Department News October 14, 2009 Sathiavanee Veeramoothoo Sathiavanee Veeramoothoo, MS Actuarial Science Candidate, will present her undergraduate honors thesis at the AIBE conference in Las Vegas, Nevada October 18-21, 2009. Her honors project was titled: Macroeconomic Determinants of Worker Remittances to Latin American and the Caribbean Countries. Congratulations Sathia! October 1, 2009 Dong Liang Dong Liang, Ph.D. candidate, sucessfully defended his Ph. D. dissertation titled: "Issues in Bayesian Gaussian Markov Random Field Models With Application to Inter-sensor Calibration". Dong's advisor is Kate Cowles. Congratuations Dong! September 23, 2009 Allianz Life visits with students over the lunch hour. Justin Hanson and Laura Vandermolen from Allianz Life came to the University of Iowa to give actuarial science students a presentation about their company. About 40 students showed up in the presentation and enjoyed subs from Milio's over the lunch hour. In the presentation, Justin and Laura introduced that their actuarial department have five components, including risk management, product development, Hedging, product management, and financial reporting. They also talked about the Allianz life core values and intern opportunities in the presentation.   September 22, 2009 Principal Financial Group sponsors Pool Tournament Michael, Brad, Tyler and Emily from Principal Financial group came to meet with Actuarial Science students for the annual Principal Pool Tournament event. There were about 40 people in attendance, and the winners of the tournament are: 1st Place: Liwei Song & Lu Yang 2nd Place: Jonathan Olson & Zachary Hodges   September 21, 2009 Giving Financial Advice for Students About to Face the Real World (reprint from the Daily Iowan) By Mitchell Schmidt Terrance Lillis knows about the job market in a struggling economy firsthand. Having found employment during two different recessions, Lillis visited the UI campus to offer advice to students facing similar challenges. "This recession is tough," said Lillis, a UI alumnus who is now the senior vice president and chief financial officer of Principal Financial Group, a Des Moines-based company that offers financial products and services. In a lecture directed toward the UI statistics and actuarial science department last week, he shared his background and experiences. Originally from Williamsburg, Iowa, Lillis received a bachelor's degree at Simpson College and a master's in actuarial science at the UI in 1982. After working his way up at the company, Lillis, 56, became senior vice president in May 2008 and was promoted to chief financial officer in August during the economic crisis. He is now responsible for the company's financial integrity and reporting, external and internal reports, and financial results. He also covers investor relations, ensuring there is a solid capital. "My timing was impeccable," he said. "The night before the first board meeting [Lehman Brothers, a global financial services firm,] crashed." He then had to throw out the 10-year plan he developed and start over. He has since shifted the company's focus to investors. "We've survived the financial crisis," Lillis said. "Now, we need to deal with the recession." He also provided students with information about entering the job market in an unstable economy. UI project assistant Margaret Ebert, who attended the presentation, said Lillis made it clear students should pick up finance, technology, problem-solving, and communication skills before graduating. They should also be self-motivated and good at networking, she said. "I was very impressed with [Lillis'] positive attitude," she said. "He was encouraging for students." Lillis stressed three key traits for becoming successful in the workforce- communication, responsibility, and engagement. Valuable employees have oral, written, and listening skills, are responsible for their own development, and are involved and express their opinions, he said. "Do the best you can at it," he said, "regardless of the position." More than 50 students attended the lecture on Sept. 18, including Tiffany Fodera, a "nontraditional" UI senior in actuarial science and president of the UI Actuarial Science Club. She said it was particularly important to see Lillis because he is a UI alumnus. "[Lillis] shows that you can set your goals that high and achieve them," she said. "There are positions out there; you just need to sell yourself." September 18, 2009: Mr. Terrance J. Lillis, FSA Photo of