platt Bristol Professor of Economics, discussed what the Federal Reserve’s possible interest rate increases might mean for the average American. Owen said that raising rates could mean higher rates on auto loans, credit cards and adjustable-rate mortgages, though increases would likely be gradual.