The ASA Section on Risk Analysis is soliciting entries for their Student Paper Competition. Each year, the section offers at least one student travel award of up to $1,000 to defray the cost of attending JSM.

The competition is open to all graduate and undergraduate students, full or part time, attending an accredited academic program who are members of the Section on Risk Analysis (students may join the section at the time of submission).

Papers should develop new methodology in risk analysis or apply existing risk methods in a novel way. The contribution may be a theoretical development or cover any of the numerous applications of risk analysis, including environmental risk, financial risk, risk to engineering structures, health risks, and risks to defense and national security.

Entrants should submit a completed manuscript by January 10, 2010. There are no requirements concerning the minimum or maximum length of the manuscript, but conciseness is encouraged. In addition, a letter from the student’s adviser is required certifying that the student is registered during the spring of 2010 and that the student is primarily responsible for the work contained in the paper. Joint papers are acceptable, but the entrant should be the first-named author and the adviser’s letter should make clear the student’s contribution relative to the coauthors.

Entries should be sent to Susan Simmons, chair of the Section on Risk Analysis Student Paper Award committee, at simmonssj@uncw.edu. The email should include the completed manuscript and the letter from the student’s adviser. All submitted materials must arrive by midnight on January 10, 2010, with the words “Student Paper Award” in the subject line. The manuscript and supporting materials should be included as PDF documents attached to the email.

Manuscripts will be judged on relevance to and interest of the subject matter, the quality of writing, and the quality of the research. The result of the competition will be announced by January 31, and the winner(s) will be required to submit an abstract to the ASA by midnight on February 1.