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Announcements for Friday, October 21, 2011

Announcements

  • New way to locate department news on our website

    To find a comprehensive archive of department news stories, we have a new tab now located on the department website. You'll find this on the far left side toward the top, entitled "Department News." This tab will send you to a separate section that only has news stories. Archived department announcements are still accessible through the "Weekly Announcements" tab also on the left-hand side.

News

  • Alumnus Scott Irwin to present Deal Lecture and department seminar

    Economist Scott Irwin (left) will present the 2011 William K. Deal Endowed Leadership Lecture Oct. 25 at Iowa State University. He will present "How Agricultural Economics Saved Futures Markets: An Untold Story of Leadership" at 7 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union on campus. The event is free and open to the public.

    An international leader in agricultural economics, Irwin is the Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing at the University of Illinois.

    “I plan to share the story of how three relatively obscure agricultural economists played a crucial role in changing the perception of futures markets from mere gambling dens to valuable market institutions for discovering prices and shifting risks,” Irwin said. “I will also draw parallels to the current debate about the role of speculation in commodity markets.”

    Irwin, a native Iowan, grew up on a farm near Bagley and is an Iowa State alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business. He earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in agricultural economics at Purdue University. He is well known for his research on agricultural marketing and price analysis, commodity market efficiency and speculation in commodity markets. Irwin is widely cited by other academic researchers and frequently consulted by policymakers and the media. His extension programs, including AgMAS and farmdoc, help farmers and agribusinesses evaluate agricultural market advisory services and apply risk management information.

    William K. Deal, an Iowa State alum with a degree in agricultural education, established the lecture series to help prepare future leaders and innovators in agriculture. The lecture is organized by the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and co-sponsored by the Committee on Lectures funded by the Government of the Student Body. 

    Irwin will also present a Department of Economics seminar entitled "Testing the Masters Hypothesis in Commodity Futures Markets," on Monday, October 24th. 

  • Edwards coordinates crop insurance workshop

    "Insuring Iowa's Agriculture" is the title of a one-day workshop sponsored by the Department of Economics Extension team, geared toward crop insurance agents and providers. The workshop, in its 11th year, is scheduled for Tuesday, November 1, and will focus on the latest innovations in crop insurance.

    "This is the most comprehensive review of crop insurance programs available to insurance professionals in Iowa," says workshop coordinator William Edwards (right). The workshop typically brings in around 350 attendees annually, who Edwards says are "very appreciative" of the information.

    Topics include the new data sharing procedure between the Risk Management Agency (RMA) and the USDA, automatic acreage reporting and the use of satellite data for verifying crop insurance records, and an introduction to a new standardized hail insurance policy developed by the National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS). Participants will also learn about weather trends and how crop insurance can better adapt, the economic outlook for grains for 2012, and how revenue protection insurance and grain marketing tools can work together to increase profits and reduce risk. Representatives from a dozen major crop insurance companies will also house displays in the lobby.

    The workshop is also open to Department of Economics faculty and graduate students, and will be held at the Scheman Building on the ISU campus. Contact Edwards at wedwards@iastate.edu with interest. Participants can also register at www.cpm.iastate.edu/Upcoming , or by calling 515-294-6222.


     


     

  • Hart sees "snapshot" of US agriculture from eyes of international reporters

    Chad Hart (left) is used to dealing with reporters in his role as grain extension economist. But recently when he met with a group of international reporters touring campus in conjunction with the World Food Prize, Hart describes the volley of questions he received as a "heck of a tennis match."

    Reporters from Germany, Brazil, Ghana, Cambodia, and the newly formed South Sudan focused their questions to Hart on the impact of United States ag-policy on international food markets. He says they wanted to learn more about government subsidies, budget issues in the US, and the impacts of US non-ag policy around biofuels and monetary policy that can affect world agricultural prices.

    "It was one of the most diverse groups I've ever spoken with," he says. Each reporter asked questions within the context of their own country’s experience and dominant commodity. Questions fed off each other, and Hart says that some of the most challenging came from a reporter from South Sudan, where trade partnerships, he says, "are very complex."

    Hart says that these countries were "very interested in how US ag supports might change, and how this could impact world markets.

    “We provide a lot of materials to these countries, but they also see us as a competitor. I saw a great snapshot of what these countries think of US agriculture," he says.

  • Friday's seminar: Yixiao Sun, University of California, San Diego

    Yixiao Sun, University of California, San Diego will present a seminar on Friday, October 28 entitled "Simple and Accurate F Tests in the Time Series GMM Framework."


    Sun is an associate professor in economics at UC San Diego. After earning his Ph.D. in economics from Yale University in 2002, he joined the UCSD faculty, and his subsequent work was published in top econometrics journals such as Econometrica, Econometric Theory, and the Journal of Econometrics.


    Professor Sun’s work encompasses several areas within econometrics including econometrics of time series, panel data, and high frequency financial data. His most recent research focuses on smoothing parameter choice for optimal interval estimation and hypothesis testing, and robust and accurate inference in the presence of temporal, spatial and spatio-temporal dependence. Professor Sun is an associate editor of Econometric Theory. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation.

  • Weekly media connections for the Department of Economics

    Information courtesy of Jackie King, ISU News Service.

    Chad Hart spoke with Matt Wilde of the Waterloo Courier, and Ed Clark of Successful Farming on changes in grain marketing over the next five years.

