Economics Majors Showcase Research at Annual UW Undergraduate Research Symposium

The Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Washington is a chance for undergraduates from all majors and programs to present what they have learned through their research experiences with faculty to a larger audience. This year, the economics department had 15 students participating in poster and presentation sessions. 

Students (l to r) Walker Higgins, Anja Speckhardt, Jung Bae, and Heekwon Choi present their work in a session entitled "The Power of Economic Research"

Economics students selected to participate in the symposium this year were: David Van Cleve, Jacob Kovacs, Yiyan Ge, Scott Hodges, Yidan Zhu, Walker Higgins, Anja Speckhardt, Heekwon Choi, Eric Lei, Jung Bae, Bevin McLeod, Athen Nguyen, Kane Swanson, Chang Liu, and Ben Wright. Their research covered topics from a variety of specialties in the field, from environmental and resource economics to international development and econometrics.  

Additionally, five of our undergraduates were selected as Mary Gates Research Scholars this year. These are competitive scholarships provided through the Mary Gates Endowment intended to enhance the educational experiences of undergraduates while they are engaged in research guided by faculty. This year, the $4,000 scholarships were awarded to Yiyan Ge, June Bae, Ben Wright, Eric Lei, and Anja Speckhardt. 

Student Yidan Zhu presents her research, conducted with Assistant Professor Rachel Heath, at a poster session

The symposium provides an excellent professional development opportunity, as participant abstracts are published in the Symposium Proceedings, and students can include their presentations on resumes and graduate school applications. In preparation, students are encouraged to attend workshops on writing abstracts, oral presentation techniques, and design strategies for posters and PowerPoint presentations. 

Over 1,100 students participate in the Undergraduate Research Symposium, making it the largest event of its kind in the nation. Watch a fun UWTV video about the symposium here: 2014 Undergraduate Research Symposium.