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WRSA is deeply saddened by the loss of Arthur Getis, one of our finest and most noble members, who passed away on May 13, 2022. Art served as the President of WRSA in 1999 and was elected a WRSA Fellow. Especially, Art has been a strong supporter of the Annual Getis-Ord Lecture Series in Spatial Analysis since the inaugural lecture in Santa Barbara in 2013.  

The regional science community lost a tremendous leader, imminent scholar, and dedicated teacher.  Soft-spoken but with a fierce intellect, Art Getis was a research innovator, brilliant and insightful statistical analyst, and thoroughly approachable, whether you were a seasoned professor, a newly minted assistant, or a student. He was generous beyond measure to WRSA through his intellectual contributions, the creation and financial support of the Getis-Ord annual lecture, and kind wisdom. Art will remain a role model for regional scientists for many years to come. In addition to his academic writing, WRSA will always remember his quick wit and kindness — a true gentleman in every sense of the word. Our deepest condolences to Art’s family and vast network of colleagues and friends. He will be truly missed.

Please click here to read a memorial note provided by Geoffrey J.D. Hewings, a fellow and the 48th president of WRSA.

The 2022 WRSA Meeting draft program is now available.

Please click here for the preliminary program of the 61st Annual Meeting of WRSA.

If you have not yet made a hotel reservation, simply visit the following link for the WRSA’s Conference Rate or call 800-528-7867.  
https://reservations.thescottresort.com/110235?groupID=3292077#/guestsandrooms

If you have any specific questions or requests about paper submission, please contact me via email (wrsa@unlv.edu).

We look forward to seeing you all in Scottsdale, Arizona!

The 2022 WRSA Meeting draft program is now available.

Please click here for the preliminary program of the 61st Annual Meeting of WRSA.

The final date to secure your accommodations at the contracted rate ($209/night plus applicable taxes) is January 18, 2022!!

The negotiated hotel room rate is $209/night (plus applicable taxes); however, if you make a reservation at a regular rate after January 18th, the daily rate is around $600/night (plus applicable taxes). 

Scottsdale in February is a very popular destination and hotel rooms quickly sell out!!
The resort will no longer be able to guarantee the contracted group rate after the block release date.We have about 110 plus papers submitted for our in-person meeting in Scottsdale. Additionally, many of you asked me if you can join without a paper to present and the answer is “YES” – we encourage you to participate so that you can serve as discussant and/or chair of our breakout sessions for the WRSA’s 61st Annual Meeting.

Some of you are still making decisions; however, it is always a good idea to make a hotel reservation now (especially before Jan 15th to be safe) and if needed, you can cancel the reservation without any penalty fees prior to 72-hours before your arrival. To make a reservation NOW, simply visit the following link for the WRSA’s Conference Rate or call 800-528-7867.  https://reservations.thescottresort.com/110235?groupID=3292077#/guestsandrooms

If you have any specific questions or requests about paper submission, please contact me via email (wrsa@unlv.edu).

We look forward to seeing you all in Scottsdale, Arizona!

For our 61st meeting in 2022, we’re heading to Scottsdale, AZ (near Phoenix). This is our first in-person meeting since 2019.

Our meeting dates are February 17-20, 2022, with opening plenary and reception scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday (Feb. 17), followed by three full days of sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Feb. 18-20).

Only full papers (draft format acceptable) will be accepted for this conference. All submissions will be reviewed and will be assigned a discussant on the program.

All presenters are expected to discuss a paper and/or chair a session.

Our meeting hotel is The Scott Resort & Spa located in Scottsdale, AZ, which is just east of Phoenix and offers various cultural activities, adventure, food, and other fun. The Scoot Resort & Spa offers various dining options in Old Town Scottsdale, an on-site spa and pools, and easy access to championship golf courses. Our negotiated room rate is $209/night (plus taxes and fees) and the resort fee is waived for our group. See the “Hotel Information” link to the left for room reservation instructions.

