The Second Simon Conference Takes Place at Michigan State University
By Albert Cohen, Gee Y. Lee and Haiyan Liu
Expanding Horizons, April 2024
On November 17–18, 2023, Michigan State University (MSU) hosted the second Simon Conference for Young Researchers in Risk Management and Insurance. With their research presentations, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, industry professionals and early career faculty members from universities across the country contributed to the successful second installment of the conference.
The 2023 Simon Conference was sponsored financially by the MSU Actuarial Science Program and by the generous contributions of Ron Simon, former chairman and CEO of Auto Owners Insurance Company. It was organized by MSU Actuarial Science faculty members Dr. Albert Cohen, Dr. Gee Y. Lee and Dr. Haiyan Liu, and MSU Actuarial Club president Jordan Newton.
The conference focused on two large events, the first being the gala reception at the Graduate Hotel in East Lansing. Professor Emeritus Edward (Jed) W. Frees, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, delivered the evening ’s keynote speech and talked about the need for more investment in the actuarial profession and the educational mission that it furthers. Professor Ruodo Wang of the University of Waterloo delivered the second keynote speech the following morning and talked about the recent developments in actuarial science from an academic viewpoint.
Following Professor Wang’s talk, two high school student groups presented their work on sports analytics and data science. These two groups, associated with the Sports Analytics Club Program (SACP), impressed the audience with their poise and preparation and helped set the tone for the rest of the conference, where student participation and engagement were emphasized.
The afternoon sessions started with an introduction of the Actuarial Science Club, introduced to the audience by its officers, Jordan Newton and Trent Gariepy. Following the introduction, two breakout sessions featured actuarial research talks by the following diverse group of speakers:
Faculty member speakers: Jianxi Su (Purdue University); Haibo Liu (Purdue University); Linfeng Zhang (Ohio State University); Xing Wang (Illinois State University)
Ph.D. student speakers: Chong Yu (Purdue University); Mohammad Adjieteh (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee); Yong Xie (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign); Dekun Zhai (Temple University); Rui Li (Temple University); Peiheng Gao (Western University); Zachary Oosten (University of Waterloo)
Postdoc speaker: Jean-Gabriel Lauzier (University of Waterloo)
Benefits for the participants included the strengthening of connections between future professionals and academia, as well as the encouragement of current students toward possible graduate education and research. MSU is recognized as a strong advocate of actuarial research at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and beyond. This conference provided the university with the opportunity to advertise this aspect of its actuarial science and quantitative risk analytics programs.
On the conference website, the organizers left a note thanking those who participated in the conference and those who may become interested in the future: “This event belongs to you, all of you. As does our shared Actuarial program at Michigan State University. We continue to grow because of the trust you place in us, and the connection you have as industry leaders to connect with our students and faculty, and as alumni who continue to reach back to the program you studied in. We are here for you and appreciate the example you set for future generations.”
Statements of fact and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the Society of Actuaries, the editors, or the respective authors’ employers.
Albert Cohen, Ph.D., is the director of the Actuarial Science Program at Michigan State University. Albert can be contacted at acohen@msu.edu.
Gee Y. Lee, Ph.D., ASA, is an associate professor of the Actuarial Science Program at Michigan State University. Gee can be contacted at leegee@msu.edu.
Haiyan Liu, Ph.D., ASA, is an assistant professor of the Actuarial Science Program at Michigan State University. Haiyan can be contacted at liuhaiy1@msu.edu.