R is for Research

The powerful quantitative social science research tool known simply as R was the focus of an international conference held on June 18 and 19 at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus.

A panel of distinguished speakers from around the world discussed the importance of the R software and graphics system for use by researchers, practitioners, educators and students.

The conference, organized by Hrishikesh D. Vinod, Ph.D., professor of economics, and Frank Hsu, Ph.D., professor of computer and information sciences, highlighted the value R holds for educators in particular, due to fact that it is free, open source, and widely available. R also features some 2,000 specialized packages and is becoming the “lingua franca” for quantitative social science researchers across a wide array of disciplines.

The conference, inaugurated by Robert Himmelberg, Ph.D., dean of the arts and sciences faculty (pictured), concluded with a wine and cheese reception, hosted by the Society of Indian Academics in America (SIAA) and the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP). More details on the conference are available here.

—Nina Romeo