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The UChicago Research Experience for Undergraduates in Economics
What can University of Chicago undergraduate research assistants do to prepare for summer research opportunities? Fourth-year student Victoria Mooers and third-year students Alex Foster and Cameron Taylor share their perspectives on the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in Economics program in the video at the top of the story. Guided by expert UChicago faculty and experienced graduate students, undergraduate students are able to pursue research interests and refine their data analytic skills in the REU program, co-hosted by the UChicago Department of Economics and the Becker Friedman Institute.
The annual program began in 2012 and continues each summer, giving UChicago undergraduate students the opportunity to work with faculty on new research in economics, science, public policy, computer science, and other disciplines.
Research assistants are expected to be familiar with the research process and subject matter, help analyze data sets, and develop charts and reports. REU provides students with resources designed to help them refine their technical skills and familiarity with common research tools through workshops in stata, MATLAB, and R. In addition, they are exposed to current research through lectures and conversations with top UChicago faculty and researchers.
The 2015 REU program included presentations from Bryan Kelly, John Birge, Eric Budish, Richard Van Weelden, and Alessandra Voena.
Additional funding for REU is provided by the CME Group Foundation.