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Institutional Rep. Update
March / 2018
Celebrating 40 years with the 40 for 40 Fellowship
This year we're doing something different.

In recent years, APPAM has consistently developed more resources and opportunities for our student and younger professional members. To build on that momentum as we celebrate our 40th Annual Fall Research Conference, APPAM introduces the 40 for 40 Fellowship.

This 2018-exclusive program will provide funding for 40 outstanding young research professionals to attend the Fall Research Conference – the premier research conference attracting the highest-quality work on a wide variety of current and emerging policy and management issues.

Join us as we recognize promising talent from individuals just starting their careers. We are thrilled to commemorate the 40th Annual Fall Research Conference by honoring the contributions of young scholars.
#2018APPAM:
Secure Your Conference Sponsorships Before They Are Gone
This is a great opportunity to highlight your program or institution in front of 2,200 potential students and employees. There are different levels of sponsorship for the Fall Conference and recognition will be given to each sponsor at the social and business events, in pre-conference marketing materials, on signage at the conference and on APPAM.org.

Sponsorship opportunities opened on March 14, 2018. 
All sponsorship items are available on a first come, first served basis.

To submit a sponsorship order, please complete this form and return it to Tristanne Staudt, [email protected].
Why the gem?
Ruby is the traditional stone to commemorate a 40th anniversary. Known for its vivid red color, rubies can also exhibit secondary shades like orange, purple and pink. They are a desirable stone due to the bold color, hardness, durability, and rarity. You'll notice both the gem graphic and ruby-inspired colors for this 40th anniversary conference.
#2018APPAM:
2018 Pre-Conference Workshop Call for Proposals
APPAM is will host a workshop on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, just prior to the 2018 Fall Research Conference.

We invite all APPAM Institutional Members to submit a workshop proposal on an emerging policy area or topic of interest such as methodology, management topics, or timely research. The topic does not have to correspond with the overall Fall Research Conference theme - Evidence for Action: Encouraging Innovation and Improvement.

Regional Student Conferences:
Encourage Your Students to Join Us in DC
The DC Regional Student Conference will be held on April 6 th – 7 th, 2018, at  American University in Washington, DC.

Participating students will present their research on panels of peers and through a poster session – be sure to explore the preliminary program. There will also be several opportunities to network and make connections with a diverse group of academics, researchers, practitioners and students. Registration closes on March 30 th.

Governance:
Institutional Representatives Spring Meeting
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Save the date for the Institutional Representatives meeting.

Date: May 8 th, 3:30 - 5:30 pm with a reception to follow.

Location: Mathematica Policy Research
1100 First Street, NE, 12 th Floor, 20002
Via Metro, you can use either the Union Station or the No-Ma-Gallaudet stops.

If you are unable to attend in person, digital participation will also be possible. A formal invitation and agenda will follow.
Institutional Member Forum:
State and Research University Partnerships in the Opioid Crisis
Opioid misuse is a major epidemic across the nation. Local and state officials bear the burden of responses to the epidemic and need assistance coordinating research and resources.

This Institutional Forum, held at Duke University on May 1 st, will connect the worlds of research and policy across this escalating public health epidemic, and will be a valuable opportunity for academics, researchers, and policy officials to exchange best practices for research and policy support in the face of this crisis.

Registration will open April 3 rd. Find additional information here.
APPAM Leadership Blog:
There is No Place Like Home... and Dorothy's Ruby Slippers
by Matt Stagner , APPAM President-Elect

Spring is upon us and that means many things: melting snow, spring training baseball, emerging tulips, and, most importantly, preparing submissions for the APPAM Fall Research Conference! I attended my first APPAM conference in 1985 and it was truly a life-changing event. It connected me to scholars and policy makers who were engaged in work that matters, and it convinced me to continue my education in pursuit of a career in policy research. 

Having spent my childhood in Kansas, I’m all about Dorothy’s ruby slippers. There is in fact no place like home, and I’m proud to call APPAM my professional home for the past three plus decades. Let’s make sure our ruby conference continues to build our membership and puts APPAM at the forefront of connecting research and policy. 

JPAM Featured Article:
The Internal and External Validity of the Regression Discontinuity Design: A Meta-Analysis of 15 Within-Study-Comparisons
Regression discontinuity (RD) is generally acknowledged as the most rigorous non-experimental method for obtaining internally valid impact estimates. The study tests the efficacy of RD by comparing RD causal estimates at the treatment cutoff to those from Randomized Control Trials that are estimated at this same cutoff. The study identifies 15 previously completed within-study-comparisons that explicitly examined this issue by assuming the RCT results are unbiased and then comparing them to RD results.

Excerpt from the interview:
"Our results suggest that researchers should be particularly careful to avoid two common pitfalls—giving too much weight to individual RD impact estimates that are based on models that use parametric assumptions about the relationship between the running variable and the outcome and relatively small sample sizes (i.e. less than 1,100 observations).

That said, our evidence does suggest that there is little bias associated with using either of these on average so that it would be ok to use such evidence in combination with results from other studies."

Authors:
Duncan Chaplin, Thomas Cook, Jelena Zurovac, Jared S. Coopersmith, Mariel M. Finucane, Lauren N. Vollmer, and Rebecca Morris

The Wonk podcast:
Duncan Chaplin joined The Wonk, APPAM's policy podcast, to discuss this JPAM article. Listen to this podcast edition here, and review all the APPAM webinars and podcasts here.
Spotlight:
APPAM Members in the News
Larry Jacobs, Humphrey School of Public Affairs professor and director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, was awarded the McKnight Presidential Chair in Public Affairs and will launch of a new event series, the Mondale Dialogues: America at a Crossroads.
Rachal Dunifon, Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Research and Outreach at Cornell University, was named the interim dean of the College or Human Ecology. Dunifon will serve until June 30, 2020, at which time a permanent dean will be named.
Urban Institute researchers Matthew Chingos and Kristin Blagg analyzed travel times between the homes and schools of nearly 190,000 students across five large US cities that offer a significant amount of educational choice. Read the full report here.

"In DC, all students can enter a lottery to go to the public school of their choice, regardless of whether it’s their neighborhood school. DC also has a robust charter school system, along with a means-tested private-school voucher program for low-income families."
Have news to share?
We want to feature your work! Email coverage and information to  [email protected] .
Upcoming:
Mark Your Calendars for These Important Dates
March 30: DC Regional Student Conference registration closes
Early April: International Conference submission notifications
April 4: International Conference registration opens
April 6 - 7: DC Regional Student Conference
April 11: Fall Research Conference submissions close
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APPAM Webinars and Podcasts

Interested in hosting a new webinar or podcast? We are always open to ideas and presenters. Guidelines can be found here, or email Meghan Grenda, [email protected].