Faculty engage students inside and outside the classroom with research opportunities that promote intellectual curiosity and enhance critical-thinking, analytical, writing, and presentation skills. All economics majors will have an opportunity to participate in a faculty-led research project.
Below are some of the ways that students can participate in research. For more information, contact Dr. Dave McEvoy at mcevoydm@appstate.edu.
Brashear Research Prize
The Department of Economics directs the Brashear Research Prize competition to promote undergraduate economics research. The program supports undergradute research and is open to all undergraduate students at Appalachian State University. The Brashear Research Prize is funded by an endowment honoring the late Professor John Brashear, who served in the Department of Economics at ASU from 1967 to 1980.
UN Climate Negotiations Program
Students are selected into the UN Climate Negotiations course and program through a competitive application process. The program is offered through the Walker College of Business and welcomes students from all disciplines. The course familiarizes students with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the annual Conference of the Parties (COP). Each fall, a delegation of students and faculty from App State travel to the COP and participate in the negotiations. Learn more.
NABE
Members of the Student Chapter of the National Association for Business Economics (i.e., the Economics Club) participate in several community-based research activities including the conduct of economic impact studies and production of the High Country Economic Indicators report.
Omicron Delta Epsilon
Omicron Delta Epsilon is one of the world’s largest academic honor societies. Appalachian State University is home to the Kappa Chapter of ODE since 1979. Omicron Delta Epsilon was created by students and faculty in order to serve the needs of students of economics. Read the objectives and see the list of recent inductees on the ODE Chapter page.
Independent Study
Economics faculty offer 1-3 semester hour independent study courses that provide exceptionally capable and well-motivated students an opportunity to participate in all phases of economic research under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Contact a faculty member for more information.
Barnes Student Research Grants
The Barnes Student Research Grants provide students with up to $2000 in funding to engage in research with a faculty mentor outside of the normal classroom experience. The research may take place in a formal setting (e.g., as a research assistant, independent study), or it may take place in less formal settings such as a student club activity.
CERPA Research Experience
The Center for Economic Research & Policy Analysis (CERPA) provides opportunities for students to collaborate on longer term applied research studies. Students participate in all phases of the project, from data collection and analyses to writing a report to presenting the findings.
Capstone Experience
Every economics major conducts an independent research study in their senior year. In the capstone course for majors (ECO 4810), students work under the supervision of a faculty member to undertake all phases of a research study—formulating the idea, reviewing the literature, collecting and analyzing the data, and writing and presenting the findings.
Office of Student Research
The Office of Student Research offers a variety of programs that support student research, including Undergraduate Research Assistantships, International Research Grants, Community Based Research Grants, Travel Grants, among others.
Examples of Student Publications and Presentations
Journal Publications
- Dickinson, David L. and Caleb Garbuio. “The influence of dietary patterns on outcomes in a Bayesian Choice Task” Health Science Reports, 4 no. 3 (2021): e369.
- Dickinson, David L., Jama Brookes, Cori Ferguson, and Sean P.A. Drummond. “The impact of self-selected short sleep on monetary risk taking” Journal of Sleep Research, 00 (2021), e13529.
- Groothuis, Peter A., Austin F. Eggers, and Parker T. Redding. “The Impact of NCAA Men’s Basketball Probations on the Quantity and Quality of Student Applications and Enrollment.” Applied Economic Letters 26, no. 8 (2019): 657-660.
- Atkinson, Kevin, and John C. Whitehead. "Predictive validity of stated preference data: evidence from mountain bike park visits before and after trail system expansion." Applied Economics Letters 22, no. 9 (2015): 730-733.
- Whitehead, John C., Douglas Simpson Noonan, and Elizabeth Marquardt. "Criterion and predictive validity of revealed and stated preference data: the case of "Mountain Home Music" concert demand." Economics and Business Letters 3, no. 2 (2014): 87-95.
National Conference Presentations
- Brittany Ramsey, "Travel Cost and Consumer Surplus Analysis of 2016 Blood, Sweat, and Gears Bike Race," State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, North Carolina Central University, November 15, 2016.
- Will Blackwood, "Economic Impact of Prerace Training Rides for Blood, Sweat and Gears," State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, North Carolina Central University, November 15, 2016.
- Matthew Drake, "The Effects of Tax Payment Amount and Schedule on Referendum Votes for a Public Good: A Comparison of SSI and MTurk Samples," National Conference on Undergraduate Research. University of North Carolina Asheville, April 16-18, 2016.
- Matthew Drake, "Economic Impact of the 2015 High Country Beer Fest," State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, High Point University, November 14, 2015.
- Brandon Lee, "Immigration in the United States: An Economic Analysis on the Effects of High School Completion," National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Eastern Washington University, April 16-18, 2015.
- Kevin Atkinson, "Predictive Validity of Stated Preference Data: Application to Demand for Rocky Knob Mountain Bike Park Visits," National Conference on Undergraduate Research, University of Kentucky, April 3-5, 2014.
- Jenna Cantrell, "The Impact of Additional Trail Access and Mileage on the Consumer Surplus of Greenway Trail Users in Western North Carolina," National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Weber State University, March 29-31, 2012.
Celebration of Student Research and Creative Endeavors Presentations
- Matthew Drake, "The Effects of Tax Payment Amount and Schedule on Referendum Votes for a Public Good: A Comparison of SSI and MTurk Samples," 2016.
- Robyn Cramer, "Willingness to Pay for a National Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard," 2015.
- Travis Ashley, "The Net Economic Value of Multiple Parking Locations at the Valle Country Fair: A Dichotomous Choice Contingent Valuation Approach," 2013.
- Merrick Marquie, "Economic Impacts of the Valle Country Fair," 2013.
- Jenna Cantrell, "The Impact of Additional Trail Access and Mileage on the Consumer Surplus of Greenway Trail Users in Western North Carolina," 2012.
- Aaron Wallace, "Measuring the Economic Benefits of Greenway Trails in Western North Carolina," 2011.