Reuters, "Nobel-Winning Economist Vernon L. Smith Lectures to Inner-City High School Students at the Nicholas Academic Centers"

The Chapman University Professor, Known as the Father of “Experimental Economics,” Demonstrates How Both Buyers and Sellers Benefit from Market Transactions

Chapman University Nobel Laureate Vernon L. Smith, and his colleague, Bart Wilson, brought their unorthodox teaching methods to the students, parents and staff of the Nicholas Academic Centers in Santa Ana, CA., on Saturday (Nov. 5), conducting “double auction” experiments in which students learned how both buyers and sellers, who know nothing of each other’s interests, can benefit from market transactions.

The two professors from Chapman’s Economic Science Institute made their second appearance as part of the Nicholas Academic Centers’ 2011-12 “Visiting Scholar Series” in partnership with Chapman University. Drs. Smith and Wilson delivered their first lecture in the series in January 2011 at the Center in downtown Santa Ana, CA.

Dr. Smith said he got the idea for “Experimental Economics” as a newly minted Harvard PhD teaching his first class at Purdue University. “I realized I didn’t know anything about the connection between the pretty pictures in the text books and how the real world worked,” Dr. Smith told the gathering. “So I decided to do an experiment.” He went on to became known as the father of “Experimental Economics” and in 2002 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work in using laboratory experiments to research why markets and other exchange systems work the way they do.

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Yahoo Finance, "Nobel Laureate to Participate in Nicholas Academic Center-Chapman University Program to Reach Inner-City High School Students"

Nobel Laureate to Participate in Nicholas Academic Center-Chapman University Program to Reach Inner-City High School Students

ORANGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nobel Prize-winning economist Vernon L. Smith, and his colleague, Bart Wilson, of Chapman University’s Economic Science Institute on Saturday, Nov. 5, will make their second appearance as part of the Nicholas Academic Centers’ 2011-12 “Visiting Scholar Series” in partnership with Chapman University. Dr. Smith delivered his first lecture in the series in January 2011.

The program, now in its second year, is aimed at introducing high school students from inner-city communities in Santa Ana to a college academic environment, while strengthening ties with highly respected local universities. Since the program launched last fall, Chapman University faculty and staff have delivered lectures to students, parents and community members on a broad range of subjects, from the origins of mathematics to how to build a video game. (Lectures are held from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 313 North Birch Street, 2nd floor, in downtown Santa Ana, and are open to the public).

Dr. Smith, known as the “founding father of experimental economics,” will discuss “Using Experiments to Teach The Foundations of Exchange” with Nicholas Academic Center students, parents and staff. Smith was awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work in using laboratory experiments to research why markets and other exchange systems work the way they do. Dr. Wilson will assist Dr. Smith in carrying out sample experiments with the students, using the Economic Science Institute’s portable laboratory.

“We look forward once again to the opportunity to introduce Nicholas Academic Center students to experimental economics,” said Dr. Smith. “Our goal is to help students better grasp the complexities of human behavior in the marketplace.”

“For the second year in a row, we are privileged to introduce our students to the teachings of a Nobel-winning economist,” said Dr. Henry Nicholas, co-founder and former Co-Chairman, President and CEO of Broadcom Corp., who established the Nicholas Academic Centers in 2008 with retired Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel. “Our objective is to provide students with a challenging academic environment and there is no better way to achieve this than with a lecture by one of the most important economic thinkers of our time.”

Media links for previous “Visiting Scholar” lectures:

Video Presentation

Photo Gallery

About the Speakers

Vernon L. Smith, Ph.D. was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002 for his groundbreaking work in experimental economics. He is a professor in Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics and School of Law and is a member of the Economic Science Institute at Chapman. He is the president of the International Foundation for Research in Experimental Economics, which he founded in 1997. Born in Kansas in 1927, Dr. Smith completed his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at the California Institute of Technology, his master's degree in economics at the University of Kansas, and his Ph.D. in economics at Harvard University.

Bart Wilson, Ph.D. has joint appointments with Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics and the School of Law. His broad fields of specialty are industrial organization and experimental economics. He is currently pursuing research on the foundations of exchange and specialization and the origins of property right systems in laboratory economies. His other research programs apply the experimental method to topics in gasoline markets, e-commerce, electric power deregulation and antitrust. Dr. Wilson is a member of the Economic Science Institute at Chapman.

