Alumni News & Announcements

How Safe Should Autonomous Vehicles Be Before They're Introduced to Market?

Nov 7, 2017

Prof Nidhi Kalra and alum David G. Groves (cohort '01) developed a model to compare 500 different scenarios of autonomous vehicle introduction, adoption, and improvement. The research shows that putting autonomous vehicles on the road sooner, allowing them to improve quicker, could save hundreds of thousands of lives over time.
Evaluating Iowa's Proposed Stopgap Measure

Oct 16, 2017

To stabilize the state's individual health insurance market, Iowa proposed the Iowa Stopgap Measure (ISM). Alum Jodi Liu (cohort '12) and colleagues say ISM modifications would increase the federal deficit, but decrease federal spending per enrollee.
Savings from a Single-Payer Health System Would Not Be Automatic

Sep 26, 2017

Polls have shown increasing public support for a single-payer system in the U.S., writes alum Jodi Liu (cohort '12). Yet there is no agreement on how to set up and pay for a single-payer system or even how much it would cost.
Beyond Strategic Patience with North Korea: What Comes Next?

Sep 8, 2017

North Korea says that nuclear weapons are essential to regime survival. Alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75) says the United States should figure out how to persuade the North Korean regime that it is less likely to survive by posing a nuclear threat than by cooperating with the international community.
Dardia to Represent Alumni on Board of Governors

Sep 5, 2017

Michael Dardia (cohort '89) will join the Pardee RAND Board of Governors in November as the new alumni representative. He recently participated in a Q&A session with the School's new development officer.
Tensions Between North Korea and the U.S.

Aug 16, 2017

Alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75), along with RAND experts, Andrew Scobell and J.D. Williams, hosted a conference call with news media discussing the rising tensions between North Korea and the United States. RAND Senior Media Relations Officer Khorshied Samad moderated the call.
Extending Marketplace Tax Credits Would Make Coverage More Affordable for Middle-Income Adults

Jul 27, 2017

Paying for health care coverage is a challenge for Americans facing rising premiums, deductibles, and copayments. Alum Jodi Liu (cohort '12) and Prof. Christine Eibner say the ACA's tax credits that make marketplace insurance more affordable for lower-income individuals should be extended to middle-income adults aged 50–64.
Lessons from Israel's Wars in Gaza

Jul 26, 2017

The Israel Defense Force had to evolve to meet an adaptive and determined hybrid adversary during its wars in Gaza. Student Elizabeth Bartels (cohort '15) and alum/prof Shira Efron (cohort '11) found that the U.S. Army and the joint force can learn from the IDF's challenge of balancing intense international legal public scrutiny and the hard operational realities of urban warfare.
Pittsburgh's Options to Address Lead in Its Water

Jul 18, 2017

Pittsburgh is struggling to improve its aging water system. Student Michele Abbott (cohort '14) and alum/professor Jordan Fischbach (cohort '04) review the history and recent developments related to the use of lead pipes and the policy options for lead remediation currently being weighed by local decisionmakers.
North Korea's Continuous Provocations

Jul 17, 2017

In this July 17th, 2017 congressional briefing, alum Bruce W. Bennett (cohort '75), Senior International/Defense Researcher at RAND, discusses North Korea's nuclear missile programs, its changing relationship with China, and implications for U.S. policy.
Characterizing National Exposures to Infrastructure from Natural Disasters

Jul 12, 2017

Data and methods documentation for an analysis of how infrastructure systems - roads, the electric grid, ports, telecommunications networks, refineries, and others - are vulnerable to disruption from natural disasters.
Getting the Lead Out of Pittsburgh's Water

Jul 3, 2017

Without an aggressive long-term strategy for replacing service lines, and collaboration among the water authority, public officials, and residents, lead in Pittsburgh's water will persist, writes Prof. Jordan Fischbach (alum, cohort '04).
Spring 2017 Alumni Newsletter Available Online

Jun 21, 2017

Pardee RAND's alumni newsletter features articles about the six new Pardee RAND analytic Methods Centers, Dean Susan Marquis' visit to China (with alum Hui Wang, cohort '88), student presenters and moderators at the regional APPAM conference, and more.
Six Alumni Share Career Advice with Students

