Department News - Fall 2005

Christian Chambers Appointed AAPSS Junior Fellow

Christian Chambers, a nominee from our department, has been appointed a Junior Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences. In 2002, the Academy started a Junior Fellow program to recognize the very best undergraduate students in the social sciences. He is selected as one of 150 senior undergraduate students in the College of Social Sciences in the US.

Ph.D. Candidate Tam Vu Accepted for Publication in Applied Economic Letters

Ph.D. candidate Ms. Tam Vu's paper "An Alternative Approximation to Consumer Durable Expenditures" has been accepted for publication in the journal Applied Economic Letters (website).

Congratulations on this fine achievement!

Economics Student to Speak at Fall 2005 Commencement

Christian Chambers has been chosen to represent the Colleges of Arts and Sciences as one of four Student Marshals who will speak at the Fall 2005 commencement ceremony. Student Marshals are selected for their outstanding scholastic and leadership qualities. The department offers its congratulations to Mr Chambers on receiving this significant honor!

Mahalo to the following donors, who have made contributions to the department's educational program this year:

Alumna Dr Ae Sil Kim Speaks at International Women's Leadership Conference

Dr. Ae Sil Kim
Addresses the Conference.

University of Hawai'i Economics alumna Dr. Ae Sil Kim came to Honolulu in September as a guest speaker at the Second Annual International Women's Leadership Conference: Women Who Make a Difference, hosted by Hawai'i governor Linda Lingle. Dr. Kim spoke of her political career and the challenges she has faced rising through the government.

Dr. Kim is currently serving her first term in the Korean National Assembly as a Proportional Representative of the Hannara (Grand National) Party. Her duties include serving on the Committee on Finance and Economy and as chairperson of the Committee on Gender and Family Issues. She was a professor of Economics for 27 years at Hanguk University of Foreign Studies and also served as Dean of the College of Economics and Commerce of that university. She was a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Economy and vice president of the National Association for Women Professors in Korea.

Dr. Kim, born in 1946, is a graduate of Kyuggi Girls High School and is the only Korean student to receive all degrees from the University of Hawaii. She earned two bachelor's degrees, in mathematics and economics; one master's degree, in economics; and one doctoral degree, also in economics. She is also the first Korean woman to receive a PhD in Economics.

Econ Faculty in Demand as Administrators

With the start of the new school year, five senior faculty members from the department are currently serving in administrative capacities on campus. This summer, Denise Konan was tabbed to be the interim Chancellor of UH-Manoa, Chung Lee has been appointed the interim-Associate Dean of the College of Social Sciences, Andy Mason has been appointed the Director of the Population Studies Program, and Jim Mak has been appointed the Chair of the economics department until July 2007. With Jim Moncur, still serving as Director of the Water Research Center, 5 full-professors now serve as administrators on campus.

External Grants for Russo and Roumasset

Gerry Russo was just informed that his "Hawaii Coverage for All" projects--a collaborative study to develop programs, policies and financing schemes to provide health insurance and health care access to all Hawaii residents--has been funded by the State of Hawaii Department of Health for another year. The amount of the grant is $131,000 to run until August, 2006. Total funding for the project during the first 3 years (2002-2005) nearly $724,000. Other faculty members who have been involved in the project include Sang-Hyop Lee and Katerina Sherstyuk.

Jim Roumasset just received a $22,492 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the next 2 years to study optimal public control of exotic species.

Lisa Abalos Receives First Chris Grootaert Scholarship for Native Hawaiians

In appreciation for the excellent graduate education he received at UH-Manoa and his love for Hawaii, alumnus Christiaan Grootaert--a retired staff member of the World Bank--recently established a scholarship fund to provide scholarships to economics majors of Hawaiian ancestry. Lisa Abalos, a senior in economics, is the first recipient of the Chris Grootaert Scholarship for 2005-2006, worth $2,000.

Congratulations to Professors Chung Lee and James Roumasset on 30 years of service in the Economics Department!