Mr. Terrance J. Lillis and Professor James Broffitt. Mr. Lillis a graduate of the Actuarial Science Program at the University of Iowa and is the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Principal Financial Group. He was invited to speak to the students, faculty and staff and present his advice regarding future opportunities for the Actuarial Science students as well as how to lead a company in turbulent times- what exactly did Principal do to and what did they learned from the recent financial crisis. Mr. Lillis was one of Professor Broffitt students during 1980-82. September 17, 2009: CIGNA Presentation at the Brown Bottle CIGNA was impressed by the phenomenal turnout Thursday night, we had around 70 students in attendance, way to go everyone! It was so packed some students had to stand! CIGNA Corporation provides health care and related benefits in the United States and internationally. It operates in five segments: Health Care, Disability and Life, International, Run-off Reinsurance, and Other Operations. The company was founded in 1792 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. CIGNA also has major operations in Hartford, CT and Denver, CO. September 15, 2009: Nationwide at the Airliner We had another great turnout for Nationwide tonight and I think both presenters were impressed; let's keep up the great numbers! Nationwide is one of the largest insurance and financial services companies in the world. For more than 75 years Nationwide has been on your side with high-quality insurance and financial services. Their mission is to provide advice and products that help our customers protect and manage the most important assets in their lives: their homes, their cars, their families and their incomes after they retire. September 14, 2009: Intern Night Photo of Jim Arns as he discusses his summer internship with Deloitte. Another successful Intern Night is in the books with great presentations about Aegon, Allianz, Allstate, China Life, Cigna, Deloitte, and Humana! Special thanks to all our presenters who took the time to create presentations and talk to us all about their summer experiences! Hopefully after hearing all the presentations and going through the Employment Boot Camp you are all ready to get hired!  All of tonight's presentations can be found on ICON under the content section. Join the club today so you can get all of the up-to-date information on the Actuarial Science Club activities! September 10, 2009: Mercer Presentation Jack Pierce attended the Mercer Presentation at the Airliner Restaurant and was found enjoying the pizza and conversation! Over 40 students were in attendance. Representatives from Mercer will be back on October 7th to interview students. Students- don't forget to go online to employment expo sign up for interviewing before September 24th. All Statistics and Actuarial Science Interest Students: Please join the Actuarial Science Club. Only club members can review the full reports and view all of the pictures taken at the presentations on ICON. There is no membership fee! September 8, 2009: AEGON Picnic Actuarial Science students joined the AEGON team of Kristin, Mark, Chris, Darcy, Jodi and Jeff for hamburgers and hot dogs at City Park. This annual kick-off event for the Actuarial Science Club was enjoyed by over 70 students! Thanks to all for making it a great event! August 22, 2009: Christopher Nienart, Sophomore Actuarial Science Student Actuarial Science student, Christopher Nienart, has won the Towers Perrin Scholarship for the 2009-10 school year. Congratulations Chris! August 22, 2009: Alex Lefevre, Senior Actuarial Science Student Senior Actuarial Science student, Alex Lefevre, has won the D. W. Simpson Scholarhship for the 2009 Fall semester. Congratulations Alex! August 22, 2009: Michael Boehm and Liwei Song, Actuarial Science Students Actuarial Science students, Michael Boehm and Liwei Song have both been awarded the Aviva Charitable Foundation Scholarship for 2009-10. Congratulations Michael and Liwei! August 22, 2009: Kelli Kregel and Jenna Shatek, Actuarial Science Students Actuarial Science students, Kelli Kregel and Jenna Shatek have both been awarded the 2009 Principal Financial Group Foundation Scholarship for 2009-10. Congratulations Kelli and Jenna! August 22, 2009: Han Chen, Senior Actuarial Science Student Actuarial Science student, Han Chen, has been selected to receive the Lloyd Knowler Scholarship for 2009-10. Congratulations Han! August 15, 2009: Jenna Shatek, Senior Actuarial Science Student Senior Actuarial Science student, Jenna Shatek, has won the John Culver Wooddy Scholarhship from the Actuarial Foundation. Congratulations Jenna!   