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Student Update
January / 2018
Be a Part of the 2018 Regional Student Conferences:
DC Submissions Close Next Week!
The  DC Regional Student Conference will be held on April 6th - 7th, 2018 at American University in Washington, DC. Students will present their research on panels of peers and through poster sessions across a wide variety of policy areas. Presenters gain valuable research presentation experience, as well as important feedback from academics, practitioners, and other students.

Masters and PhD level students who are seeking an opportunity to present their research are encouraged to apply.
Deadline:
All submissions must be completed by January 26 th .
Governance:
Introducing APPAM's Incoming 2018 Policy Council Members
The Policy Council is APPAM's governing board and is responsible for setting policy and creating strategy for the Association. It currently consists of four elected cohorts serving staggered, four-year terms of office. The Policy Council serves as the organization’s board of directors .

Ballots were sent to all APPAM members and voting was held December 11, 2017 through January 10, 2018.

APPAM Leadership Blog:
Inclusion is Hard and We Must Do Better
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Introducing a brand new series from APPAM Leadership! Each month you will hear from our Executive Director, President or President-Elect, providing APPAM membership a behind-the-scenes look at how APPAM operates and how you can be more involved.

Excerpt:
"Increasingly, activities that focus on inclusion are becoming more and more important. As I’m sure you’ve experienced at your university or research organization: getting to the how is hard. We all know about the why. Having a membership/staff/faculty/student body/leadership that reflects everybody in the larger group and represents all perspectives in decision making is vital. There’s no question that we need and want to engage in as many diversity activities as possible."

International Conference:
Submit Your Research on Public Policy for Sustainable Metropolitan Development
The 2018 APPAM International Conference in Mexico City, with the theme Public Policy for Sustainable Metropolitan Development, seeks to highlight the UN-Habitat III’s adoption of the “New Urban Agenda” (NUA).

Along with urban development, the NUA also incorporates goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all, embodied in 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals propose specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years, including: Poverty, Good Health and Wellbeing; Quality Education; Clean Water and Sanitation; Affordable and Clean Energy; Decent Work and Economic Growth; Sustainable Cities and Communities; and Climate Action, just to name a few.
 
Both the conference theme, and the venue of Mexico City, offer an excellent opportunity for a wide range of session paper and poster presentations relating to sustainability in cities .

Deadline:
All submissions must be in English and completed by February 7, 2018.
JPAM Featured Article:
Can Financial Aid Help to Address the Growing Need for STEM Education?
Although workers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields earn above-average wages, the number of college graduates prepared for STEM jobs lags behind employer demand. A key policy question is how to increase educational investments and degree completion in STEM, especially for low-income and minority students. This study examines a potentially overlooked barrier to STEM attainment in college: the financial cost to pursuing study in STEM courses and majors.

Excerpt from the interview:
"Only 40 percent of college students overall and one-quarter of Black and Latino students initially interested in pursuing STEM majors persist to earn a degree in the field.... Our results suggest that expanding need-based aid programs may be a sound investment towards increasing STEM attainment."

Authors:
Zachary Mabel, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Benjamin L. Castleman, University of Virginia, and Bridget Terry Long, Harvard Graduate School of Education

JPAM App:
The Journal of Policy Analysis and Management on the go! Download the iTunes app for further reading.
JPAM Featured Article:
Breaking Habits: The Effect of the French Vending Machine Ban on School Snacking and Sugar Intakes
There is consistent evidence showing that food and drinks sold from vending machines (VMs) have on average a higher energy-density, and access to VMs in schools has been associated with unhealthy diets and excess weight in children, especially in middle schools. From September 2005, the French government has banned VMs from all middle and secondary schools. This paper evaluates the impact of the ban on the nutrient intakes and school snack frequency of schoolchildren, and considers intakes from out-of-school meals to check for compensation effects.

Excerpt from the interview:
"We believe that our research has emphasized the need for comprehensive, consistent and rigorous school policies when the goal is to improve schoolchildren nutrition. These should be accompanied by adequate communication and education, and ideally one would want to see an intervention study to test how a multi-level policy might impact not only on actual behavior, but also on attitudes and knowledge."

Authors:
Sara Capacci, University of Bologna, Mario Mazzocchi, University of Bologna, and Bhavani Shankar, SOAS (South Asia Institute) in London

Upcoming Webinar:
APPAM/ASHecon Webinar: The Intersection of Opioid Addiction and Evidence-Based Policy
The opioid epidemic in the United States has reached alarming proportions. With over a thousand people dying each week due to opioid related overdoses, many have suggested evidence-based policy as a way to combat the epidemic. Join ASHEcon and APPAM experts on health policy and opioids as they take a deep-dive into the opioid crisis, how to use evidence-based policy to combat it, and what health economists can do to influence policy.
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Recording:
The webinar is full, but the recording will be available immediately after! Browse all APPAM's webinars and podcasts here .
2018 Institutional Member Forum:
State and Research University Partnerships in the Opioid Crisis
In the vein of continuing the dialogue around evidence-based policymaking discussed at last spring’s APPAM Institutional Member Forum, Duke Policy Bridge at the Sanford School of Public Policy will host a 2018 topical forum focusing the bridging research and policy discussion around the prevailing national issue of opioid addiction. This Forum will be held at Duke University on May 1st.

Opioid drug abuse is a major epidemic across the nation with policy response efforts concentrated the state level with policy officials struggling to coordinate research and resources. As observed through Duke’s own collaborations with state government on this issue, research universities can serve as excellent resources for expertise to state governments.

Spotlight:
APPAM Members in the News
The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Founders’ Fellows program recognizes outstanding students and new professionals (within three years of their graduation) in the field of public service and public administration. Five out of the 25 students in the 2018 class are APPAM Members:

Have news to share?
We want to feature your work! Email coverage and information to  info@appam.org .
Upcoming:
Mark Your Calendars for These Important Dates
January 18: APPAM/ASHEcon webinar.
January 26: DC Regional Student Conference submission deadline.
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JPAM Subscription for Members

The entire run of JPAM from volume 1, issue 1, to the present now is available on-line through Wiley Online Library (WOL). All active APPAM members have access to this collection as a membership benefit.