President's Column
March 2019
Most of us are amid a cold and wet winter engaged in our research, teaching, and outreach activities, but now is time to start thinking about the summer.
We are in the midst of preparation to the 2019 AAEA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA. Registration to the meeting is open and we urge you to register by May 22, 2019, to benefit from the lower early registration fees. Presenters of sessions will be informed next week, and are required to register by May 15, 2019. Travel grants for the 2019 AAEA Annual Meeting are open for applications and the deadline is also set for May 15, 2019. Our travel grants programs aim to enable members with limited resources to participate in the meeting and present their paper or poster. The AAEA Trust is a major source of support for participation in the program, and by contributing to expanding it, you expand the opportunities to participate in the meetings.
The 2019 AAEA Annual Meeting provides many opportunities to enjoy Atlanta. The Atlanta CVB is providing Atlanta Savings cards which offer local attraction discounts. You may consider adding a vacation and personal travel to the meeting. The program is still a work in progress, but we know that David Card will be the Galbraith Forum speaker. Our speaker last year, Paul Romer, won the 2018 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Card is a leading labor economist and many of our members apply his methods. The Fellow Address will be given by Allen Olmstead, a leading economic historian working on agriculture. Olmstead is sure to give a witty and wise presentation. I am quite happy with other aspects of the program and we hope that the meeting will be enlightening intellectually and enjoyable socially. Reserve your room at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis using our AAEA Room Block.
President-Elect Keith Coble is soliciting proposals and suggestions for AAEA invited paper sessions at the 2020 Allied Social Sciences Association (ASSA) Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, January 3-5, 2020. We encourage submission of proposal that address major problems, introduce advance tools, and can result in high quality papers.
One of the major objectives of the board has been to enhance mentoring activities within the association. I encourage you to consider registering to the 2019 Developing Multidisciplinary Leaders Workshop, June 12-14 at Tuft University. Norbert Wilson is heading the organizing committee, and the workshop aims to develop multidisciplinary skills, enhancing the capacity of applied economists to contribute to and lead a multidisciplinary task. We are also planning the Early Career Mentorship 2-Day Post-conference Workshop, aimed at new hires in agricultural and applied economics departments, targeting those hired with straight Economics PhDs. The workshop will identify major research opportunities in the various field, sources of funding and support, and help in developing strategies to establish effective careers.
Another major objective is to make our meetings and activities inclusive and safe. Several professional associations, including the AAEA, has established a code of conduct addressing issues of harassment, discriminations and professional ethics. The AAEA board has approved an anti-harassment and code of conduct policy, and the core elements of policy will be part of the information provided to participants in the Atlanta meeting.
AAEAs major assets are publications AJAE, AEPP, and Choices. We have had dedicated and capable editors running them. Kynda Curtis is ending her terms as the co-editor for Choices Magazine (with Alison Davis). Editing Choices is an opportunity to affect the policy agenda and the narrative of the profession and is an excellent outlet for creativity and intellectual entrepreneurship. We are looking for candidates to this important position.
We also look forward to the first issues of our new journal, Applied Economics Teaching Resources and encourage you to submit contribution to this journal. Jason Bergtold and the other editors are looking for case studies, scholarship about teaching and extension methods, and new classroom innovations.
As you can see, we have been quite busy recently. The board and the Association could not function effectively without the support of the staff. Our Executive Director, Kristen McGuire, gave birth on February 3 to Bryn Josephine McGuire, and the mother and daughter are doing well. Members of the staff, headed by Sarah Kenner, continue to provide excellent service during Kristen’s maternity leave and we thank them.