The Spellman Summer Research Program
Wander down the hallway of second floor Stuart Hall in June or July and you're likely to hear a small group of students engaged in a lively discussion on anything from developing economies to the marketing of children's toys. You might hear students and faculty arguing over total quality management principles. If you ask any of them why they're in a college classroom on a sunny summer day, you might just be invited to join them in discussing what they've been reading as they work on summer research projects in economics or business.
Each year, eight to ten business, economics, and accounting majors are selected as Spellman Research Fellows and are invited to spend the summer at Coe, working on a research project with a Department faculty member. Research Fellows receive a stipend, housing allowance, and a free course credit for the summer. Throughout the summer, they meet with their faculty supervisors and with each other in an attempt to learn more about the topics they're studying and about the process of conducting academic research.
The work done by many Research Fellows is the beginning stage of what will turn into a senior honor thesis. These theses are in-depth papers that are presented and defended by the students to a faculty committee on campus and are sometimes also presented at professional meetings or published in academic journals.
These opportunities have been made possible by generous donations to the Spellman Fund.
Spellman Fellows
2009
Nicole Thiher
This summer I am looking into the debate between institutions and geography as primary sources of economic growth, particularly in developing countries. I will also continue to look into European colonizations impact on growth and development primarily through its impact on the economic and political institutions established in the colonies.
Kaleen Rietcheck
Advertisers are known to be in touch with the latest trends. So the recent surge in green advertising suggests green is in. There are other times in our history when green has also been "in" such as the 1960's and early 1990's. My research goal is to determine what, if any, external variables contribute to the rise and fall of the green trend. A content analysis of magazine advertisements from the 1960's to present will help build a timeline of the green movement. I will then be able to find correlations between this timeline and the state of the economy, the political party in power, and any other variables that may affect the green movement.
Bradley Sloter
Brad will investigate the Supreme Court decision Ledbetter v. Goodyear and the recently passed Lilly Ledbetter Act. Lilly Ledbetter, a female worker, was employed at Goodyear Tire for many years. After she retired, she learned that she was paid a much lower salary than her male coworkers for the same work. She sued to recover the lost income, but she lost the case in the Supreme Court because she did not file her claim for lost wages within 180 days of receiving the original discriminatory paycheck. The Ledbetter Act altered the law to allow lawsuits within 180 days of any paycheck which may incorporate past wage discrimination. Brad plans to consider alternate laws to the Ledbetter Act and how different laws might affect a worker's ability to sue for discrimination.
Bibek Adhikari
This summer, I am inquiring whether banks in the 1860s window dressed their balance sheet or not. Banks are required to report their portfolios at the end of quarters and year. Window dressing is the practice of temporarily changing balance sheet of the bank at the reporting dates (quarter ends and year end). Banks may have incentive to window dress to look more attractive to the investors or to meet regulatory rules. Although window dressing may make banks appear more attractive, it means that bank are hiding their real portfolios and deceiving their clients, investors and regulators.
2008
Tyler Thompson (2009)
Semiotics, the study of signs and how we interpret them
I conducted a literary review to try and understand semiotics and how advertisers and marketing agencies use signs and symbols to affect consumers thoughts and behaviors. Through both empirical research and literature we discovered different techniques and methods by which people use and interpret signs and symbols in their lives.
Eric Hayek (2009)
How to Go Green: Economic Analysis of Plans to Decrease Greenhouse Gas Emissions
I examined past environmental regulation schemes and how various proposed greenhouse gas emission reductions systems will perform if implemented.
Kamal Lamsal (2009)
Non-Profit firms in a Linear City
If two non-profit firms play a two stage game of first choosing location in a linear city and then choosing price, the Nash equilibrium of this game is that the firms locate at the two ends of the city.
David Benish (2009)
Market Potential of Corporate Social Responsibility: Company Versus Stakeholder Emphasis
Researched the effects of corporate social responsibility disclosures on stakeholder perceptions and behaviors.
