The National Science Foundation has awarded a three year $346,000 grant to Tulane to provide research experiences for undergraduates interested in Economics. The Tulane Research Experience for Undergraduates in Applied Microeconomics and Program Evaluation (TREU-AMPE) was designed by co-principal investigators Assistant Professor Keith Finlay and Associate Professor Jonathan Pritchett of the Economics department to provide undergraduates with research opportunities in applied microeconomics and program evaluation to supplement their academic coursework. The objective of the TREU-AMPE program is to engage a diverse set of talented undergraduates in the economic analysis of public policies, including those policies that affect the New Orleans and Gulf Coast areas and have broader implications for all regions. By participating in the scientific evaluation of the effects of public policy on the communities in which our students live, we foster their interest in economics and program evaluation and build broader research skills to support their graduate studies. The program is open to undergraduates from Tulane University, the University of New Orleans, Xavier University, Loyola University, Dillard University, and Southern University at New Orleans. Promising students from these schools are matched with a faculty member of the Tulane Economics department. In addition to working with their faculty mentors on their chosen research projects, students will attend workshops on the development of research skills and make presentations of their research projects. Research projects last between six months and two years and result in senior theses and potentially publications authored by the student, faculty adviser, or both. Students will also attend workshops on preparation for graduate school during last week of the program in July.
The TREU-AMPE aims to provide not only a curricular research opportunity but also the long-term support necessary for a career in research. This support is particularly important for student groups such as women and underrepresented minorities that have been, and continue to be, underrepresented in these disciplines at the graduate level.