Course-Based Undergraduate Research

The Applied Economics (AEC) Course-Based Undergraduate Research option provides a systematic opportunity for undergraduates to engage in independent research with a faculty mentor. By design, this student research will build upon current course content from specific departmental upper division courses. An AEC faculty member will mentor students in their independent research which will result in a prepared research report. Students have flexibility to choose their specific research focus based on consultation with the supervising faculty, and within the bounds of the course. Completion of this research option can be used to fulfill required experiential learning credits for the major. This option is taken for 3 credits of AEC 401.

Courses that can currently be used as the basis for Course-Based Undergraduate Research:

  • Environmental Law (AEC 432)
    • Organizer: Christy Anderson-Brekken
    • Term that course is offered: Spring
    • Term that research credit is offered: Spring (concurrent with taking course)
    • Examples of recent AEC 432 student research:
      • "Addressing the Unequal Impacts of Pollution on Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Communities in Oregon"
      • "Transportation Electrification in the State of Oregon"
      • "The Prospect of Creating a Container Deposit Program in Wisconsin"
  • Introduction to Applied Econometrics (AEC 446)
    • Organizer: David Lewis
    • Term that course is offered: Winter
    • Term that research credit is offered: Spring (after taking course)
    • Examples of recent AEC 446 student research:
      • “Impacts of renewable energy sources on electricity prices in the United States”
      • “The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on national park visitation rates”
      • “Econometric analysis of the designated hitter on interleague MLB winning percentages”
      • “An econometric study of quality-of-life across countries”
      • “An econometric analysis of electricity prices”
      • “The effect of local renewable energy policy on housing prices”
      • “An econometric analysis of modern NBA spending”
      • “Response to the Covid-19 pandemic: An analysis of differences in weekly food-at-home expenditures”
      • “Impacts of natural space on mental health: An econometric analysis”
      • “An econometric study of the costs of organic farming”
      • “Does the gender dominance of a sector affect the prevalence of a gender wage gap in the US?”
      • “An econometric analysis of national parks and local economies”
      • “A forecast projection model of organic greenhouse tomatoes”
      • “The effect of internet access on median household income”
      • “The impacts of foreign aid and direct investment flows on the well-being of developing countries”
      • “An econometric analysis of county governance in Oregon”
  • Agricultural and Food Policy Issues (AEC 461)
    • Organizer: Penelope Diebel
    • Term that course is offered: Spring
    • Term that course-based research credit is offered: Summer or Fall (after taking course)

Guidelines

  • Contact the organizer for the course-based undergraduate research in which you are interested.
  • Complete the Faculty Research Experiential Learning (AEC 401) agreement form in coordination with the relevant experiential learning coordinator.
  • Three components of Course-Based Research:
    • A full term of independent research equivalent to a 3-credit course.
    • A written research report documenting the research methods and findings.
    • An oral presentation detailing your activities during your research (15 minutes presentation, 15 minutes discussion).
  • A final grade (Pass/No Pass) is assigned after the completion of your oral presentation.