Full meeting information will be available in the upcoming Newsletter (be sure to renew your membership in order to receive!) and on our website. Check back in the weeks to come!

The deadline for submission of full papers (draft version acceptable)
is now extended to Dec 15, 2021!
This does not apply to the Tiebout Prize Paper Competition submission.

For our 61st meeting in 2022, we’re heading to Scottsdale, AZ (near Phoenix). This is our first in-person meeting since 2019.

Our meeting dates are February 17-20, 2022, with opening plenary and reception scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday (Feb. 17), followed by three full days of sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Feb. 18-20).

Only full papers (draft format acceptable) will be accepted for this conference. All submissions will be reviewed and will be assigned a discussant on the program.

All presenters are expected to discuss a paper and/or chair a session.

Our meeting hotel is The Scott Resort & Spa located in Scottsdale, AZ, which is just east of Phoenix and offers various cultural activities, adventure, food, and other fun. The Scoot Resort & Spa offers various dining options in Old Town Scottsdale, an on-site spa and pools, and easy access to championship golf courses. Our negotiated room rate is $209/night (plus taxes and fees) and the resort fee is waived for our group. See the “Hotel Information” link to the left for room reservation instruction.

Full meeting information will be available in the upcoming Newsletter (be sure to renew your membership in order to receive!) and on our website. Check back in the weeks to come!

The deadline for submission of full papers (draft version acceptable) is October 15, 2021! This also applies to the Tiebout Prize Paper Competition submission.

Welcome to our 60^th Annual Meeting! WRSA is hosting its first-ever virtual conference meeting in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though we cannot meet in person, we have a fantastic few days in store for you!

Click here to download the 2021 WRSA Virtual Meeting FINAL program!!

Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the session guidelines and instructions for our virtual meeting (pages 1–2). The official time of the conference meeting schedule is Pacific Standard Time (PST) of the U.S., which is GMT-8 hours.
You can access the virtual meeting rooms by clicking on the links in our program.

All the conference participants are required to log on using their own Zoom Account. If you do not have one, please create a free Zoom account to join the WRSA virtual meeting. You can find more information about how to create a Zoom account on page 2 of the Program.

The Program Participant Locator (pages 27–32) will help you locate your assignments. As always, late program changes may occur; be sure to double-check your assignments in case your original schedule has shifted. Additionally, the links for the special sessions, which are open to all participants, can be found on pages 3 through 7 of the program and you can click here for the summary of special sessions.

Please do not share these links with others who have not registered for the conference. WRSA does depend on the registration fees from the conference to continue operations all year long.

A hearty thanks to all of you, WRSA meeting participants.
Without you, the meeting wouldn’t be what it is: The Way Academic Life Should Be!

Best wishes for a productive, memorable, and enjoyable meeting in WRSA’s virtual conference!

This is an important announcement for the WRSA’s  60th Anniversary Meeting in February 2021. Due to the growing uncertainty with the recent resurge of COVID-19 worldwide, it is challenging to have our in-person meeting in Palm Springs as scheduled.WRSA reached an agreement to cancel the in-person meeting in Palm Springs and to move forward with the VIRTUAL MEETING option. 
WRSA understands that the virtual meeting is not the most ideal for scholarly interaction among our members and participants; however, protecting the health of our members is our highest priority. Thank you for your understanding!

So now, WRSA 2021 will be virtual. Here are some key updates.