Jun 2, 2017

The spring quarter saw six alumni — possibly a record! — participate in the Career Development speaker series. David An, Christina Huang, Hilary Rhodes, John Fei, Sarah Kups, and Min Mao all helped current students explore their career options.
Wang Helps School Foster Ties with China

Jun 1, 2017

With the support of alum Hui Wang (cohort '88), Dean Susan Marquis visited academic and nongovernmental institutions in China to establish and strengthen relationships with Pardee RAND. Wang is the outgoing alumni member of the Pardee RAND Board of Governors.
A 'Learning System' in Behavioral Health Can Help in Sharing Best Practices, Innovations

May 30, 2017

Leveraging technological advances to make better use of the best available data could help rein in healthcare costs and improve both quality and safety, writes alum Bradley Stein (cohort '97). This makes sense whether the health care being delivered is physical or behavioral.
Alum Retires after 30 Years in U.S. Army

May 30, 2017

S. Jamie Gayton (cohort '06) and Elizabeth Krall Gayton, both colonels in the U.S. Army, retired in May after each serving 30 years. Jamie planned a surprise as part of his retirement ceremony so his wife—whose service officially ended without a formal ceremony—would also be recognized.
Toward a Renewed Middle East Peace Process

May 11, 2017

Momentum is building toward resumption of the dormant Middle East peace process. But alum Shira Efron (cohort '11) says there will need to be a clear, consistent plan that delivers quick, tangible results to both sides and helps restore trust between them in order for a peace plan to succeed.
Strategic Planning Tools for the Army Senior ROTC Program

May 5, 2017

Researchers created a program evaluation tool and a selection evaluation tool to help the Army evaluate existing ROTC programs and explore new market opportunities, keep up with changes in the college student population, and meet both near-term officer production goals as well as longer-term strategic objectives.
Prototype Tool Designed to Help Law Enforcement Use Data from Mobile Applications

May 1, 2017

Student Bonnie Triezenberg (cohort '14) worked with alumni Anne Boustead ('11) and Steven Isley ('10) and professor Ed Balkovich to document a prototype tool called MIKE (the Mobile Information and Knowledge Ecosystem) that can help interested stakeholders — law enforcement, commercial enterprises, regulators, legislators, and the public (including advocacy groups) — better understand the mobile app ecosystem and the relationships among the data, its sources, and applicable legal constraints.
Alum Yong-Sup Han Visits to Discuss North Korea

May 1, 2017

Alum Yong-Sup Han (cohort '88), vice president of the Research Institute on National Security Affairs at Korea National Defense University, visited RAND to discuss the U.S. defense policy toward North Korea. He was invited by the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy.
Mixed Messages: Is Cocaine Consumption in the U.S. Going Up or Down?

Apr 28, 2017

Data lags and the elimination of the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program complicate estimates of U.S. cocaine consumption. New users who haven't yet developed cocaine dependence are also a factor. Professor Beau Kilmer and alum Gregory Midgette (cohort '09) suggest it may be prudent to start planning for an increase in heavy use even before all of the evidence is in.
Five Dead-Ends — and One Risky Opportunity — When Trump and Xi Talk North Korea

Apr 10, 2017

Alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75) writes that, among President Trump's options, proposing a deal that gives the North Korean elite an alternative to its murderous and unstable leader could be the safest and most realistic way to sheath North Korean nuclear weapons and safeguard the American people.
Alum Vilamovska Receives Award for Service to Poland

Apr 3, 2017

Anna-Marie Vilamovska (cohort '05) is one of the youngest recipients of Poland's Commander Cross of the Order of Merit, which was bestowed upon her in December for her contributions to the development of Polish-Bulgarian cooperation.
Murder, Missiles, and Messages from North Korea

Mar 24, 2017

Pyongyang launched a ballistic missile on February 12 — one day before Kim Jong Nam, half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was murdered in Malaysia — and four more on March 6. Alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75) asks, What would lead North Korea to carry out these provocations?