August 11, 2009: Actuarial Science Students Accepted to the Major The following students were accepted to the undergraduate major of Actuarial Science: Chris Ahlquist, Andrea Baker, Chin Guan Foong, Tyler Laughlin, Yuxian Ma, Christopher Nienart and Preston Schnoor. Congratulations! August 1, 2009: Jian Huang, Ph.D., Professor of Statistics and Actuarial Science Professor Jian Huang was recently nominated and selected to become a Fellow of the American Statistical Association. Congratulations Jian! June 29, 2009: Kathryn Chaloner, Ph.D., Professor and Head of the Department of Biostatistics in the University of Iowa College of Public Health Kathryn Chaloner has received the college's award for faculty achievement in community engagement. The award, conferred annually by the College of Public Health Board of Advisors, recognizes a faculty member for application of theory, research and practice to address public health challenges at the community level. "For a number of years, the College of Public Health has made strengthening and enhancing its diversity program a priority," said Stephen Ummel, chair of the College of Public Health Board of Advisors. "Dr. Chaloner has undertaken impressive initiatives to ensure continued growth in the number and diversity of graduate students enrolled in the college. This award acknowledges her committed and enthusiastic leadership to ensure that the college's diversity programs are an integral part of a broader culture--a culture that is welcoming of people from all backgrounds." June 23, 2009: John Geweke, Professor of Statistics and Professor of Economics Charles Whiteman, professor of economics and associate dean of the Tippie College of Business, has been named interim director of the University of Iowa's Institute for Economic Research. He replaces John Geweke, who has accepted a new research and teaching position in Australia. The Institute for Economic Research serves as an advisory group to the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors and issues a quarterly forecast of Iowa income, employment and state revenues developed using the latest advances in econometrics. May 29, 2009: Professor Qihe Tang giving a presentation at a conference in Turkey Professors Jerome Pansera, Elias Shiu, and Qihe Tang attended the 13th International Congress on Insurance: Mathematics and Economics which was held in Istanbul, Turkey on May 27-29, 2009. May 27, 2009: Jim Arns, Senior, Actuarial Science Jim has been selected as the 2009 recipient of the Harold Schloss Memorial Scholarship. This award was established by the Casualty Actuarial Society in memory of Mr. Schloss, one of their past presidents. Congratulations Jim! Subhashish Chakravarty Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor Subhashish received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 2007 and has been teaching in our department for the past two years. His research interest is Bayesian, Spatial and Computational Statistics. He has accepted a Research Biostatistican position with Cedar Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, California. He will join them on June 8th. We wish you the very best and we will miss you too! May 13, 2009: From the DAILY IOWAN: By Megan Dial Number of UI international students to rise An increasing number of international students are seeking out the coveted “gold standard” U.S. degree, UI officials say. The UI has received double the number of international-student applications compared with last year, said Scott King, the director of the Office of International Students and Scholars. University administrators won’t know the official number of international students until people enroll. UI Provost Wallace Loh also said the numbers will increase substantially next year. “It will contribute immensely to the internationalization of the campus,” Loh said. “The UI is becoming a university without borders.” King said most students come from China and India, but officials hope more South Koreans will also study at the UI. He said it is important for the UI to maintain a certain level of diversity, so officials are actively promoting and recruiting international students. “Part of your education is being exposed to new thoughts … and trying to get everybody to expand beyond borders,” King said.He said students study at the UI to develop global