Jake Smith (2009)
Spiraling Inequality: Instances of Modern Divergence
The research I conducted this summer centered around the macroeconomic phenomenon known as "Divergence." I ask the question: is the gulf between per capita incomes widening, and if so what are its antecedents?
Nicki Thiher (2010)
The Economic Impact of European Colonization
I studied the history of European colonization and whether or not the institutions that they developed in the colonies are continuing to play a role in the countries development today.
2007
2007 Spellman Summer Research Students - Front row, L to R: Jenny McArdle, Minh Dang, Amanda Nigg, Tommy Breitbach, and Eric Hayek. Back row, L to R: Ryan Baranowski, Zach Huitink, Jake Smith, and Aaron Neiderhiser.
Ryan Baranowski ('08)
Ryan is using travel cost model analysis in a study of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. He will spend a few weeks this summer at Coe's Wilderness Field Station, located near the Boundary Waters, while he collects data for his study.
Tommy Breitbach ('09)
Tommy is studying similarities and differences in men's and women's attitudes toward and performances in competitive environments. He plans to research the implications these findings have in the highly competitive labor markets such as the market for high-ranking executives. He hopes to eventually conduct an experiment to determine whether athletes and non-athletes compete in the same ways.
Eric Hayek ('09)
Eric is studying the competing views of whether capital punishment has a deterrence effect. In particular, he is examining empirical models associated with these views.
Zach Huitink ('09)
Zach is investigating the causes of the sub-prime mortgage market meltdown. Specifically, he will be investigating the role heightened use of ARMs and other exotic mortgage securities played in the meltdown. If these kinds of securities indeed played a role, he would finally like to determine the characteristics of borrowers seeking them out as opposed to falling back on the traditional thirty-year fixed-rate mortgage option.
Jenny McArdle ('08)
Jenny is investigating what accounts for a country's progress, or lack of progress, towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals.
Aaron Neiderhiser ('08)
Aaron is studying how abnormally large seasonal flows may have caused banking panics in the late nineteenth century.
Amanda Nigg ('08)
Amanda is researching consumer decision-making models as they relate to the effective marketing of energy drinks. She is specifically investigating which situational variables have the most influence on a consumer's choice of energy drink brands.
Jake Smith ('09)
Jake is studying free market solutions to alleged market failures.
2006
Erica Baasten
Valuing the Ivory Billed Woodpecker: An Application of the Travel Cost Model
"My advice to incoming research students would be to choose a topic that you are really passionate about and that will be able to hold your interest for the entire summer. You will have moments where you are lost and wondering what your project is all about, but your professors are very helpful, and eventually you will make a breakthrough."
Ryan Baranowski
Travel Cost Analysis of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
"Summer research is a great experience. Presenting articles to the other researchers and professors in a casual setting helped with fully understanding the article and presentation skills. It was a very laid back atmosphere, except when it came to the softball game."
Aaron Dighton
What is Bernanke's Plan at the Federal Reserve?
"One of the good things about summer research is that you have a lot of time to narrow your project, so you don't have to have your project entirely planned out before you start. Your professors will help you figure out where you're heading as you go along."
Tracey Freiberg
The Opportunity Costs of Applying to Law School
"I did summer research because I knew that I wanted to an honors project. The time during the summer helps ease into the project while providing a challenge. It requires some time during the week, but it allows us to live on campus and do other things, like an internship or other job."
Erica Langland
Marketing Organic Foods
"Summer research is a great experience because you get to pick a topic of interest and see where it takes you. It is a lot of work, but the professors are very helpful. The research program better prepares you for other classes at Coe, graduate school, and your career."
Jenny McArdle
Singapore's Economic Growth and Development: Policies and Philosophies
"The Spellman research program is a great way to improve your reading, listening, and presenting skills. You learn to think on your feet and process all the information that you've absorbed throughout the summer. You get to follow the research that other students are conducting, and as an added bonus, you get to be the butt of a lot of jokes."
