Fanzheng Yang (pictured left) is a fourth-year PhD student studying experimental and behavioral economics. This summer she attended the 12th Trento Summer School: Evolution of Social Preferences in Italy.

What was the focus of the conference, and what did you learn? Drawing on one recent insight from biology, evolutionary psychology, moral philosophy, neuroscience and anthropology as well as experimental economics and institutional economics, the summer school traced the coevolution of moral sentiments, group norms and social institutions. So, from the intensive course, I learned how biological evolution shaped our capacities for moral sentiments, how cultural evolution gives content to other-regarding preferences, and how institutions and norms co-evolve.

• Hart spoke with Kris Bevill of Ethanol Producer magazine about DDG production and the amount of DDGs derived from a bushel of corn. He spoke with Scott Kilman of the Wall Street Journal about Chinese corn acreage.

Thomas Hoenig, president of Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and department alumnus, recently delivered a talk in Des Moines on the current state of the economy. Several current and retired faculty members had the chance to visit with him. Included in the photo (pictured left to right) is GianCarlo Moschini, Dennis Starleaf, Thomas Hoenig, Dudley Luckett, Peter Orazem, Vikram Dalal (Professor, electrical and computer engineering), and John Schroeter.

The U.S. Census Bureau has been releasing 2010 Census data on a flow basis since February of this year. The most recent state-by-state data releases have contained counts of the population by age, race, and household type for geographic areas down to the census block level. Iowa’s data will be released some time during the summer of 2011.