expertise and hone their language skills. “It’s hard to gain fluency in a language unless they’ve lived it,” King said. Loh said undergraduate international students represent many different majors at the UI, but graduate students are often in the technical fields of science and engineering. “[Graduate students] know exactly what they want,” he said. “They are coming to top-notch departments for their training,” The overall reputation of the UI, both the educational benefits and vibrant student life, are what attract most students to the campus, Loh said. With the number of new students next year, he said, around 10 percent of the UI’s population will be international students. “We are clearly on an upward trajectory in terms of attracting students,” he said. Jingying Zhai, 20, left her home in China to study at the UI for her undergraduate career. She said after studying at a high school in Davenport, she wanted to come back to the area to continue her education. “It’s pretty nice, compared to college in China,” she said. “You get much more advanced technology. There are more activities going on.” But she said campus social life isn’t always easy to get involved in. “Most people — where I’m from — they’re from all over the country,” Zhai said. “People here, they already know their friends. It’s hard to meet new people.” The math and actuarial science major said after completing her bachelor’s degree at the UI, she wants to attend graduate school somewhere else in America. King said though the number of international students is growing, the UI has room to improve in terms of diversity. “We are still probably going to end up a little lower percentage-wise than our peer institutions,” he said. “Hopefully, it will improve. This is a good place for students.” Colleen Patricia McGlaughlin, B.S. Actuarial Science, May 2009 May 12, 2009: The College of Liberal Arts notified Colleen that she has been selected to receive the 2nd place Ernest R. Johnson Memorial Prize. The Ernest R. Johnson Memorial Prizes were established in 1935 and are presented to the the graduating students with the highest and second highest academic standing in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Students eligible for consideration were those earning "highest distinction" during the graduation periods of August 2008, December 2009 and May 2009. Congratulations Colleen for winning this truly excellent academic achievement it recognizes!   May 9, 2009: Spring Picnic- Dong Liang, wife Maggie and daughter Jane. Jun Yang and his daughter Catherine. May 9, 2009: Spring Picnic- Shyamal, Ananth and Divya. Howard Butler and his son, Thomas. May 9, 2009: Spring Picnic- Chongyi, Tae Woo and Sunah! Kimberly Cessna, B.S. Actuarial Science and B.A. in Music, May 2009 May 7, 2009: The Daily Iowan reported that Kimberly M. Cessna has been recognized by the College of Liberal Arts for graduating "With Highest Distinction". Congratulations Kim! Colleen Patricia McGlaughlin, B.S. Actuarial Science, May 2009 May 7, 2009: The Daily Iowan reported that Colleen Patricia McGlaughlin, has been recognized by the College of Liberal Arts for graduating "With Highest Distinction". Congratulations Colleen! Seth D. Truka, B.S. Actuarial Science and BS in Mathematics, May 2009 May 7, 2009: The Daily Iowan reported that Seth D. Truka, has been recognized by the College of Liberal Arts for graduating "With Honors in the Major". Congratulations Seth! Hai Liu, Ph. D. Student in Statistics May 5, 2009: Graduate student Hai Liu, successfully defended his Ph. D. dissertation titled: "Semiparametric Regression Analysis of Zero-inflated Data". Hai's advisor is Professor Kung-Sik Chan. Congratulations Hai! April 30, 2009: Annual Craig and Rietz Awards Day. (photo of-Adrian Bell and Guy Davis). Adrian Bell and Guy Davis were awarded the Allen T. Craig Award which is presented to the outstanding teaching assistant of the year. To be eligible, a TA must have taught in the preceding fall semester, or in the current spring semester. The decision is based upon nominating statements, faculty evaluations, and visits to the candidates' classes by members of the Awards Committee. Congratulations Adrian and Guy! April 30, 2009: Annual Craig and Rietz Awards Day. (photo of-Kun Chen). Kun Chen was awarded the Henry L Rietz Award which is presented to to a Ph.D. student for his outstanding performance on the Ph.D. Final (Comprehensive) Exam. The decision is made by the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination