Part of every in-person spring Regional Economic Indicator Forums (REIF) is the Student Poster Showcase, whereby students from the three universities of UMD, UWS, and CSS share their high-level research projects via posters. REIF attendees are invited to visit with these student researchers prior to the speakers’ presentations to hear not only about the research project and its outcomes but also how the research project work will help the students in their careers
Students were nominated by faculty members who believed that the students had performed exceptionally well on a graded course project and that their project was an outstanding student research example.
If you were unable to attend the REIF event, the student posters and some insight from the students are highlighted below. Feel free to reach out to the students if you would like to discuss their projects.
A Guide to Environmental, Social, and Governance Investing
Benjamin Patt, senior, MBA candidate
- What was the most interesting thing you learned throughout your project/research?
Companies who achieve higher scores in ESG (environmental, social and governance) categories achieve stronger overall returns than companies who don't (2021)
- How do you see this project/research helping you in the future?
I am considering a career in wealth management, which would allow me to implement the information I learned in this study, specifically in client portfolios.
Looking at Resilience with a New Eye: A Nomological Network and Model
Abbey Sweetman, senior, double major in Economics and German Studies
- What was the most interesting thing you learned throughout your project/research?
The most interesting thing that I learned throughout my research was the process of synthesizing and finding patterns in many sources.
- How do you see this project/research helping you in the future?
Having this experience has given me confidence in both my research and writing skills, as well as the confidence to say yes to future research opportunities that may arise throughout my career.
Effects of Minimum Wage Increases on Poverty
Aiden Kray, junior, double major in Economics and Accounting
- What was the most interesting thing you learned throughout your project/research?
The most interesting I learned was that there is still no clear answer to the minimum wage debate. It was also interesting to learn more about how economic research is conducted.
- How do you see this project/research helping you in the future?
I see this research helping in the future because minimum wage will continue to be debated for the foreseeable future. Because of this, continuing to add to the research as the data continues to change will allow for the best policy decision to be made.
The Misuse, Abuse, and Over-prescription of Opioids
Anna Burggraff, Grace Henriksen, Maddie Moore, Jacob Wojtowicz
- What was the most interesting thing you learned throughout your project/research?
Burggraff, senior, Health Care Management: The most interesting thing that I learned from my project was that the opioid epidemic is not only an issue in the U.S., but it is an issue worldwide. We found research that supported Europe, Canada, Africa, and the Middle East.
Henriksen, senior, Health Care Management and Management Information Systems: Learning just how many tools are out there that can help mitigate the opioid epidemic and how few of them are used to their fullest potential. For example, prescription drug monitoring programs, when used on a large scale and mandated level, are incredibly powerful in helping to curb the effects of opioid abuse, misuse, and over-prescription.
Moore, senior: The most interesting thing I learned was how devastating and widespread the opioid epidemic is. I never fully knew all the impacts that these drugs had, and I was shocked to learn that there isn't a mandated system in place to help prevent the continuation of this epidemic.
Wojtowicz, senior, Biology: The most interesting thing I learned throughout this quality improvement project on the over-prescription of opioids is how complex the problem actually is. There are many different components both within the health care system and outside of the health care system that are contributing to the epidemic.
- How do you see this project/research helping you in the future?
Burggraff: I see this project helping me in the future because I am a health care management major. After educating myself on this topic, I can see the real burden of this issue and ways in which it can be addressed. I can take the interventions and other methods into my career and try to tackle them myself in the hospital system I am working in.
Henriksen: As an outgoing HCM/MIS double major, I found a lot of health care world application though this project. My group members and I all found ourselves quite moved by this project, and it was a great reminder that every decision in health care influences someone. Moreover, the experience of getting to present a project that we were very proud of was a great opportunity to hone our professional public speaking skills and share our intellectual products in a more post-graduation world.
Moore: I see this research helping me in the future to know the risk factors and warning signs of addiction. I also will attempt to avoid opioids at every cost, no matter for pain relief or post-surgery.
Wojtowicz: I am currently going to school to hopefully one day become an orthopedic surgeon. While performing surgeries on patients, the post-operation plans that I will design for my patients will involve pain medication of some sort. After completing this project and seeing the dangers of opioids, I will stay away from using opioids. I will also take some of our intervention methods into account and see if I can incorporate those ideas into my future organization.
Supply Chain Disturbances and the Impact on Demand
Brandon Fredricksen, junior, Management major
- What was the most interesting thing you learned throughout your project/research?
The most interesting thing I learned through my group's research was the way two of Japan's largest industries rebounded in the years following the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. We found that in the automotive industry, production value dropped by 13.4% from 2010 to 2011 and increased production value to 19.4% from 2011 to 2012. From 2010 to 2011, the production value within the electronics industry dropped by 9.36%, but from 2013 to 2015, it increased by 9.25%. With a large-scale disturbance like a tsunami, it was amazing to see such a rebound in production.
- How do you see this project/research helping you in the future?
I see this project/research helping me in the future because I can put to use my group's conclusions and recommendations. Those being: to simplify your supply chain, focus on business related data, and focus on supply and demand. I can apply these concepts to my family's business so we can be better prepared for any level of disturbance and to better forecast outcomes for a more effective business.
Summer 2021 Actuarial Internship Portfolio
Tyler Henkemeyer, senior, Mathematics and Statistics and Actuarial Science majors
- What was the most interesting thing you learned throughout your project/research?
The most interesting thing I learned during my internship experience was the variety of companies and departments that actuaries can work in. Actuarial science is thought to be tied strictly to insurance; however, numerous actuaries work in non-traditional sectors like investments, banking, consulting, and risk management. Within each company, actuaries can be employed in countless departments due to their expertise in solving problems and understanding complex relationships.
- How do you see this project/research helping you in the future?
This actuarial internship will serve as a base as I start my career and journey to become a fully accredited actuary. This internship confirmed my desire to enter the field of actuarial science, and the knowledge and skills gained from this experience will serve me well as I search for a job after college. In addition, the connections I made during the internship will remain strong and lead to other opportunities in the future.