2024 Industry Studies Association Annual Conference
June 13 - June 15, 2024
California State University, Sacramento
Empowering Community Wellbeing:
Clean Energy, Sustainability, and Industrial Strategy
The submission deadline is extended – to Tuesday, February 6th - for the Industry Studies Association's annual meeting in Sacramento, California, from June 13-15, 2024. Submit the abstracts for your paper or panel proposal via the links at the Call for Papers.
Discover why the ISA Conference is a favorite for many. Immerse yourself in a vibrant, multi-disciplinary environment where diverse perspectives and research methods mark each session, and hallway conversations can't be beat. No full papers are needed - submit abstracts and get the chance to present your work in progress and gain valuable feedback. Dive into sessions blending academic research with real-world policy application, especially in industrial strategy. Our unique excursions offer a deep dive into the local geography and culture. And remember, at ISA, it's all about engaging in dialogues and sharing current learning, not job hunting. Join us for an exhilarating experience!
The conference theme of Empowering Community Wellbeing: Clean Energy, Sustainability and Industrial Strategy reflects the emerging challenges that managers, policymakers, labor, and technologists face in light of a global movement towards a more sustainable and eco-conscious future. ISA's recent focus on industrial strategy is well-timed to provide insight and guidance.
California is the world's largest subnational economy – and it has been a leader in charting significant policy changes affecting renewable energy and climate change mitigation. It is home to the latest advances in generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) and heated debates on how best to chart the future of this transformative technology. By bringing ISA's conference to California's capitol, we can learn how the state has become a living laboratory for discovering sustainable practices, policy innovations, and community-driven solutions.
We are hard at work preparing plenaries, special sessions, and excursions, including:
- Daniel Sperling, Blue Planet award-winning researcher and author from UC Davis, will speak about the great promise of the electrification transition, the focus of his remarkably prescient work over the past two decades, and the challenges ahead. As a long-time member of California's Air Resource Board, Dan has been directly involved in the policymaking that has influenced countless people through the adoption by 14 states of the air quality standards set by CARB.
- Charles Corbett from UCLA will speak about the link between sustainability and wellbeing at individual, group, and societal levels and the contributions management scholars can make via a reinvigorated research agenda. Joining Charles will be a speaker from UC Berkeley's Greater Good Center (invited).
- Rob Leachman from UC Berkeley will speak about the past and future of the vital semiconductor research industry based on what was learned in the pre-ISA years of Sloan Foundation-funded industry centers and today's opportunities via the CHIPS Act.
- We are also exploring a session on the economics and policy of the pharmaceutical industry, featuring thought leaders from Stanford, UCLA, and USC.
- The institutions and expertise supporting the wine industry and an insider's introduction to the surprising grape varieties growing at small vineyards around Lodi (near Sacramento) will be featured at a special session featuring Tegan Passalacqua of Sandlands Vineyard and Turley Wine Cellars.
- Excursions will include a plant visit to Siemens Mobility's 60-acre solar-powered North American rail headquarters, which is growing as it bids on making locomotives for California's (controversial) high-speed rail project between San Francisco and LA, plus a winery visit to Rombauer Vineyards, recently acquired by Gallo, in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of the Sierra Foothills.
Sacramento, the host location, lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and American River. "Old Sacramento" harkens back to the city's Gold Rush era, with wooden sidewalks and wagon rides. You will want to visit the State Railroad Museum, which depicts the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, one of the country's earliest technological feats and a reminder of how crucial infrastructure investments can be to national economic strength. Our reception will introduce you to the agricultural bounty and culinary innovation of this so-called "Farm-to-Fork Capital," as highlighted recently in both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Your trip will be eased if you arrive at SMF, recently rated by WSJ as the best midsize airport in the country.
We would love to see your work or session submitted to the conference theme and/or in any of these tracks: energy and sustainability; public policy and competitiveness; supply chains, operations, and technology management; innovation and entrepreneurship; analytics and artificial intelligence; healthcare; and labor and employment relations. The time is now; submit your abstract(s) by Tuesday February 6th.
The deadline for the ISA dissertation award is also extended to February 6, 2024. Further information on the Early Career Development PDW will be forthcoming for late-stage doctoral students, post-docs, and junior faculty.
See you in Sacramento for an electrifying conference!
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Darcy Fudge Kamal
CSU Sacramento
Sacramento CA
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