    Hart also spoke with the following:

    • John Pocock, Corn and Soybean Digest, on factors affecting the soybean market.
    • Bethany Pint, Farm Bureau Spokesman, on the latest USDA supply and demand report and the crop markets have reacted to it.
    • Mike Crum of the Associated Press, on the impact of free-trade agreements on agricultural trade.
    • Terri Queck-Matzke of Feedlot magazine, on ethanol markets and policy.
    • Elizabeth Campbell of Bloomberg, on the outlook for the corn market over the next six months.
    • Scott Kilman of the Wall Street Journal, on corn margins/profits this year for Iowa's farmers.

    Dave Swenson spoke with Jeanine Beck of IPR, about the need for regulatory reform and property tax reform to promote business growth in Iowa.

    Swenson also spoke with the following:

    • Donnelle Eller of The Des Moines Register on unemployment in nonmetropolitan areas, questions on higher unemployment rates and higher duration of unemployment.
    • Scott Kilman of The Wall Street Journal on whether robust farm earnings will reduce rural outmigration.

Graduate Student Announcements

  • Economics graduate programs at Middle Tennessee State University

    Learn more about M.A. and PhD programs in economics at Middle Tennessee State University at:http://frank.mtsu.edu/~econfin/grad.html

External Seminars and Workshops

  • On-line Video: CALS workshop "Preparing Multi-Institutional Proposals for USDA AFRI Challenge Areas"

    Researchers preparing proposals for the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) or large proposals for other funding agencies are invited to view the video files from the 2011 CALS workshop, “Preparing Multi-Institutional Proposals For USDA AFRI Challenge Areas,” at http://www.ag.iastate.edu/research/fundingResources/node/94.

    The workshop features Lois Wright Morton, John Patience, Alison Robertson, and Ken Moore, who share their experiences in leading or playing a key role in four successful multi-institutional, transdisciplinary proposals submitted to the USDA for AFRI funding. The video files also include an introduction and Q&A, and the workshop handouts are available for downloading.

Conferences and Calls for Papers

  • Eastern Economic Association Call For Papers
  • 25th Annual Way Up Conference for Women in Higher Education, Nov. 3-4, 2011 ~ Registration Information

    The 25th Annual Way Up Conference will be held Thursday and Friday, November 3-4, 2011, at the West Des Moines Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. This year’s conference theme is: Celebrating 25 Years of Empowering Women: How far have we come?

    This state-wide conference represents a partnership among Iowa’s institutions of higher education, including state universities, private colleges, and community colleges, as well as the Board of Regents and Department of Education. The conference aims to foster growth, professional development, and collaboration among women working in higher education in Iowa. We encourage ISU faculty, staff, and students with an interest in leadership and higher education to consider attending.

    To register, please consult The Way Up Conference website:http://www.uni.edu/ietti/wayup/2011_conference/index.html. Regular conference registration is $150 before October 21; registration for students and presenters is $99.

  • Second Annual National Conference on Teaching Economics

    Hosted by The American Economics Association's Committee on Economic Education. More information available at: http://www.aeaweb.org/committees/AEACEE/Conference/

  • CALL FOR PAPERS - Searle Center on Law, Regulation, and Economic Growth

    The Searle Center on Law, Regulation, and Economic Growth is issuing a call for original research papers to be presented at the Third Annual Conference on Internet Search and Innovation. The conference will be held at the Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago, IL. The conference will run from approximately 12:00 P.M. on Thursday, June 21st, 2012 to 3:00 P.M. on Friday, June 22nd, 2012. There will be a dinner reception and keynote address on Thursday night.

    Topics include:

    • Internet search and antitrust
    • Privacy issues in Internet search and marketing
    • Competition and barriers to entry in two-sided markets
    • Business method inventions and patents for Internet inventions
    • The Internet, innovation, and intellectual property
    • Market design, platforms, and e-commerce
    • R&D and innovation in high-tech
    • Open standards and entrepreneurship
    • Data portability
    • Cloud computing
    • Joint work in economics and computer science on search algorithms and other topics related to Internet search

    Papers for the conference should be submitted to the following email address: editjems@kellogg.northwestern.edu.

    Attendance for this conference is by invitation only. Potential attendees should indicate their interest in receiving an invitation by sending a message to Derek Gundersen at d-gundersen@law.northwestern.edu.

    Information on the Searle Center’s activities may be found at: www.law.northwestern.edu/searlecenter.

Funding Opportunities

Job Opportunities

  • Open faculty positions, University of Alberta, Canada

    The following positions are open at the University of Alberta, Canada:


    Chair in Food Security and Sovereignty


    Assistant/Associate Prof. in Ag Economics

  • UW-Madison Tenure Track Position
  • Job opportunity - Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Rochester Institute of Technology

    Rochester Institute of Technology is interested in further diversifying its faculty and ask your help in identifying men and women interested in applying for our two tenure-track assistant professor positions that are advertised in the October Job Openings for Economists: http://www.aeaweb.org/joe/listing.php?JOE_ID=201110_396095.

    Contact Associate Professor Jeffrey Wagner with any questions:  jeffrey.wagner@rit.edu, 585-475-5289.

  • New position at Texas Tech University - director of Teaching and Study of Free Market Economics Institute

    Seeking professor for newly created position as director of the Institute for the Teaching and Study of Free Market Economics. For more information contact Klaus Becker at Box 41014, Lubbock, Texas 79409-1014; 806-742-2201

  • Faculty position in economics at University of Wisconsin-Stout

    Seeking assistant professor in economics, full-time, entry-level, tenure-track appointment beginning in August 2012. To ensure full consideration, all application materials must be submitted by November 21, 2011. Send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts, and contact information for three current references to: Ms. Christine Colby, Recruitment Coordinator - Economics, Social Sciences Departments, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Wisconsin, 54751 (712-232-2287; colbyc@uwstout.edu)

  • Job Opportunity at The Chinese University of Hong Kong
  • Search for microeconometrician at Northern Illinois University