About the Nicholas Academic Centers

Located in downtown Santa Ana and on the campus of Valley High School, the Nicholas Academic Centers serve hundreds of Santa Ana Unified School District students on a daily basis throughout the school year and summer, providing them with tutoring, social support, and individual college guidance. Since the first Center opened in 2008, more than 150 students have gone on to college, with most attending top schools such as Georgetown, Smith, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine, Allegheny and Chapman. NAC students have earned a total of more than $2 million in scholarships and financial aide. The NAC staff works closely with school principals, teachers and guidance counselors, as well as with students’ families and community leaders. The Centers are funded by the Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation and modeled on the tutoring and mentoring program Judge Mandel started before retiring from the bench. Become a fan of the Nicholas Academic Centers on Facebook, or follow the NAC on Twitter.

About Chapman University

Chapman University founded in 1861 and celebrating its 150th Anniversary in 2011, is one of the oldest, most prestigious private universities in California. Chapman’s picturesque campus is located in the City of Orange in the heart of Orange County – one of the nation’s most exciting centers of arts, business, science and technology – and draws outstanding students from across the United States and around the world. Known for its blend of liberal arts and professional programs, Chapman University encompasses seven schools and colleges: Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics, Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Schmid College of Science, College of Performing Arts, School of Law and College of Educational Studies. Named to the list of top universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review, Chapman University enrolls more than 6,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students. Facebook: www.facebook.com/chapmanuniversity.

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Chapman University and the Nicholas Academic Centers Launch 2011-2012 “Visiting Scholars Series”

For Immediate Release     

Media Contact, Chapman University:

Mary Platt  714-628-7271

platt@chapman.edu

Media Contact, Nicholas Academic Centers:

 Robert Magnuson 949-290-9382

rgm@magnusonandcompany.com

The Program, Entering Its Second Year, Introduces Underserved High School Students In Santa Ana, Calif., To a College Academic Environment

Rosa Diaz, Nicholas Academic Centers' Director of Operations, and NAC Acting Executive Director Hugo Gutierrez (far right) join Chapman University education Professor Brian Alters (left) and Chancellor Dr. Daniele Struppa at the first 2011-2012 "Visting Scholars Series" lecture.ORANGE, Calif.–Oct. 12–Chapman University and the Nicholas Academic Centers have launched the 2011-2012 “Visiting Scholars Series,” aimed at introducing high school students from underserved communities in Santa Ana to a college academic environment, while strengthening ties with highly respected local universities.

Brian Alters, Ph.D., founder and director of Chapman University’s Evolution Education Research Center, on Saturday delivered the inaugural lecture, “The Pursuit of Happiness and Knowledge: Walt Disney and Charles Darwin.”  The session marked the beginning of the second year of the “Visiting Scholar Series” partnership between Chapman and the Nicholas Academic Centers, and was held at the NAC Annex in downtown Santa Ana. Since the program launched in the fall of 2010, Chapman University faculty and staff have delivered lectures to students, parents and community members on a broad range of subjects, from the origins of mathematics to how to build a video game.

“We are honored to begin the second year of this unique partnership with Chapman University,” said Dr. Henry Nicholas, co-founder and former Co-Chairman, President and CEO of Broadcom Corp., who established the Nicholas Academic Centers in 2008 with retired Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel. “Our goal has been to provide our students with a diverse and challenging academic environment. The first year was a great success and we look forward to continuing this success through the current academic year.”

“For the university, this partnership provides the opportunity to develop relationships with talented students in our own backyard and introduce them to some of our most talented faculty,” said Dr. Daniele Struppa, Chapman University’s Chancellor. “I hope it’s as rewarding for the students as it is for our faculty and for me, personally.”

Media Links

Video Presentation

Photo Gallery

About the Speakers

Brian Alters, Ph.D. is a specialist in the evolution education-vs.-creationism controversy.  Dr. Alters has conducted research and authored books on evolution education, has testified as an expert witness in U.S. federal court and other important legal cases on these matters, and is vice president of the board of the National Center for Science Education.  The Evolution Education Research Center was created more than a decade ago by faculty of McGill and Harvard Universities, and expanded to Chapman University last year.

About the Nicholas Academic Centers

Located in downtown Santa Ana and on the campus of Valley High School, the Nicholas Academic Centers serve hundreds of Santa Ana Unified School District students on a daily basis throughout the school year and summer, providing them with tutoring, social support, and individual college guidance. Since the first Center opened in 2008, more than 100 students have gone on to college, with most attending top schools such as Georgetown, Smith, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine and Chapman. NAC students have earned a total of more than $2 million in scholarships and financial aide. The NAC staff works closely with school principals, teachers and guidance counselors, as well as with students’ families and community leaders. The Centers are funded by the Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation and modeled on the tutoring and mentoring program Judge Mandel started before retiring from the bench. Become a fan of the Nicholas Academic Centers on Facebook, or follow the NAC on Twitter.