Ashish Rajbhandari
Behavior of Nonprofit Firms with Altruistic Motives
"It was a whole new experience for me. I found it more interesting when I got deeper into my research. With the help of your advisors, you start developing your thought process, realizing your strengths and weaknesses, and get better at analyzing abstruse articles. Your advisors are always there to guide you but it's you who leads the path. I'd say its challenging and demands the best of you, nonetheless, the knowledge and experience you gain during the research program is overwhelming."
Rachel Schmidt
Selection Criteria for Financial Institutions: Recent graduates
"Summer research has helped me tremendously in learning how to find past research and how to utilize it. I've learned a great deal about a few of our professors and have spent entirely too much time with a few of them."
Matt Stoner
Estimating the Effects of Residential Growth: How to Choose and Implement the Most Appropriate Model
"If you pick a topic of research that is of special interest to you, the hours you put in seem much less tedious."
2005
2005 Spellman summer research students and faculty gather for presentations and discussion. Seated at the table are (left to right) Professor David Hayes, Jeshica Baral, Jayson Schmelzer, Erica Baasten, Jenny McArdle, and Aaron Dighton.
Erica Baasten ('07)
Wilderness Preservation: Comparing and Contrasting the Wilderness Act of 1964 and the Endangered Species Act within the Context of the Travel Cost Model
"Summer research gives you a sense of purpose. You are accomplishing something but it is not all you do. The schedule is flexible allowing you to work in the manner you do best. This is great but the best part is the people you are with. The professors want to be there and treat you more as a colleague than a student. They are there to advise you and aid in your research but they want you to develop your own ideas. The other students that participate in this program all have different interests and backgrounds but come together over the summer. Plus the research softball game versus Physics is awesome."
Jeshica Baral ('06)
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act: Is It Worth It?
"Be ready to make your own decisions on what you do and read. Prepare yourself for not being told what to do!"
Aaron Dighton ('07)
Variability in Corruption and the Resulting Effects on Economic Growth
"I was free to research any topic that interested me and being able to concentrate on this topic for a summer without worrying about other courses was beneficial."
Brian Karnik ('06)
Bet on It? A Statistical Betting Strategy
"During summer research you can work on something that you are interested in. You don't have to do dry research that you don't really care about. Just look at my project, sports betting is not what you think of as an economics project. You can be creative with the project and have fun with it."
Jennifer McArdle ('08)
Poverty and Economic Development
"I value having had the opportunity to learn about so many topics, through the work of my fellow researchers, that I might not have been exposed to elsewhere. In one summer I became, if not knowledgeable about at least informed on, issues ranging from sports betting to wilderness preservation, and from the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to the Celtic Tiger phenomenon. Because of the experience I had this summer, I feel better informed and educated on current global issues."
Krista O'Brien ('06)
The Celtic Tiger: An Empirical Analysis of Rapid Economic Growth in Ireland, 1994-2000
"Go into this thing with an open mind — you'll probably make mistakes and there'll be questions you just don't know the answers to, but it's ok because it happens to everyone and it's part of the learning process. Utilize your professors — they're a great resource for you and they're here to help you learn."
Ayush Pathak ('07)
Poverty and Economic Development
"The research is intimidating at times when you have to read technical papers that are hard to comprehend, but once you understand, you are glad you read it because the knowledge you get is worth it. I realized that economics is not just a study of markets and government policy. It is a subject that covers a wide range of very relevant issues. It's not only the range of issues, the summer research program makes you think like an economist. During the school year you often take classes without analyzing the material you read in depth as if you — just following what the book says in order to get good grades. Through summer research you learn to question what you study."
Kristin Phillips ('06)
Proenvironmental Public Service Announcements: What Appeals Are Effective at Motivating Action?
"The research program is hard work but it is worth it! You get the opportunity to work closely with professors in your department on a topic of interest. The skills you use in your summer project such as researching, writing, and presenting will benefit you in other classes at Coe."
Jayson Schmelzer ('08)
Poverty and Economic Development
"The research program allows you to interact with your professors more so than in a classroom. You also learn about yourself and how to study more efficiently. Everything is done outside the classroom, so everyone knows whether or not you did work on your own."
