May 2016 Issue 11

President's Column

May 2016

I am pleased to congratulate Scott Swinton as the incoming President Elect of the AAEA. I previously served on the Board with Scott, and I know he will be excellent in this role. I am also happy to welcome Jeffrey Dorfman and Madhu Khanna as incoming AAEA Directors. I have had the pleasure of interacting with both Jeff and Madhu over the years and will be pleased to have their wisdom and insights as new members of the Board. I want to also thank the other superb individuals who stood for election for their dedication to the profession and willingness to serve.

I am looking forward to the Annual AAEA Meeting, which will take place July 31 to August 3 in Boston. The program looks exceptional, and I encourage anyone who is considering attending to make plans now. Boston is a fantastic place to visit in the summer, with a great deal of interesting and attractive things to see and do while you are not attending meeting activities, and most importantly, the professional and intellectual climate of the meetings will be outstanding.

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Registration & Housing are Open: 2016 AAEA Annual Meeting

The majority of the 2016 AAEA Annual Meeting activities will take place at the Boston Marriott Copley Place in Boston, MA. Room blocks have been secured and all rooms are on a first-come, first-served basis. Deadline date for the AAEA group rate is Thursday, July 7.

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Renew Your AAEA Membership for 2016

You can now renew your AAEA membership for 2016 on the AAEA website. Simply log in to the “My Account” section to renew. Completing your renewal online saves you time by filling out most of the information for you automatically.

 The benefits of your AAEA membership only last through the spring of 2016, so be sure to renew soon to ensure you keep receiving services from AAEA throughout the upcoming year.

 2016 AAEA Annual Meeting Travel Grants-Applications extended to May 27

The AAEA Trust is accepting applications for Travel Grants for Graduate Students and Early Career Professionals attending the meeting July 31-August 2. These grants defray housing and transportation costs. The amount of the travel grant awarded will depend on a variety of factors, including: number of applications received, financial need of the applicant, and expected active participation in the Annual Meeting. Applications have been extended to May 27.

To learn more about the 2016 Travel Grants visit the Annual Meeting website: http://www.aaea.org/meetings/2016-aaea-annual-meeting/presenters/am16-travel-grants

Register for the 2016 Employment Center
Registration is now open for the 2016 Employment Center taking place July 31-August 2, during the 2016 AAEA Annual Meeting in Boston, MA. The Employment Center offers a great opportunity for highly qualified candidates to connect with a number of employers during the Joint Annual Meeting. This year's Employment Center features a simplified registration and posting process that is now integrated into the newly updated AAEA Job Board. Applicant registration is FREE.

For more information please visit the online Employment Center. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Sarah Kenner. We hope to see you in Boston!

Undergraduate Student Section:
2016 AAEA Annual Meeting Activities
On behalf of the Undergraduate Student Section of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association, we cordially invite you and your students to attend and participate in the AAEA Annual Meeting in Boston (July 31-August 2, 2016). Our section offers a wide variety of professional development opportunities for undergraduate students of agricultural and applied economics:

• Academic Bowl Competition
• Student Paper Competition
• Earl O. Heady Decision Sciences Spreadsheet Competition
• Outstanding Chapter Competition
• Creative Club Competition

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Call for Judges:
SS-AAEA Academic Bowl
The Student Section seeks judges for the 2016 SS-AAEA Academic Bowl. The Academic Bowl is held during the AAEA annual meeting; this year’s event runs from July 31-August 2 in Boston, MA. The actual competition will run from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Monday, August, 1. The highest demand for judges takes place early in the day when we are operating in three rooms for the competition. Depending on the number of teams competing, we should require just two rooms from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
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Call for Participation:
AEM/GSS Sections Case Study Competition
The AEM/Graduate Student Section Case Study Competition allows graduate students to test their communication skills and their ability to apply their knowledge of agricultural economics and agribusiness subjects to practical situations. Students competing in the competition will receive a copy of the case study at least two weeks in advance of the AAEA annual meetings.
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2016 Extension Competition for Graduate Students
The Extension and Graduate Student Sections of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association announce a competition for graduate students for 2016. This competition, sponsored jointly by the Extension Section and the Graduate Student Section, provides graduate student competitors the opportunity to develop extension and outreach programs from their research. The development of education materials and presentations suitable for a general public audience is expected.
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People Section

• University of California, Berkeley
• International Food Policy Research Institute
• University of Idaho
• University of Maryland
• Michigan State University
• University of Minnesota
• Mississippi State University
• University of Missouri
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• North Dakota State University
• Purdue University
• Texas A&M University

Other News

2016-2 GTAP 101 Course
“Introduction to Computable General Equilibrium Modeling”
The objective of the GTAP 101 course is to engage participants in an active, team-based process of learning about the GTAP computable general equilibrium (CGE) model and its use in applied economic policy analysis. The curriculum emphasizes an intuitive and graphical treatment of economic theory in the CGE model, and provides structured experiences in manipulating and running the standard GTAP Model within the RunGTAP software environment. RunGTAP is an intuitive, menu-driven CGE model that minimizes technological hurdles and allows students to quickly begin to focus on their economic thinking and experimentation. The curriculum is geared to advanced undergraduates, graduates and professionals. At the end of the course, participants will be entry-level modelers and more informed consumers of CGE-based analyses. The course also serves as an entry point for developing the technical skills required for the GTAP Short Course.
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The Richardson-Applebaum Award

The Food Distribution Research Society is pleased to accept applications for the 2016 Richardson-Applebaum Award, which is awarded annually for outstanding graduate research in food distribution and marketing. The competition is open to all graduate students with scholarly interest and career aspirations in the food distribution system who have completed their degree in 2015 or by May, 2016. Application packages will be accepted until June 5th, 2016.
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The Food Distribution Research Society Award

Applications are also open for the new 2016 Food Distribution Research Society Award, being awarded for outstanding undergraduate research in food distribution and marketing. Application packages will be accepted until June 5th, 2016.
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Government Relations

• 2016 Agricultural Food and Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational Program
• Priorities and Solutions Project:
  Provocateur Webinars
• NIFA Seeks Research Topics from Commodity Boards for FY 2017 AFRI Program:
  Agency Builds on Positive First-Year Implementation of New Farm Bill Initiative