From left: Jennifer Roy, IUP PhD, business graduate; Cameron Wilkinson '06; Stephanie Jozefowicz, PEA secretary; James Jozefowicz, PEA ex officio board of directors member; Taylor Friedman, IUP economics major, first-prize recipient of the 2022 PEA Best UG Paper contest; Benjamin Swanson, IUP economics major, third-prize recipient of the 2022 PEA Best UG Paper contest; Yaya Sissoko, PEA ex officio board of directors member

IUP was well represented at the thirty-sixth annual Pennsylvania Economic Association conference held at Gannon University in Erie, June 2–4, 2022.

Economics majors Taylor Friedman and Benjamin Swanson received awards by competing in the 2022 PEA Best Undergraduate Paper Contest. Friedman placed first, and Swanson placed third. Both received plaques and cash awards. 

Their research papers reflect work across both Introduction to Econometrics and Advanced Econometrics as part of completing the Economics/Honors concentration. 

As part of the PEA Best Undergraduate Paper Contest requirements, written papers are submitted in advance for judging by faculty from other institutions than their own, and contest participants are required to give a standard 15–18 minute research presentation in a concurrent session. This year, student presenters additionally served as paper discussants for one another.

As the first-place winner, Taylor’s paper will be published in an upcoming issue of the Pennsylvania Economic Review.