2004
Carrie Hook
Determinants of poverty: An empirical analysis
"The worst part of summer research was presenting papers you thought you knew inside and out, yet the professors were always one step ahead and asked a question you had not yet thought of."
Bob Meisterling
Optimal currency denominations
Eric Sandegren
19th century market efficiency: A tale of two stock exchanges
"My advice to potential researchers is to identify which research style is yours quickly. Some people work six hours in one day then take two or three days off, some people work 40 minutes every day. It really doesn't matter, what's important is you understanding how you work best, and then making the most of that. A large part of the Spellman Program is learning about who you are as a researcher, identifying your weaknesses, and improving on them. Don't get lost in all the material. You're learning to become a more competent analyst, don't lose sight of that."
Kate Schneider
Outmoded fashion model or international “It” girl? Market positioning and the barbie doll
"I was able to pick a topic that I was interested in and passionate about...Barbie Dolls. But the best part about it was that even though I knew I wanted to research Barbie Dolls, the focus of my research changed three times during the summer. Having time during the summer to experiment with my topic was great; if I had tried to cram all those mistakes and dead ends into a semester I would have gotten frustrated and possibly ended up not enjoying my research. The Spellman Program gave me the chance to really narrow down my topic until I found something that worked without all the pressure of getting my research finished while taking classes."
Kim Walsh
Would you use butt paste on your lips? An empirical study of the role situational variables play on brand preferences and consumer preferences
"Doing research is different than other college experiences because you choose the topic and are responsible for what you produce. Your advisors are more like mentors than teachers. You basically make all of the major decisions on what you do (with their help of course). It is not like a class where teachers spell out exactly what to do and how to do it. It also requires more time commitment and motivation to do research than traditional assignments."
Drew Westberg
The process of transition in Eastern Europe
Nick Wilkins
Business teams and sports teams: Similarities, differences, and recommendations for change
2003
Lauren Clifford
An analysis of advertisements in teen and adult fashion and beauty magazines: The potential effects of these advertisements on females' self-esteem and body image
Bob Meisterling
The effects of information on the economy
"The best part of summer research are the discussions. The worst part is writing the thesis on Flunk Day."
Jared Rance
An economic analysis of the United States Tort system and its reforms
"The best advice I can give is to not hesitate in partaking in the research experience. The work required is a small investment for everything it can provide. Pick a topic in which you truly have an interest and the learning experience is well worth the trip."
Colleen Ries
A duct tape remedy: A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of medical malpractice caps
"Incoming students who are interested in becoming a part of the program, I provide you with the following advice......This may be a life changing experience for you. From a personal standpoint I thought I knew where I was going and had plans, but if those plans fell through what would I do? My research experience opened up other possibilities for me in a direction I had never considered. Through my relationship with my professors I was guided in the right direction and am now pursuing the career that opened up my eyes during my experience. So even though you may see research as being long and boring, it can definitely be a life-changing experience for you and could open the door for more opportunities."
Mike Smith
Stock market variability and consumer goods output during the 1920s and 1990s
Ben Stevens
Economic analysis of drinking and driving
Nat Tagtow
A descriptive comparison of Tort law in the United States, New Zealand, Sweden, and France
"Take advantage of the opportunity to become a Spellman Fellow. It is a great opportunity to learn a lot about a topic that interests you. In the process, you will get the chance to work with the best professors on campus and vastly improve your research and writing skills."
Drew Westberg
The rhetoric of economics
"The best part of summer research is the friendships that are created between the faculty and students and between the students themselves."
2002
Tiffany Foster
The influence of culture in international marketing: A comparison of advertisements in Spanish and U.S. magazines
"Completing an honors thesis was an important distinction for me not only as a college student, but now post-graduation in my career. When initially searching for a career path/employment, my honors thesis further differentiated myself from other potential candidates. I continue to speak about my thesis today and how this study helped me determine the pursuit of a career in advertising."
