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Announcements for Friday, May 13, 2011

Announcements

  • Accessing Econ Department photo gallery

    Anyone in the department can access the photo gallery to upload department photos or to look at current collections. You can access it through the following link - log in is at the far top right corner, which will ask for your net id and password.  

    http://gallery.econ.iastate.edu/content/economics-department-photo-gallery

  • What's useful news for our department?

    The news we post on our home page and in the department newsletter comes from many different sources, most often from leads and links we receive through ISU News Service. Don't forget that you can also suggest stories of your own that we produce in-house - or those we can ask ISU News Service to cover for broader dissemination.

    News comes in many different forms! A good story doesn't need to be one that goes out to all of the major news outlets. It can also be one that appears on our home page and tells perhaps a smaller story - but still just as useful. 

    Good stories can focus on the accomplishments and interests of our students, both undergrad and graduate. If you have someone attending an interesting conference this summer, or participating in research or an internship that shows the potentials of what a degree in economics from ISU offers, all the better to share that. As faculty, if you're working on something unique or interesting, or attending a meeting that others can learn from, it's also helpful to share these details.  

    These kinds of stories help the department better show the impactful work that it's involved in, and help to build a cohesive message about its diverse strengths. We've made progress in setting up a communications infrastructure for our department - but there is much more ground that we can cover now that those pieces are in place. Your suggestions for content are essential.

    If you have any questions or ideas about potential stories or communications, please contact Kristin Senty at ksenty@iastate.edu, 4x9849.

  • Help raise 10,000 lbs of food for Story County - United Way food drive drop in Heady Hall

    Hunger is real. Economic struggles force some families to choose between paying for electricity and buying groceries.  In Story County, two-thirds of food pantry users barely make more than the state minimum wage.  Bethesda Community Food Pantry in Ames, served 20,000 people in 2010 alone.  To combat this real and substantial need, United Way of Story County has teamed up with Monsanto to hold the LIVE UNITED Food Drive May 16-26. Area businesses will serve as drop points for the non-perishable products.

    The need for food is even greater during the summer months. More than 27 percent of students in the Ames Community School District are on a free or reduced lunch program. These children will no longer have access to school-provided meals once summer break starts.

    With help from the community and Monsanto, United Way of Story County hopes to raise 10,000 pounds of food. In addition, Monsanto will donate $1 for every pound of food donated to United Way of Story County’s LIVE UNITED Food Drive, up to $10,000.

    Many local businesses have partnered with United Way and will serve as drop points for food donations. For a complete list of participating businesses across the county and more information, visit United Way of Story County at www.uwstory.org.

News

  • Weekly media connections for the Department of Economics

    Information courtesy of Jackie King, ISU News Service.

    • Dave Swenson, with ISU’s Regional Economics and Community Analysis Program, interviewed with Phil Brasher, a Washington agriculture correspondent for The Des Moines Register, who had questions about the nationwide job impact of ethanol production in light of Secretary Vilsack's recent reliance on estimates produced by the Renewable Fuels Association.
    • Swenson was also a guest on "Your Turn" on NewsTalke 1430 KASI-AM in Ames, where he was interviewed by Trent Rice, news director, about $4.00 gasoline in Ames amid increasing evidence that oil prices are likely to fall in the near future.
    • Professor David Frankel appeared in a Des Moines Register article entitled "19 tries produce $9.1 million lottery jackpot." http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011105100348
    • Frankel also appeared in Sheila McNulty's Financial Times blog: Rising petrol prices: good for the oil industry, but bad for its PR http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2011/05/10/rising-petrol-prices-good-for-the-oil-industry-but-bad-for-its-pr/
    • Chad Hart, assistant professor of economics and grain markets specialist, spoke with Susan Winsor of Corn and Soybean Digest about the impact of Mississippi River flooding on grain shipments and barge traffic.

Conferences and Calls for Papers

  • Global Food Security Research e-Consultation May 9-27

    From May 9-27, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) will be coordinating a major on-line consultation, focusing on the research strategy of the US Government’s new Feed the Future (FTF) Initiative.  This is an important opportunity for our community with its researchers and other stakeholders to consider and provide input to the US government on FTF’s research priorities, and to discuss how best to support and engage with this important new program.  You are invited to participate in this consultation.   

    Please circulate this invitation widely.  We are seeking participation and input from a wide cross-section of researchers concerned with agriculture, natural resources, hunger alleviation, and human development, and all others interested in commenting on and engaging with FTF’s research strategy.  The attachment provides additional information.

    For further information about the complete consultation process, visit: http://www.aplu.org/page.aspx?pid=2014.

  • CALL FOR PAPERS: GMCC-11 Coexistence Conference

    Achieving Coexistence of Biotech, Conventional and Organic Foods in the Marketplace, Vancouver, Canada, October 26-28, 2011  http://gmcc-11.com/

    Abstracts can be submitted at: http://gmcc-11.expressacademic.org/login.phpGMCC conferences are biannual international events focused on the coexistence of biotech, conventional and organic foods. World class academic and industry experts, regulators, policy makers and other key stakeholders from around the world gather to discuss the challenges and opportunities in managing the growth of different types of foods in the global marketplace. In order to ensure that all sectors continue to thrive to meet the growing food demand around the world and satisfy the preferences of different consumer segments, industry, governments and stakeholder groups engage in active discussions on proper market practices and government policies. Every two years, the GMCC conferences provide a big stage for active debate on policy, legal, economic, and technical solutions that seek to facilitate coexistence.

Job Opportunities

  • Positions available at ERS

    The Food Economics Division at ERS is seeking new PhD economists with skills and interests in the following areas: 

    1) economics of information related to food labeling and certification; 2) food price analysis; 3) food assistance and health disparities; 4) behavioral economics related to food choices. 

    We will be recruiting at the AAEA meetings but also welcome applications before then as we seek to fill these positions before September 30, 2011 (candidates may start employment at a later date). Interested candidates should send a CV with references and writing sample to Elise Golan (egolan@ers.usda.gov) as soon as possible.  For more information, please contact Elise Golan (202-694-5424) or Laurian Unnevehr (202-694-5401).

Papers and Presentations

  • Wallace E. Huffman presentation

    Schuring, J., W.E. Huffman and X. Fan. “Genetically Modified Crops and Midwestern Farm Production: Evidence at the State Level Over 1960-2004.” Presented at the NC1034 Conference, “Biotechnology, Bioenergy, and Global Food Security,” University of California, Berkeley, March 24-26, 2011.