First day

I (Dr. Alice Louise Kassens) am working with 6 undergraduate students at Roanoke College on their research projects.  Some are for Honors in the Major in Economics and others are for the same distinction in Business.  In order to handle all six projects, we will meet as a group once a week, and then have additional individual meetings when needed. 

I am employing the mentor demonstration model proposed by McElroy.  Simply put, I will go through the research steps with them.  Additionally, they will serve as peer mentors. 

The seven (Nic, Sara, Justin, Tyler, Jorge, Brent, and Dr. Kassens) of us met as a group for the first time Thursday January 20th.

I handed out our "syllabus", discussed our goals, expectations, and purpose, and then allowed each person to introduce themselves and their project.

I am very excited about our semester.  The topics that are forming are so diverse and the students are so strong.

If you are interested in what we will be doing, check out our syllabus.  Send some comments if you have any that will make our experience even better.

Mentor demonstration model syllabus

Spring 2011 Researchers

Several students will participate in undergraduate research experiences with Dr. Alice Louise Kassens covering a wide range of topics during the spring 2011 semester.  We will work as a group throughout the semester as these students complete their Honors in the Major projects and will utilize group mentoring and peer assessment.  Dr. Kassens will work on several of her own projects during these meetings to demonstrate research at a variety of stages.  Additionally, Dr. Kassens will write an economic education paper detailing the experiences and outcomes of the unique undergraduate research experience.

Meet Dr. Kassens' undergraduate researchers:

Sara Caudle
Economics Major, Class of 2012

Sara is starting an investigation into the effects of overweight and obesity on the productivity of college students.  She will gather survey data from Roanoke College students and potentially additional colleges via an online survey system.  This topic is unique as most related research focuses on the adult population in the labor force.  Sara is getting a jump start on her project for Econometrics in the fall of 2011.  She will have more research experience than most students entering that senior level course.  In addition to her classwork, Sara is a member of the Roanoke College Softball Team.

Brent Cox
Business Major, HCA & HR Concentrator, Class of 2011

Brent is continuing a research project that he began in the fall semester for the Honors in Major distinction.  He is investigating evidence-based health care design, specifically replacing multi-occupancy rooms with single-occupancy rooms.  He will use several data sources, including that from a study of the Roanoke Valley.  Brent has participated in several research projects including one with Dr. Julie Lyon examining how manipulating job advertisement content affects job applicants and is likely the most experienced undergraduate researcher of the group.


Jorge Guzman-Correa
Economics Major, Class of 2011

Jorge is continuing a project that he began in Econometrics in the fall.  He is analyzing the effects of capitalism on the income distribution and income inequality in Chile.  Jorge was surprised by some of the results he generated in his first draft this past fall.  He will employ additional and more complex modeling in the spring semester to generate more robust estimates.  Jorge has submitted his original work to an undergraduate research conference and will likely submit his paper for publication.  Jorge is in the process of applying to graduate school.


Tyler Rinko
Economics Major, Education Minor, Class of 2011

Tyler is continuing a project that he began in Econometrics in the fall.  He is analyzing the effects of the Euro debt crisis on exchange rates and interest rates.  Tyler produced a high level paper in Econometrics, and will utilize more complex modeling techniques in the spring semester to provide a range of results.  Tyler has already submitted his original work to several undergraduate conferences and research awards and will likely submit his paper for publication.  In addition to his coursework, Tyler is a member of the highly honored Roanoke College Men's Lacrosse Team.


Justin Tuma
Business Major, Economics Minor, Class of 2011

Justin is beginning an investigation into the earning differentials between gender and race in a variety of industries and occupations in the United States.  He will utilize a variety of measures, including the Oaxaca decomposition.  Unlike the other students in the group, Justin is not an economics major.  He is however a strong student and his Honors in the Major project will touch on both economic and business topics, a new challenge for the both of us.  In addition to his coursework, Justin is a member of the highly honored Roanoke College Men's Lacrosse Team and has received honors including Second-Team All-American.


Nic Wright
Economics Major, Business Major, Class of 2011

Nic is continuing a project that he began in Econometrics in the fall.  He is analyzing the determinants of renewable energy consumption in the United States, the relative strength of those determinants, and the potential influence of the government on renewable energy consumption via its determinants.  Nic will expand on his project from the fall by utilizing additional data and utilizing more complex econometric modeling.  Nic will likely submit his work for presentation and publication this spring and is in the process of applying to graduate programs in Economics.