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Polls say Americans want it all: rewarding, well-paying jobs, healthy, stable and secure lives, modest material comforts, and adequate time for friends, family and community. But for many, the reality is quite different. Balanced Lives: Best Policies for the New Economy, October 20-22, 2010, at the University of Iowa, will bring together experts from government, academia, business, and the community to explore ways to make our lives more rewarding in a sustainable way. Click here to register or learn more about the symposium.

The Iowa Social Science Research Center (ISRC) has been reformulated as a new division of the Public Policy Center. With the assistance the the Office of the Vice President for Research and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the ISRC will be a campus-wide resource for social scientists seeking external grant funding. In addition, a 25-station call center will be available to assist researchers with primary data collection. Click here to learn more about the services available at the ISRC

The PPC has released online its Annual Report for Activities During Academic Year 2009-2010. The year was a productive one for the Center as it became home to the newly revamped Iowa Social Science Research Center (ISRC), collaborated with Urban and Regional Planning on a successful search for an environmental economist as part of the university's sustainability cluster hiring, and completed the second year of field study for the National Evaluation of a Mileage-Based Road User Charge project. View the complete report here

Now that the health care bill has become law, it is important that we understand its implications for our communities and states. On July 20, 2010, the University of Iowa hosted a symposium in Coralville to review and discuss how the recently enacted federal health reforms may affect health policy in Iowa, including the need to address immediate possible impacts in financing and infrastructure. Click here to learn more about the symposium.

PPC Director Peter Damiano presented a talk entitled Health Care Reform: Why Are We Here and What Does It Mean? as part of a panel discussion at the Iowa Public Library on June 23. Dr. Damiano began with an overview of the new legislation, called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He then went on to consider the evolution of health reform in America, as well as the likely near- and long-term implications of the new policy. View the presentation or read about the event here

Transportation Program researcher Hosin 'David' Lee has been elected the 40th President of the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA). The KSEA represents Korean-Americans working in all areas of science and engineering and has over 3,000 members and 67 local chapters across the United States. Dr. Lee has joint appointments in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the PPC. Read more