Description:

Description: The chairperson discussed a number of Education and Research Section sponsored initiatives that are designed to support the strengthening the academic arm of the profession. Scholarships, Centers of Actuarial Excellence, and research prizes, among others were addressed.

Description: The article announces the 2011 Actuarial Research Conference and discusses the themes of the upcoming conference.

Description: In this article, the author discusses the purpose of the IME and announces the next location.

Description: Learning excellence is of value to both candidates and credentialed actuaries learning new areas. Learning mastery and excellence requires 1) use of executive function (EF), multiple brain areas, for example, verbal, formal (algebraic), computational, and geometric (rule of four), and 2) goal-setting, skillful breaking down of complex tasks into subtasks each of which are simultaneously 2a) clear and specific, 2b) achievable in a short time and 2c) challenging. 10 examples are presented illustrating use of the "rule of four" to achieve elegant solutions to otherwise complex problems as well as goal setting using fellowship-exam approaches, approaches to multi-component problems, and skillful use of databases as visual organizers. The material reflects a new approach to learning complexity that is easier to use than the pedagogic hierarchies and unifies them.