Economics students present nationally

More Economics stories Unique path leads to professional success It comes as no surprise that Austin McWatt has a love of baseball. After all, his dad, Tim McWatt, Class of ’74, played baseball with one of St. Paul's own Hall of Fame baseball players, Dave Winfield. Focusing on urban and health economics Jeanne Boeh, associate professor of economics, has been teaching at Augsburg College since1990. She is often quoted in the business section of the Minneapolis Star Tribune where she serves on its Board of Economics.

Stella Hofrenning’s Research Methods in Econometrics course not only introduces Economics students to the process of solving economic problems, it also provides them the invaluable opportunity to present their research and findings to a national audience and to connect with peers from around the country.

For the past several years, numerous students of Hofrenning have represented Augsburg at the National Conferences for Undergraduate Research (NCUR). The NCUR is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity done in partnership with faculty and mentors and is a great way for students to learn more about research methods, graduate school and employment opportunities in their areas. It’s also a great way to hone presentation skills.

In 2004 and 2005, four Economics students presented at the conference. In 2006, six students were accepted to present. Wendy L. Scharber traveled to the University of North Carolina, Ashville to present her paper entitled “An Econometric Study on Minnesota Schools and What Effects Student Achievement.” In addition, Wendy’s paper was reviewed and published in the NCUR Proceedings 2006.

Professor Hofrenning reports:  “The experience of working on a research project and presenting the research at a conference motivates students to learn by doing. My research students learn to apply the economic theory in class by working with data and developing models for analysis. Having been accepted to present at a conference also helps students build their analytical and communicative skills as well as their confidence speaking in front of a group."