As 2023 nears to a close, we at the BBER have been reflecting on the eventful year we’ve had. I wanted to share with you, as one of our partners, some of our 2023 highlights along with other information to keep you current on BBER happenings.
Training the future workforce
An important part of our mission is to train UMD students in applied research techniques and to give them in-depth, hands-on experience by working on BBER projects. This experience helps prepare our students for their next step after college, whether it be a career or a graduate degree program. We currently have three undergraduate research assistants (UGRAs) working in our department—Mitchell Bakken, Avery Wendinger, and Mahad Ahmad. These talented students have been researching, analyzing, and writing about a wide range of topics including geothermal energy, public assistance programs, electric transmission and distribution, and innovative wood products.
UGRAs, Erin Hopkins and Kenny Nadeau, embarked on careers in the real world this past spring.
Kenny
“The BBER does an amazing job of maximizing benefits for the UGRAs. The experience diversifies our skills and allows us to do work in a fun and interesting environment.
The BBER helped me better my research and writing abilities in more ways than I fully comprehend. My critical thinking and problem-solving abilities improved greatly, and I am excited to see where these newly polished skills can take me from here!”
Erin
“I improved so many of my skills while I was with the BBER. Working on the case studies section of the I-35 report improved my research and writing skills. My writing and analytical skills also improved through my involvement in other reports and writing BBER LinkedIn posts. W
orking on the DECC tool improved my problem-solving skills. Plus, computing the economic impact results and having to explain them improved my analytical thinking.”
While many former UGRAs keep in touch, it was fun to see some of them at an Economics and Health Care Management department alumni event in September in Minneapolis. Hearing about their careers and graduate school experience was wonderful! They are truly talented individuals! If you are a BBER alum, connect with us on LinkedIn to hear about future alumni gatherings.
Strengthening community partnerships
As you know, BBER serves as an important connection between UMD and the broader community by providing high-quality, unbiased research that promotes economic growth and wellbeing in the region and beyond. One example of this is the event we hosted in partnership with the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies and Extension’s Department of Community Development. The event brought together a wide range of stakeholders for a discussion about our research on the future of I-35 in downtown Duluth.
In addition to the I-35 project and event, the BBER completed eight major projects over the past year, covering a wide range of topics including health care, sports tourism, transportation, and the film industry.
If you aren’t aware, all our completed projects are on the U of M Digital Conservancy website.
We also established a Faculty Research Affiliate designation for LSBE faculty who engage in a significant research partnership with us. Currently five LSBE faculty have this designation. This distinction shows how LSBE faculty play an integral part in our research and how their extensive knowledge impacts our projects.
Lastly, the fall LSBE newsletter was unique in that it featured all women, highlighting the power of LSBE women. I was on the front cover as well as in a story about LSBE’s Week of Service.
Feel free to drop me a line at [email protected], and follow us on LinkedIn, where we regularly post articles and updates about our research, partners, alums, and our rich history.
I’ll continue to keep you up to date on all the exciting news.
Regards,
Monica
