The American Evaluation Association (AEA) is an international professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of program evaluation, personnel evaluation, technology, and many other forms of evaluation. Evaluation involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies, personnel, products, and organizations to improve their effectiveness. AEA’s annual conference, Evaluation 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, USA from November 10-13, 2010 has brought together more than one thousand of evaluation practitioners, academics, and students.

During Evaluation 2010, Shan-Shan Li and Ling-Chu Lee, associate researchers of the NARL’s Science & Technology Policy Research and Information Center (STPI), took home the best paper award in the Research, Technology & Development Evaluation Topical Interest Group (TIG), one of AEA’s 41 TIGs, for their paper entitled "Using fishbone analysis to improve the quality of science & technology program proposals".