(Apologies for Cross-Posting) Competition for the Miernyk Research Excellence Medal
Deadline to submit papers is Friday, February 5, 2016. Upon its 40th anniversary, the Regional Research Institute at West Virginia University initiated an award for scholarly excellence in honor of Dr. William H. Miernyk, founding Director of the Institute. The William H. Miernyk Research Excellence Medal (the Miernyk Medal) is awarded annually at the Southern Regional Science Meeting to the first author of the best SRSA conference paper written and presented by an eligible scholar. William H. Miernyk earned both Bachelors and Masters Degrees in economics from the University of Colorado, followed by Masters and Doctoral Degrees in economics from Harvard University. Dedicated to research, he also discovered a love of teaching that would stay with him throughout his entire professorial career. Miernyk taught economics at Harvard, Northeastern University, MIT, and the University of Colorado before being recruited to West Virginia University to establish the Regional Research Institute. He originally committed to only a temporary stay at WVU, but found the area and work so appealing that he abandoned his plans to return to Colorado. Perhaps best known for his widely distributed and well-received The Elements of Input-Output Analysis (1965), his interests and contributions to knowledge have focused on a much broader set of topics within and beyond regional science. His research interests included IO, environment, energy, labor, and migration in the Appalachian states. He served as a consultant for numerous regional and national agencies. Known for his critical insight, rigor, and excellence in research, his writing was clear and concise. In addition to numerous contributions to the academic literature, his influence extended to the general public through 17 years of weekly columns in the Charleston Gazette. Eigibility: The Miernyk Medal recipient will be awarded to an individual holding a rank no higher than Assistant Professor or equivalent at the time of the award. Authors must have registered for the 2016 SRSA conference in Washington, DC and must submit their papers electronically for panel review to the Regional Research Institute (RRI) at [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> by Friday, February 5, 2016. Panel members will include and be selected by the Director of the RRI. The winning paper will report diligent and systematic enquiry into and discovery of facts or principles relating to a regional science topic, and must be the consensus choice of the panel, which may elect not to award The Miernyk Medal every year. A substantial monetary stipend accompanies the Miernyk Medal.
