Yuan (Timothy) Zhuang, Ph.D. student in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education at Pennsylvania State University, has been selected as the winner of the North American Regional Science Council’s 26th Annual Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science. The Fellowship will provide a 2026–2027 Academic Year stipend of $36,000 to support Mr. Zhuang’s dissertation research on “Labor and Energy Market Impacts of Data Infrastructures on Local Communities.”

Mr. Zhuang’s winning proposal presents a compelling study of the impact of data center development on local economies at a time when data center development is rapidly expanding. His work will extend the literature which has mostly focused on single data centers or state-level outcomes. He also will examine both the electricity markets and labor markets, providing much needed insights for local communities who may be negotiating community benefits agreements. The 2026 Selection Committee was especially impressed with the combination of intellectual ambition and on-the-ground relevance represented in the proposal. Zhuang is studying with dissertation advisor and Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development Director, Professor Stephan Goetz.

In addition to selecting the Fellowship recipient, the Selection Committee identified two applicants as meriting special recognition as finalists in the 26 th Annual Competition: So Young Kim, Doctoral Student in the Department of Economics at the University of Rochester, advised by Professor John Singleton; and Ji Hyun “Nadia” Kim, Doctoral Student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois, advised by Professor Marc Doussard.

The 26th competition winner and finalists will be recognized at the awards luncheon of the 73rd North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 11-14, 2026. The Committee thanks the 21 students who entered the competition, as well as their dissertation supervisors.

The Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science was established in 1998 in memory of Dr. Benjamin H. Stevens (1929–1997), an intellectual leader whose selfless devotion to graduate students as teacher, advisor, mentor, and friend continues to have a profound impact on the field. Graduate students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in North America are eligible to compete for the Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in support of their dissertation research in regional science.

Faculty at all North American Ph.D. programs are asked to encourage their best students to apply for the 27th Stevens Graduate Fellowship, which will support the winning student’s dissertation research in the field of regional science with a fellowship for the 2027–2028 academic year. Further details about this fellowship are available here: https://www.narsc.org/newsite/awards-prizes/stevens-graduate-fellowship/. The application deadline and full submission guidelines will be available later this year.

The 2026 Stevens Fellowship competition was overseen by a Selection Committee composed of: Eleni Bardaka, North Carolina State University; Zhenhua Chen, The Ohio State University; Joshua Drucker, University of Illinois Chicago; Heather Stephens, West Virginia University; and Ran Wei, University of California, Riverside.

The Stevens Fellowship Management Committee administrates the Stevens Fellowship Fund on behalf of the North American Regional Science Council. Its current members are Elizabeth Mack, Michigan State University; Joao Ferreira, University of Virginia; Amanda Weinstein, Center on Rural Innovation; and John Sporing (ex officio), Executive Director of NARSC.

Fundraising to support the Stevens Fellowship Fund, begun in 1998, is ongoing. Donations may be made either via credit card on the NARSC website or by sending a check to: The Stevens Fellowship Fund / First Financial Bank, Attn: Danville Trust Department / One Towne Center / Danville, IL 61832 USA.

As the USA celebrates its 250 birthday, join us in the birth place of American independence for the 73rd North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI) sponsored by the North American Regional Science Council (NARSC). To submit an abstract or a complete session, please use our online submission system. The submission deadline is July 10, 2026. Decisions concerning the acceptance of papers and sessions will be announced in mid August. All presenters, including members of panel discussions, discussants, and session chairs, must register for the conference and pay the registration fee in order to attend and present.

The conference will be held at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown (201 North 17th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103). A special conference room rate of $239 (plus taxes) has been negotiated with the hotel. Please consider staying at the host hotel. Staying at the Sheraton helps NARSC continue to hold these meetings. NARSC is penalized when attendees do not stay at the hotel. Also, book the conference hotel through the NARSC website to make sure NARSC gets credit for your booking. The link to book your hotel room is below (Student Rooms will be available in May):

Book your group rate for North American Regional Science Council (NARSC) Annual Meeting Nov 20

For overseas attendees, we are offering expedited abstract acceptance to anyone coming from a country that requires a visa to enter the United States. Once you have submitted your abstract, and if you need an acceptance letter, please contact NARSC Executive Director, John Sporing at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract Submission and Registration

Click on the link to the conference section for general information on the conference.  To register for the conference or submit an abstract/session online you must first log in to the new NARSC user portal. If you attended a NARSC conference over the past couple of years or are a member of a North American regional science organization, when you reach the login page of the User Area, your account should be available under your email address, but as it is a new system you will may to reset your password. If you are not in our database, you will need to register for a free NARSC user account and then you will be able to register for the conference and submit an abstract.

Once logged, you can change your password, update your profile, submit an abstract/session, register for the conference, and check the status of your registration. You will be able to login to your account in the User Area subsequently using your valid username and password. In case you forget your password, use the password reset tool on the login page.  If you have trouble receiving the password reset email, contact technical support at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and the support team will get that to you.

Please note that there is a surcharge for individuals who are not members of RSAI. When you are ready to register for the conference, please check your RSAI membership status. You can do that by consulting the RSAI Members List. If you have any questions regarding your RSAI membership status or would like to join RSAI please contact Ana Viñuela (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) at the RSAI Central Office.

Individual papers and organized sessions must be submitted online in the abstract submission section of the website between now and JULY 17, 2026. The conference registration section will be open soon and allows secure electronic financial transactions. Information about the workshops will be posted in late July. If you are potentially interested in attending any workshops it is suggested that you wait until information about them is available before registering for the conference. Be sure to consult the conference website for additional information and details.

Conference organizers welcome individual papers and organized sessions relating to a wide variety of topics that are included within the diverse realm of regional science.  As usual, there will be several organized sessions. If you are interested in participating in one of these organized sessions, please contact the session organizers. Details about these can be found here. Please note that the list of special sessions is updated on a regular basis, so please check regularly.

NARSC is an international scholarly organization that focuses on regional analysis, ranging from urban and spatial theory to applied problems in regional development, sustainability, environmental management, and rural land use.  We are an interdisciplinary association, with members representing fields as diverse as economics, agricultural economics, public policy, urban planning, civil engineering, geography, finance, and demography.  The annual North American RSAI conference is the premier regional science meeting in North America and attracts scholars and practitioners from around the world.

Conference organizers welcome individual papers and organized sessions relating to a wide variety of topics that are included within the diverse realm of regional science. As usual, there will be several organized sessions. If you are interested in participating in one of these organized sessions, please contact the session organizers. Details about these can be found here. Please note that the list of special sessions is updated on a regular basis, so please check regularly

If you are interested in organizing a special session, please contact Program Chair Neil Reid at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The conference will be held at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown (201 North 17th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103). A special conference room rate of $239 (plus taxes) has been negotiated with the hotel. Please consider staying at the host hotel. Staying at the Sheraton helps NARSC continue to hold these meetings. NARSC is penalized when attendees do not stay at the hotel. Also, book the conference hotel through the NARSC website to make sure NARSC gets credit for your booking. The link to book your hotel room is below (Student Rooms will be available in May):

Book your group rate for North American Regional Science Council (NARSC) Annual Meeting Nov 2026