RAND > Pardee RAND >

Pardee RAND News & Events

Pardee RAND Graduate School students, alumni, and faculty are often in the news, writing blogs, publishing research, speaking at events, and more. Other pages (student blog posts, alumni news, faculty blog posts, featured research) provide filtered views of Pardee RAND news and announcements; here we present a complete compilation of ALL the news that's fit to share.

  • Soldiers provide perimeter security outside a village where troops search for a weapons cache in the Spin Boldak district in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, March 3, 2013

    How to Bolster Recruitment of Women in the Military

    Jun 28, 2017

    As ground combat jobs are transitioning to include women, efforts to improve the recruitment process are expanding. Having more female recruiters would help, as would outreach materials that counter stereotypes and highlight the roles women fill in the military, according to research by student Christina Steiner (cohort '09) and professors Doug Yeung, Chaitra Hardison, and Lawrence Hanser.

  • 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.

  • A middle-aged woman working in an office

    'Principal Pipelines' Can Be an Affordable Way to Improve Schools

    Jun 20, 2017

    Improving school leadership by better selecting, training, and evaluating principals can be an affordable way to reduce turnover and improve schools, according to research by Melody Harvey (cohort '12) and professor Susan Gates.

  • Male hands holding tablet,

    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.

  • A man studying in his apartment

    How to Navigate Public-Private Partnerships in Higher Ed

    May 26, 2017

    Universities are partnering with private companies that have the resources to help them compete in the online learning market and maximize student enrollment. Professors Rita Karam and Charles Goldman consider, do their different missions — providing high-quality education and making a profit — dilute the quality of the courses?

  • Youth foodies Ojangole Max Igune and Regina Nantege create a recipe at the October 2017 Superfoods cook-off in Kampala, Uganda

    How Uganda Could Benefit from a Center for Food Innovation

    May 23, 2017

    A training and innovation center that trains and certifies street food vendors to address issues related to food hygiene, safety, and quality would accelerate the growth of a new Ugandan cuisine that capitalizes on nutritious local ingredients in a sustainable manner, write student Michele Abbott (cohort '14) and professor Deborah Cohen.

  • Girl playing hopscotch, seen from above

    Reforms to the U.S. Child Welfare System Could Save $12 Billion and Improve Outcomes

    May 23, 2017

    The United States could improve long-term outcomes and reduce child welfare system costs by $12.3 billion by striking a better balance between programs to prevent child maltreatment and those that offer services for kids who have already suffered from abuse, according to research by students Ifeanyi Edochie and Lauren Davis (both cohort '15) and professor Jeanne Ringel.

  • Graduates tossing their mortarboards in the air

    Is College Worth the Expense? Yes, It Is

    May 22, 2017

    Many American students struggle with the soaring cost of higher education, and for many college-going students, student debt can have severe negative implications. On balance, though, the benefits of a college degree appear to outweigh the costs, writes professor Rafiq Dossani.

  • New mother resting in maternity room after childbirth

    Effects of Removing Maternity Care and Mental Health Treatment from Coverage Requirements

    May 18, 2017

    The American Health Care Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act allows states to waive benefits that the ACA deemed “essential.” Dropping maternity care coverage, for example, would reduce premiums by 5 percent but increase out-of-pocket spending for new mothers, writes professor Christine Eibner.

  • A mother and her child walk along the Ganges river during a dust storm on a hot summer day in Allahabad, India, June 9, 2015

    Where Are India's Heat Hotspots?

    May 17, 2017

    Poverty, poor sanitation, a precarious water and electricity supply, and limited access to health care make India vulnerable to heat waves. Rural and urban districts could improve their preparedness by developing and targeting local adaptation strategies, writes student Gulrez Azhar (cohort '14).