About Chapman University

Chapman University (www.chapman.edu), founded in 1861 and celebrating its 150^th Anniversary in 2011, is one of the oldest, most prestigious private universities in California.  Chapman’s picturesque campus is located in the City of Orange in the heart of Orange County – one of the nation’s most exciting centers of arts, business, science and technology – and draws outstanding students from across the United States and around the world.  Known for its blend of liberal arts and professional programs, Chapman University encompasses seven schools and colleges: Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics, Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Schmid College of Science, College of Performing Arts, School of Law and College of Educational Studies.   Named to the list of top universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review, Chapman University enrolls more than 6,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students. Facebook: www.facebook.com/chapmanuniversity. 

Centredaily.com: "Chapman University Professors To Deliver Their Second Segment in the Nicholas Academic Centers’ 2011 "Visiting Scholars Series""

For Release:  Friday, February 25, 2011           

Media Contact: Mary Platt  714-628-7271  platt@chapman.edu 

Chapman University Professors To Deliver Second Segment in Nicholas Academic Centers’ 2011 “Visiting Scholars Series”

Philosophy and Film and Media Arts Lectures Will Continue the Program Aimed at Introducing High School Students from Santa Ana, Californiato a College Academic Environment

ORANGE, Calif. – FEB. 25 – Chapman University Philosophy Professor Carmichael Peters will discuss “What is Philosophy” and Film and Media Arts Professor Adam Rote will talk about “Art at the Speed of Light” in the second segment of the  Nicholas Academic Centers’ 2011 “Visiting Scholar Series” on Saturday, February 26 (from 9 a.m. to noon in the Centers’ Annex at 313 North Birch Street, 2^nd floor, in downtown Santa Ana). 

The series is aimed at introducing high school students from underserved communities in Santa Ana to a college academic environment, while strengthening ties with highly respected local universities. 

“Each month NAC students get the opportunity to interact with top scholars on critical subjects,” said Dr. Henry Nicholas, Co-Founder and former CEO of Broadcom Corp., who partnered in 2007 with retired Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel to establish the Nicholas Academic Centers. “We are privileged to work with Chapman University to make this important lecture series possible.

“Our objective at the Centers is to prepare students to succeed at the nation’s best colleges and universities,” said Dr. Corina A. Espinoza, the Centers’ Executive Director. “The ‘Visiting Scholars Series’ exposes students to a college learning environment in order to reinforce their motivation to attend college.”

In the first series of lectures, from September though the end of last year, NAC students heard Chapman professors discuss a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from the origins of mathematics to indigenous cultures. In the first 2011 lecture in January, Chapman University economics professor and Nobel Laureate Vernon L. Smith and his colleague Bart Wilson introduced NAC students to “Experimental Economics.”

About the Speakers

Carmichael Peters, Ph.D.  is assistant professor of philosophy and religious studies at Chapman University. In addition to a number of scholarly articles, Dr. Peters has written A Gadamerian Reading of Karl Rahner’s Theology of Grace and Freedom (New York/Oxford: Catholic Scholars Press, 2000). He teaches courses in Buddhism, comparative religions, philosophical hermeneutics, philosophical and political theology, and philosophy of religion. He holds his Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union at the University of California, Berkeley.

 Adam Rote, professor of film and media arts at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, began his career as an artist fascinated by the new world of computer graphics software.  He saw the possibilities early – that this technology was opening a new universe for gaming, movie special effects, websites and more.  After earning a degree in computer graphic design, he moved into video post-production and gaming.  A lead artist for game giant Interplay Productions, he worked on projects such as Star Fleet Academy.  Today, he is creating top-secret games for Microsoft’s new Xbox technology. Rote loves the challenge of creating 3D models, matte backgrounds, textures and lighting.  He also creates titles and special effects for film and video, teaching his students to work together to realize their creative dreams. 

About the Nicholas Academic Centers

Located in downtown Santa Ana and on the campus of Valley High School, the Nicholas Academic Centers serve hundreds of Santa Ana Unified School District students on a daily basis throughout the school year and summer, providing them with tutoring, social support, and individual college guidance. The NAC staff works closely with school principals, teachers and guidance counselors, as well as with students’ families and community leaders. The Centers are funded by the Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation and modeled on the tutoring and mentoring program Judge Mandel started before retiring from the bench. For more information, visit www.naccenters.org. Become a fan of the Nicholas Academic Centers on Facebook.

