USNMO/IIASA

Congratulations to the 2019 YSSP Cohort
The U.S. NMO for IIASA offers its sincere congratulations to this summer's group of selected YSSP attendees. The U.S. cohort members are listed below by focus area. To learn more about YSSP research areas, please visit the IIASA YSSP webpage.

Helene Benveniste, Princeton University: Population (POP) and Energy (ENE)
Regina Buono, University of Texas: Risk and Resilience (RISK)
Felicia Chiang, University of California, Irvine: Water (WAT)

Nicholas Choquette-Levy, Princeton University: Advanced Systems Analysis (ASA), Population (POP), and Risk (RISK)

Brent Eldridge, Johns Hopkins University: Advanced Systems Analysis (ASA)

Daniel Johnson, U.S. citizen studying abroad: Ecosystems Services and Management (ESM)

Christopher Krapu, Duke University: Advanced Systems Analysis (ASA)
Alexandra Nutkiewicz, Stanford University: Energy (ENE)
Paul Ruess, University of Illinois: Water (WAT)
Jun Shepard, Duke University: Energy (ENE)
Gabriel Smith, Stanford University: Ecosystems Services and Management (ESM)

NASA's Jack Kaye Delivers Talk at IIASA
On Monday, March 25, Jack Kaye of NASA visited IIASA to deliver a talk entitled, "Viewing the Earth's Global Environment from Space: From Scientific Knowledge to Societal Benefits." Dr. Kaye is the Associate Director for Research of NASA's Earth Science Division. During his time at IIASA, he also met with IIASA Director General Albert van Jaarsveld.

To read more about Dr. Kaye's visit, including his abstract and biography, please visit http://www.iiasa.ac.at/web/home/about/leadership/director/190325_NASA_visit.html.

2018 YSSP Cohort Member Wins IIASA Peccei Prize
Matthew Cooper (University of Maryland), one of the U.S. YSSPers at IIASA in 2018, has been awarded IIASA’s 2018 Peccei Prize for his study: “Which children are most vulnerable to climate change? Mapping the effects of meteorological extremes on child stunting”. With this award, Matt will be able to continue his research at IIASA this coming summer. Read more about Matthew and his research at http://www.iiasa.ac.at/web/home/about/news/190211-YSSP-awards.html.

IIASA External Review Approved

In 2016, the IIASA Council requested a comprehensive external review of the Institute, covering its processes, activities, and structures. This review was led by Michael T. Clegg (University of California, Irvine). The review team conducted online surveys, site visits, document analysis, and interviews. The U.S. National Member Organization participated through survey responses, detailed feedback, and individual interviews.

The External Review Report was presented to and quickly approved by the IIASA Council at its June 2017 meeting. The key recommendations of the report are that IIASA:

· Continue its legacy and contribution to excellence in science.

· Reflect on and refine IIASA vision and mission.

· Revisit and clarify the value proposition for member countries.

· Focus on governance and leadership reform.

· Modernize internal systems.

· Appoint a task force to support an institutional renewal process.

The IIASA Council and Director General are now working on implementation of the review recommendations. A Task Force, working under the guidance of the IIASA Council guidance, is being formed. More information can be found here: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/web/home/about/leadership/governance/Institutional_Review.html

YSSP 40th Anniversary, 2017
Growing out of an idea first presented by recent YSSPers at the 2016 meeting of the U.S. NMO, IIASA held a 40th Anniversary conference at the headquarters on June 20 and 21, 2017. All YSSP alumni from 1977 to 2017 were invited. Members of the U.S. NMO, particularly Roger Levien, the former IIASA Director responsible for the establishment of the YSSP program, were closely involved in the organization of the conference. Watch the highlights on YouTube here, which include panels, group discussions, and a wrap-up video. A commemorative ClassBook is being compiled.

For more information, see http://www.iiasa.ac.at/web/home/education/yssp/YSSP_40th_anniversary.html.

BISO Director Kathie Bailey with member of the YSSP 2017 cohort.

IIASA's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
IIASA also offers a Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. This is an ongoing program that provides funding for several postdoctoral researchers for a 12-24 month period. Annual application deadlines are April 1 and October 1. Further information can be found on IIASA's website. Successful candidates are expected to conduct their own research within one of IIASA's research programs or special projects on topics related to IIASA's agenda.

Michael T. Clegg Elected IIASA Council Chair

Michael T. Clegg was elected Chair of IIASA’s governing Council on October 5, 2017. Dr. Clegg has a distinguished scientific career spanning four decades. Most recently, he was Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. He has served as the NAS Foreign Secretary from 2002 until 2014.

In 2016 and early 2017, Dr. Clegg chaired an IIASA external institutional review committee whose recommendations are currently being implemented.

Friends of IIASA Provides Opportunity to Honor Raiffa and de Janosi
The Friends of IIASA gives U.S. supporters of IIASA a way to donate funds to help foster and support four IIASA programs:

Howard Raiffa Fellows Program in Decision Science: Donations to the new Howard Raiffa Fellows Program in Decision Science will fund fellowships for postdoctoral or mid-career associate fellows from academia, business, and government to advance the theory and practice of decision science in collaboration with IIASA's network of researchers and collaborators.
Peter E. de Janosi Postdoctoral Fellowship: Donations to this Fellowship fund sponsors a Postdoctoral Fellowship with the particular goal of advancing Dr. de Jánosi's deep interest in applying interdisciplinary analyses to significant public policy and management problems, particularly through integrating the social sciences into IIASA's work.
IIASA Annual Fund: Donations to the Annual Fund will support a 3-month Young Scientist Summer Program (YSSP) Fellowship for a promising young researcher who would otherwise not have funding to take part in YSSP.
IIASA Fund: Donations to the IIASA Fund will support IIASA's research and training activities, promoting global cooperation toward new frontiers in the methodologies and applications of systems analysis. The IIASA Fund provides seed money for innovative research projects and initiatives that would otherwise be beyond IIASA's budget.

For more information, visit http://www.friendsofiiasa.org/.

U.S.-IIASA Fact Sheet
Interested in learning more about the research collaborations between the United States and IIASA? IIASA participates in more activities related to the U.S. than with any of its other member countries. To learn more about these collaborations and connections, please consult the U.S.-IIASA Fact Sheet (PDF).

U.S. National Member Organization for iiasa