Committee. Congratulations Kun! April 30, 2009: Annual Craig and Rietz Awards Day. Sunah and Tae Woo Kim. April 30, 2009: Annual Craig and Rietz Awards Day. Our traditional "Craig" cake! April 30, 2009: Annual Craig and Rietz Awards Day. Adrian Bell and her fiance, Daniel. April 30, 2009: Annual Craig and Rietz Awards Day. (From left to right) Hai Liu, Xiongwen Tang, and Jin Liu. Also Hang Du and Yi Su. April 27, 2009: Actuarial Science Club Elections. (photo- club members listening to president-elect candidates Tiffany Fodera and Jim Arns discuss their goals for the club). Over 50 students enjoyed pizza and beverages as they waited to vote for the 2009-10 Actuarial Science Club Officers. Elected were: Tiffany Fodera (President), Mei Li (Vice-President), Lu Yang (Treasurer), Shimeng Cao (Secretary), Han Chen (Reporter), Michael Boehm (Webmaster) and Jenna Shatek (Librarian). For more information go to: Actuarial Science Club. Tiffany expressed thanks to past officers Brad, Kim, Jenna, Jim, Jack, Devin, and Jonathan who all worked very hard to provide the students with the awesome experiences they had this past year. (From left to right) Tiffany speaking to the group. Students having to use napkins as ballots since so many student came. Jim and Tiffany discuss their platforms! April 23, 2009: Students invited to join Society of Actuarial President-elect, Mr. Michael Mclaughlin for lunch and preview of his presentation. (from left, row 1) Yu (Art) Xu, Mr. Michael McLaughlin, Tiffany Fodera, Colleen McGlaughlin, Kimberly Cessna, Jenna Shatek. (from left, row 2) Han Chen, Nathan Zimmerman, Jim Arns, Justin Allred. (from left, row 3) Brad Becker, Jonathan Olsen, Michael Boehm. Congratulations students! April 23, 2009: Taylor and Knowler Awards for Actuarial Science Students Presented to (from left) Colleen McGlaughlin, Michael Boehm, Jenna Shatek, Mrs. Robert Taylor, Mr. Robert Taylor, Yu (Art) Xu, Chao Tan, Lu Yu and Nan Liu. Congratulations students! For more information go to: Taylor Awards and Knowler Awards. Michael Nielsen, Statistics Ph D Candidate April 22, 2009: The Society of Actuaries announces this year's five Doctoral Stipend Award recipients, each of whom will receive a $20,000 stipend for the 2009-10 academic year. The recipients were chosen from a highly qualified and significant number of applicants who are participating in doctoral programs related to actuarial science and who have also made good progress toward or have obtained an actuarial credential. The 2009-2010 SOA Doctoral Stipend Award recipients are: Maciej J. Augustyniak, Robert J. Erhardt, Tao Guo, Jared I. Klyman and Michael D. Nielsen. Congratulations to these exceedingly competent and capable doctoral candidates. Congratulations Michael! Xuemiao (Samuel) Hao, Ph. D., Statistics April 21, 2009: Graduate student, Xuemiao Hao, successfully defended his Ph. D. dissertation titled: "Asymptotic Tail Probabilities of Risk Processes in Insurance and Finance". Professor Qihe Tang is his advisor. Congratulations Samuel! Katherine Furgol, Ph. D. Student in Biostatistics April 20, 2009: Katherine Furgol, MS Statistics May 2008, was selected as a Honorable Mention for the Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship from the American Statistical Association. Congratulations Katherine! Colleen McGlaughlin, BS Student in Actuarial Science April 14, 2009: Colleen McGlaughlin, was awarded the Robert F. Ray Faculty Representative Award, presented by the UI Board in Control of Athletics. This award is presented to a male and female student who demonstrates outstanding academic excellence, athletic excellence and leadership. The award, named after a former dean and longtime UI faculty representative to the Big Ten Conference, went to Colleen McGlaughlin and Robert Bruggeman. Colleen, from Morton, Ill., is a senior infielder for the UI softball team. She began the 2009 season tied for 11th in career homeruns and 14th in career batting average. She has been an All Big Ten and National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-region selection the previous two seasons. Off the field she was named to Dean's List seven times, named to the President's List six times, and was selected to the ESPN Academic All-American first team in 2008 and All-District in 2007. She has accepted a position following her graduation in May as an actuarial analyst in the Property and Casualty Division of State Farm Insurance. Congratulations Colleen!

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