About Chapman University

Chapman University, founded in 1861 and celebrating its 150^th Anniversary in 2011, is one of the oldest, most prestigious private universities in California.  Chapman’s picturesque campus is located in the heart of Orange County – one of the nation’s most exciting centers of arts, business, science and technology – and draws outstanding students from across the United States and around the world.  Known for its blend of liberal arts and professional programs, Chapman University encompasses seven schools and colleges: Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics, Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Schmid College of Science, College of Performing Arts, School of Law and College of Educational Studies.   Named to the list of top universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review, Chapman University enrolls more than 6,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students.  More information: www.chapman.edu.   Facebook: www.facebook.com/chapmanuniversity.

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Nicholas Academic Centers to Host Chapman University Lectures on Digital Media and Satellite Technology

Contact

Robert G. Magnuson, 949-290-9382

rgm@magnusonandcompany.com

Second Event in the “Visiting Scholar” Program Featuring Chapman Professors Helps Prepare Santa Ana Students for College, Build Ties with Top Local Colleges

SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Nicholas Academic Centers on Saturday will host the second in its “Visiting Scholar Series” with Chapman University—an innovative program designed to help expose students from Santa Ana’s high schools to college and strengthen ties with highly-respected local universities.

“We are pleased at the impact this important program is having in raising our students’ awareness of the college experience and of Chapman University in particular,” said Dr. Corina A. Espinoza, assistant executive director of the Nicholas Academic Centers (NACs). “The partnership between Chapman and the Nicholas Academic Centers is just one component in our effort to strengthen and forge new bonds between our students and local universities.”

Mildred Lewis, Assistant Professor of Film and Media Arts, will give the first lecture, “Downloaded, YouTube’d, 3-D’d, and Flickr’d: Media Aesthetics in a Multiplatform Digital World.” Assistant Professor of Physics, Dr. Hesham El-Askary, will speak about “Hazards, Global Change and Satellite Technology.”

 The lectures, which began in September, take place monthly through December at the Nicholas Academic Center I Annex in downtown Santa Ana. Future speakers include Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Philosophy, Carmichael Peters, Chapman University Chancellor, Dr. Daniele C. Struppa, Associate Professor of Law, Ernesto Hernandez-Lopez, and Dean of the Leatherby Libraries, Charlene Baldwin.

A standing room only audience of students was present at the first lecture in September, where Associate Professor of American Studies, Paul Apodaca, spoke about “Valuing Our Lives” and Assistant Professor of Art History, Liliana Leopardi, gave a lecture on “Love and Magic in Renaissance Italy.” All lectures are open to the public.

As part of its university partnership initiatives, the Academic Centers recently joined with the University of California, Irvine to offer students an educational “Day at the Bay” program, which included a tutorial with UCI staff at the Back Bay Science Center in Newport Beach and a tour of the university campus led by now-retired Vice Chancellor Manuel Gomez. In another project with UCI, the university’s Department of Education is working with the Nicholas Academic Centers to assess the Centers’ academic performance and growth potential.

Chapman University Asst. Professor Mildred Lewis addresses NAC students during her lecture: “Downloaded, YouTube’d, 3-D’d, and Flickr’d: Media Aesthetics in a Multiplatform Digital World.”

The Nicholas Academic Centers serve hundreds of students in the Santa Ana Unified School District on a daily basis throughout the school year and summer. This fall, 66 Nicholas Academic Center graduates are attending college, including some of the nation’s best four-year institutions such as Georgetown, Smith, Haverford, UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Irvine. Nearly all of the students have received full scholarships and financial aid.

The Centers are based on a program started by Retired Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel in the early 1990’s in an effort to fill an urgent need for after-school tutoring and mentoring in Santa Ana. In 2007, Judge Mandel partnered with Henry Nicholas, co-founder and former Co-Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Broadcom Corporation, to create the Nicholas Academic Centers. The first center was established in 2008 and a second center opened a year later.

About the Nicholas Academic Centers

The Nicholas Academic Centers are directed by retired Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel and higher education expert, Dr. Corina A. Espinoza, and were established by the Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation. Located in downtown Santa Ana and on the campus of Valley High School in Santa Ana, the Centers provide free tutoring and mentoring for students, as well as computers and a safe place to study. For more information, visit www.naccenters.org. Become a fan of the Nicholas Academic Centers on Facebook.

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