Triangle Census Research Data Center (TCRDC)
4th Annual Research Conference and Workshop
November 10-11, 2011
RTI International, Research Triangle Park
3040 Cornwallis Road
This 4th annual conference and workshop will explore research opportunities presented by the use of confidential microdata collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and other government agencies like the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
Thursday, Nov 10th : Proposal Development Workshop
1:00-3:30 Proposal Development for Census and National Center for Health Statistics
This workshop will explore the three major agency data sources, Census, AHRQ, and NCHS that may be accessed via the TCRDC. The workshop will explain the data proposal requirements and processes for each agency. Workshop attendees will be encouraged to discuss their own specific research interests to see how these various micro-data can benefit area researchers. Lee Mobley-Rivers will provide an example of as approved Census project. Other examples from AHRQ and NCHS will also be presented.
Friday, Nov 11th : Research Conference
8:30 Registration opens
Demographic Data Session
9:00 Tatyana Kuzmenko – Duke University, Department of Economics
Persistence in Housing Wealth Perceptions: Evidence from the Census Data
10:15 Break
Health (NCHS) Data Session
10:30 Sally Stearns – University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, School of Public Health
The Hunt for Elusive Effects of Staffing and Turnover on Nursing Home Resident Outcomes
12:00 Box Lunch
Group discussion of Census proposal development
Linked Household – Business (LEHD) Data Session
1:30 Paige Ouimet – University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School
The Interaction of Explicit and Implicit Incentives: Stock Options and Employee Turnover
Coauthors: Serdar Aldatmaz and Edward D.Van Wesep
2:45 Break
Business Data Session
3:00 Hyunseob Kim –Duke University, Fuqua School of Business
Does Human Capital Specificity Affect Employer Capital Structure? Evidence from a Natural Experiment
4:30 Conclude
Conference Logistics
All sessions will be held in RTI’s Building 08 multipurpose room. There is no cost to attend the conference, but advance registration is required since RTI International is a secure research facility.
For inquiries about the conference or the TCRDC or to register to attend, contact Gale Boyd, TCRDC Director at or Lee Mobley-Rivers at
The Triangle Census Research Data Center (TCRDC) is a partnership between the U.S. Census Bureau and Duke University in cooperation with the The University of North Carolina System and Research Triangle Institute (RTI). Under this partnership, the Census Bureau allows qualified researchers to perform statistical analysis on selected internal non-public microdata from the Census Bureau's economic and demographic censuses and surveys via two secure computer laboratories located at either Duke and RTI. Statistical analysis of non public data from other government agencies may be conducted via the TCRDC as well; including data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
The TCRDC is one of 12 sites in a network of Research Data Centers located around the U.S. The TCRDC is the oldest such facility in the Southeast.
Faculty, students, and staff from Duke, RTI, or any of the 16 universities in the UNC System may use the TCRDC free of cost for their Census approved research projects, making the TCRDC is a unique opportunity for qualified researchers in the region. Other researchers may use the TCRDC on a fee basis.
"This research activity now encompasses about 20 sectors within a dozen different manufacturing industries ranging from pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles, and food processing to more energy intensive sectors such as paper, cement, and steel," said researcher Gale Boyd.
Faculty from the Departments of Economics and Statistical Science have been awarded a new $3 million grant from the NSF to create the Triangle Census Research Network, which will improve the analysis and dissemination of economic and demographic data to the public.
Researcher Gale Boyd's latest work on energy efficiency and the efficacy of the Energy Star program has been released and noted in reports issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Boyd and co-author Gang Zhang examine the performance of the cement manufacturing industry in their research. Boyd is also working with glass manufacturing and food processing plants to measure those industries' energy efficiency improvements.
TheTriangle Census Research Data Center Conference held this week explores social sciences research opportunities using confidential microdata collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and other agencies. The conference also celebrates the opening of a second center at RTI International...
Interested in the connections between energy and the environment, Senior Research Scholar Gale Boyd helps the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop tools to implement improved energy management in industry.
The Department of Economics is pleased to announce the recent promotions of three faculty members. Connel Fullenkamp has been promoted to Full Professor of the Practice, and Emma Rasiel has been promoted to Associate Professor of the Practice. Gale Boyd, the director of the Triangle Census Research Data Center (TCRDC), has been promoted to Senior Research Scholar.
"It's one of Duke's well-kept secrets," said Gale Boyd, executive director of the Triangle Census Research Data Center, located in Social Sciences 329-D. The Triangle RDC allows researchers whose proposals have been approved by the U.S. Census Bureau to access confidential microdata not released to the public.