Stoyan Gamishev
A survey of the literature on why wages and prices tend to be sticky in the short run
Doug Lindstrom
Estimating the demand for money in the short run and long run with the purpose of testing for stability
Aaron Smith
Consumer Spending and the Wealth Effect
"My research on the wealth effect has provided me with tangible benefits during my days here at Economy.com. Specifically, the use of econometric techniques (Eviews) in my project prepped me for duties in modeling and forecasting. Also, the research and compiling process helped to improve my analytical and writing skills significantly. Finally, an in-depth analysis on the topic itself — the wealth effect — has endowed me an area of expertise early on here at Economy.com (Mickey may argue with the expertise part, to which I would say it's one of many)."
Theresa White
Crisis management: An in-depth case study analysis
2001
Chris Baasten
Business and sports teams: What they can learn from each other
Jenny Conkel
E-Tailers, the future of retail: Who is the Internet shopper and the importance of this information to the Internet retailer
Roshan Khattry
Empirical characteristics of an optimum currency area
Jeff Martin
Impact analysis of the economy of Cedar Rapids
Gabrielle Payne
Empirical research: What influences people's ethical decision making? A look at Demographic characteristics and ethical theories
Carrie Yedlik
The economics of strategic bequests: The case of family farms
"I would advise students to be involved in research. It is intimidating at first, but you will be proud of yourself when you are done with it."
2000
Sabrina Kanwar
Globalization: The future of the world economy
Roshan Khattry
Education, economic growth, and income distribution
"My experience as a Spellman Fellow had a strong influence in my decision to pursue a PH.D. in Economics after graduating from Coe. I came to Coe with no interest in economics or graduate school but after working as a Spellman Fellow for two consecutive summers I learned a lot about the kinds of research that can be done in economics and that pushed me toward graduate school. Even if the topic you choose is not something that you will end up working on in the future just the experience as a Spellman Scholar is extremely valuable and will help you in more ways than you can imagine."
Dawn McAllister
Point of purchase displays: An empirical investigation of sales and shopping behavior
Heather O'Brien
Media advertising and its effects on male body image
Laci Palar
Internet security issues: privacy or personalization
"As a Spellman Fellow I gained project management and presentation experience that have helped me in my studies as well as my career. Also, the Spellman Fellowship looked great on my graduate school application, and I have been able to speak about my experiences in interviews."
Andy Powell
Evaluating player performance in the National Football League
"The Summer Research was my first encounter with hands-on economics research and helped me prepare for my experiences in graduate school. By creating a unique data set, I gained valuable experience learning about pitfalls of building and maintaining large databases, which made me an attractive candidate for my current position."
Heather Reindl
Excellence based organizations: A unified framework for differing management philosophies
Anna Tenzytthoff
Internet marketing strategies undertaken by controversial companies
Brian Voight
Telecommunications and economic growth: An initial structural approach
Janelle Wagg
The effect of appearance on product perception: A study of fragrance marketing and packaging
1999
Erin Gibney
Western highway 100 project: An economic/environmental analysis
Diane Korir
An examination of income convergence: the case of Africa, France, and Britain
Dawn McAllister
A survey of trade association members: Their business practices and their needs
Robert Temple
A computable general equilibrium model of the electrical utility industry
Robert Vicente-Mayoral
Competitive balance in professional sports leagues—determinants and impact
Janelle Wagg
A survey of trade association members: Their business practices and their needs
"The research experience allowed me to gain an appreciation for research and its importance in academia. I feel I gained so much that put me ahead of others at my same academic level."
1998
Alan Bausch
An analysis of the economics of Gary S. Becker with an application to the economics of crime
Mei Ling Chong
The presence of moral hazard in the Panic of 1873, the Savings and Loan Crisis of the 1980s and the Asian Crisis of the late 1990s: A Comparison
Melissa McGrane
The contributions of Ronald Coase to Law and Economics
"The best and worst part of summer research was spending it with Mickey Wu."
Kevin O'Donnell
The contributions of Robert M. Solow to Economics Growth Theory
"The worst part of summer research was probably the trade-off of working on a research project for the summer instead of working outside in nice weather. But then again, it beat a nine-to-five summer job where you would have to be inside all day."
