What: First annual Economic Development Administration Economic Development Research Symposium sponsored by EDA and co-hosted by West Virginia University’s Regional Research Institute. Open to the press.

Where: Morgantown’s Clarion Hotel, High Street

When: Wednesday, Oct. 21 and Thursday, Oct. 22.

Who: Top economic development policy experts from throughout the U.S. including:
EDA’s assistant secretary for economic development and representatives of the Purdue University Center for Regional Development; the Indiana Business Research Center; the Arizona State University School of Geographical Sciences; the University of California, Berkeley Center for Community Innovation; Florida International University’s Department of Public Administration; George Mason University’s Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science; the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research; the National Academies of Science and Savannah River National Laboratory.

How: Symposium participants will present research and discuss policy implications on a wide range of economic development issues, including: the potential of industry and occupation clusters; methods for measuring regional innovation; the geographic distribution of U.S. unemployment; strategies for promoting economic resiliency; and the implications of this research on national economic development policy.

WVU RRI background: Founded in 1965, WVUs RRI creates learning opportunities and provides research support for faculty members and students, while serving as an internationally prominent center for the advancement of regional science. The Institute sponsors scholarly seminars and workshops and provides seed grants to tenured and tenure track WVU faculty with interests in the economy, land use, environment, energy, industry and socio-economic welfare and human environmental interactions.

Contact at the event: Hillary Sherman-Zelenka, Program Analyst, U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, Washington, DC 20230, 202.482.3357, hsherman@eda.doc.gov

Agenda follows

Charting the Course for Regional Development:
First Annual EDA Economic Development Research Symposium

Clarion Hotel Morgan – Morgantown, West Virginia
October 21 & 22, 2009

October 21, 2009

1:30pm Welcome & Overview of Schedule
~ Randall Jackson, Ph.D.
Director, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University

1:35 pm Introductory Remarks and Overview of EDA’s Integrated Research Agenda
~ William P. Kittredge, Ph.D.
Director of Performance & National Programs Division, Economic Development Administration

1:45 pm New Analysis to Guide Regional Development Policy: Assessing Industry & Occupation
Cluster Strengths and Innovation Potential
~ Moderator: Matt Chase
Executive Director, National Association of Development Organizations
~ Christine Nolan
Interim Co-Director, Purdue Center for Regional Development, Purdue University
~ Jerry Conover, Ph.D.
Director, Indiana Business Research Center
~ Carol Rogers
Deputy Director & CIO, Indiana Business Research Center
~ Timothy Slaper, Ph.D.
Director of Economic Analysis, Indiana Business Research Center

3:45 pm Break

4:00 pm Supporting Regional Innovation Systems: A Discussion from Several Research Perspectives
~ Moderator: William P. Kittredge, Ph.D.
Director of Performance & National Programs Division, Economic Development Administration
~ Sergio Rey, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Geographical Sciences, Arizona State University
~ Karen Chapple, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Community Innovation at the Institute of Urban & Regional Development
University of California, Berkeley
~Kingsley Haynes, Ph.D.
Dean, School of Public Policy, George Mason University
~McAlister Clabaugh
Program Officer, Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy, National Academy of Sciences

October 22, 2009

8:25 am Overview of Schedule
~ Randall Jackson, Ph.D.
Director, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University

8:30 am The Geographic Distribution of U.S. Unemployment by Gender
~ Edmund J. Zolnik, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science, George Mason University
~ Sidney C. Turner
Doctoral Student, School of Public Policy, George Mason University

9:15 am What Should EDA Fund? Developing a Model for Pre-Assessment of
Economic Development Investments
~ George A Erickcek, Ph.D.
Senior Regional Analyst, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

10:00 am Break

10:15 am From Policy to Practice (and Back Again): Promoting Economic Resiliency
~ M. John Plodinec, Ph.D.
Science Advisor, Savannah River National Laboratory

11:00 am Pulling it all Together: Discussion on Implications of Research on National Economic Development Policy and EDA’s Integrated Research Agenda
~ Moderator: William P. Kittredge, Ph.D.
Director of Performance & National Programs Division, Economic Development Administration
~ Karen Chapple, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Community Innovation at the Institute of Urban & Regional Development
University of California, Berkeley
~ Edmund J. Zolnik, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science, George Mason University
~ Jerry Conover, Ph.D.
Director, Indiana Business Research Center

12:30 pm Lunch

2:00 pm Dismissal

—WVU—

gg/10/20/09

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