  • Kampala street food vendor Monica Kayagi makes a recipe during the Superfoods Cook-Off in December 2016

    What Street Food Vendors in Uganda Need to Succeed

    May 16, 2017

    Street vendors in Kampala, Uganda, would benefit from infrastructure development, food safety standards, rules of hygiene, and greater focus on healthy products, write student Michele Abbott (cohort '14) and professor Deborah Cohen. The city's growing population also would benefit from increased access to nutritious and affordable foods.

  • An artist's rendering of a refueling depot for deep-space exploration between Earth and the moon

    Mining the Moon for Rocket Fuel to Get Us to Mars

    May 16, 2017

    Students from around the world—including our own Therese Jones (cohort '13)—participated in the 2017 Caltech Space Challenge. They proposed designs of what a lunar launch and supply station for deep space missions might look like, and how it would work.

  • U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Washington, U.S., May 3, 2017.

    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.

  • Ugandan chefs display their creations at the first Superfoods Contest in December 2015

    A New Ugandan Cuisine: Showcasing Superfood Qualities of Millet and Sorghum

    May 9, 2017

    The results of a series of cooking contests in Uganda to promote the use of drought-tolerant, nutritious traditional grains—millet and sorghum—signal that a new food trend may be on the horizon. Student Michele Abbott (cohort '14) and professor Deborah Cohen describe their Pardee Initiative "Superfoods" project in this first of three blog posts.

  • Reserve Officers Training Corps, Clemson University

    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.

  • Steam rises from the coal-fired Jim Bridger power plant outside Rock Springs, Wyoming, April 5, 2017

    Impact on the Environment from President Trump's First 100 Days

    May 4, 2017

    President Trump's actions have not yet resulted in demonstrable change in environmental conditions or funding, but the groundwork is being laid for unwinding major regulations and diminishing staff within the EPA and other federal agencies with climate-related research in their portfolios, says professor Debra Knopman.

  • Man using credit card and smartphone

    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.

  • The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, left, along with ships from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, transit the East China Sea, March 9, 2017

    U.S.-China Tensions Are Unlikely to Lead to War

    May 1, 2017

    The U.S.-China relationship today may be trending towards greater tension, but the relative stability and overall low level of hostility make the prospect of an accidental escalation to war extremely unlikely, writes professor Timothy Heath.

  • 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.

  • U.S. Coast Guardsmen unload 3,500 pounds of cocaine seized from a vessel in the Caribbean valued at an estimated $43 million in Miami, March 16, 2012

    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.

  • Three children in Bar Kawach, Barlonyo, Uganda

    Lessons from Northern Uganda: Post-Conflict Integration of 'Children Born of War'

    Apr 12, 2017

    Children conceived as a result of sexual violence during armed conflict face socioeconomic marginalization, family rejection, stigmatization, and violence. Mahlet Woldetsadik (cohort '13) examines ways societies can address the unique needs of the thousands of "children born of war."

  • U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at the Mar-a-Lago estate after a bilateral meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, April 7, 2017

    Rocky Road Ahead Likely for U.S.-China Relations

    Apr 11, 2017

    The first summit with President Trump and China's President Xi Jinping downplayed contentious issues like Taiwan and the South China Sea. But the differences run deep, writes professor Timothy Heath, and frustration is palpable on both sides. Moreover, the competition for international leadership continues.

  • U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with China's President Xi Jinping at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., April 7, 2017

    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.

  • An autonomous version of Acura's RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD navigates around a dummy at carmaker Honda's testing grounds at the GoMentum Station autonomous vehicle test facility in Concord, California June 1, 2016

    How California Is Trying to Keep Autonomous Vehicle Development on Track

    Apr 10, 2017

    California's Department of Motor Vehicles recently proposed new regulations governing the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles. Professor Nidhi Kalra asks, will this help retain the state's status as a testing and deployment ground for the technology, and will it make California safer?

  • Regional APPAM Conference in April to Feature a Record 18 Students

    Apr 10, 2017

    At APPAM's 2017 California Regional Student Conference, 18 Pardee RAND students will present their research across a wide variety of policy areas.