• New Paper Submission Due Date: 
  • The new extended paper submission due date is Dec 31st, 2020. 
  • This also applies to the Tiebout Prize Paper Competition submission.
• Meeting Date Changed: 
  • The new meeting dates will be Monday, Feb 22 –  Thursday, Feb 25, 2021 (instead of Feb 21 – 24, 2021).
  • The WRSA 2021 Virtual Meeting will open on Monday, February 22nd with the Lay James Gibson Opening Plenary Session. Three days of paper sessions and some virtual social events will follow on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (the 23rd through the 25th).
• Registration Fee Adjusted:
  The registration fee for the 60th Anniversary Virtual Meeting has been changed.
  • For Regular (non-student) Participants, the new registration fee is $95, which includes the WRSA’s Annual Membership Due. For those not participating in the annual conference, the Annual Membership Due is $95.
  • For Student Participants, the new registration fee is $40. The registration fee for the students who submit their papers to the Tiebout Prize Paper Competition will be waived. 
• Tiebout Prize: 
  • Tiebout Prize Paper Competition submission due is also extended to Dec 31st, 2020. 
  • The registration fee for the students who submit their papers to the Tiebout Prize Paper Competition will be waived.

Please submit your paper and encourage your colleagues to participate in our 60th Anniversary meeting to be held virtually on February 22-25, 2021. 
Also, feel free to contact me at wrsa@unlv.edu if you have any questions or concerns.

What a Surprise! It’s the traditional extension of the paper submission deadline for our 60th annual meeting in Palm Springs, California, next February 21-24. With the extension, we will accept submissions until the end of November. 

This year’s FINAL deadline will be November 30.
Be sure to get your paper submitted before then!

Permitting it’s safe to travel and congregate in large groups, WRSA will hold the in-person meeting in Palm Springs. However, we are also considering an option to meet virtually online or in a hybrid format if the COVID-19 situation does not improve by the end of November. 

For those of you still making a decision, WRSA strongly encourages you to submit the paper and you will always have a chance to withdraw the paper depending on the meeting format that will be announced in early December. 

Ready to submit? There’s no reason to wait until the last minute. Simply visit the WRSA website and use the Login/Register link at the left to upload your paper and register for the meeting.

I also encourage you to make your travel arrangements early. We will be meeting at the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa by Hilton, where our negotiated room rate is $219/night (plus taxes). Reservations can be made via this link or by calling 800-237-2926 and asking for the Western Regional Science Association (Western Regional Conference) group rate. The hotel has agreed to honor our special room rate three days prior to and following our meeting (Feb 17th through Feb 27th), based on availability. Please note: after January 21, 2021, or as soon as our block fills, the hotel will no longer honor our special room rate! Be sure to book early!

I’m also still looking for several students to assist with meeting registration in Palm Springs. In exchange for 8-10 hours of volunteering at the registration desk, students will receive a complete rebate of their preregistration fees (worth $150, to be processed as a refund following the meeting). Contact me if you’re interested.

The Fall 2019 WRSA Newsletter is here and it’s got everything you need to know about our 60th annual meeting in Palm Springs, California, in February 2021! Take a look inside for paper submission and meeting registration instructions, as well as hotel reservation and travel details.

Enjoy!

This is a reminder for submitting your paper before the submission deadline for our 60th annual meeting in Palm Springs, California, February 21-24, 2021. 

The due is Oct 30th, 30 days away.
Be sure to get your paper submitted before then!
Ready to submit? There’s no reason to wait until the last minute. Simply visit the Login/Register link at the left to upload your paper and register for the meeting.

I also encourage you to make your travel arrangements early. We will be meeting at the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort and Spa by Hilton, located in Indian Wells, CA, where our negotiated room rate is $219/night (plus taxes). Reservations can be made via this link or by calling 800-237-2926 and asking for the Western Regional Science Association (Western Regional Conference) group rate. The hotel has agreed to honor our special room rate three days prior to and following our meeting (Feb 17th through Feb 27th), based on availability. Please note: after January 21, 2021, or as soon as our block fills, the hotel will no longer honor our special room rate! Be sure to book early!
I’m also still looking for several students to assist with meeting registration in Palm Springs. In exchange for 8-10 hours of volunteering at the registration desk, students will receive a complete rebate of their preregistration fees (worth $150, to be processed as a refund following the meeting). Contact me if you’re interested.