UMass Department of Resource Economics

Aidan Fitzgerald graduated last summer and now works as an Assistant Resource Qualification Analyst for ISO New England. He share: "Since joining ISO New England as an Analyst in 2023, I've had every opportunity to immerse myself in the complex landscape of evolving electrical generation. I've had the privilege of collaborating with some of the brightest and most innovative minds I've encountered throughout my entire career. And I've gained a vast appreciation for the critical importance of maintaining a reliable power grid. Most notable is the fact that my role directly contributes to the overarching goal of reducing fossil fuel dependency in electricity generation across the six states of New England. This provides me with immense satisfaction, as I am actively contributing to the well-being of the environment and future generations in my day-to-day activities." How do you (plan to) use your studies for the greater good?

Last week, Dan Ai, a Resource Economics Ph.D. student presented at the NAREA conference. Dan presented a working paper titled, "Disparities in Power Outage Experience in the U.S." which is co-authored with our very own Professor Christine Lasco Crago Dan shared insights from a nationwide study of power outages. The key takeaway? Power outages are not distributed equally across communities, highlighting significant disparities in power supply reliability. Dan received the 2024 NAREA Best Student Conference Paper Award! Congratulations Dan! #UMassResourceEconomics #ResourceEconomics #AppliedEconomics

"The term “digital divide” reflects the fact that the unconnected are at a disadvantage in not being able to access the ever-growing universe of information and services (and consequent opportunities)." Read more about Professor Christian Rojas research here: https://lnkd.in/eyJQXJeA #UMassResourceEconomics #ResourceEconomics #UMassAppliedEconomics #AppliedEconomics #Economics

Today is UMassGives! Last year, the Department of Resource Economics raised over $2,500 from more than 20 donors, helping our excellent undergraduate students to engage with internships and summer fellowships. Support the Department of Resource Economics today and your gift will help us accomplish even more: ✔ Execute large-scale events like our Alumni Networking Event in Boston and our Women in Economics networking and scholarship events. ✔ Host welcome events in the fall and spring, and a new departmental graduation celebration. ✔ Sponsor our undergraduate student group, the Resource Economics Society (RES), to continue its fantastic weekly programming that fosters a wide range of academic, professional, and social connections. ✔ Contribute toward our departmental scholarships, rewarding both service and academic achievement. ✔ Purchase a new screen for the department’s seminar room! In addition, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Carolyn Harper Graduate Student Award. Your gift to the Harper Fund will allow us to support even more fantastic students in the future. Please give today to support the UMass Resource Economics Department and our students! Gifts of any amount make a difference for our students. Thank you! https://lnkd.in/e_i6WJft

Of his journey from undergraduate to Workplace Planning Consultant for Fidelity Investments Ananth Shankar, Resource Economics alum. shares: "As a Res. Ec. grad, I’m currently exploring retirement planning within the broader wealth management space. I learn something new everyday in helping people of all age groups and backgrounds achieve their retirement goals. During the transition (from college) to my full-time role, my temptation was to over analyze decisions to combat the uncertainty ahead. While I still work in the direction of a larger vision, I find that there are many ways to reach my goals. This is drastically different to how I set and pursued targets as a student, making it the biggest lesson I’d like to have learned earlier."

Tyler Le & Tom Roche, Managerial Econ. students, enjoy a sense of community inside and outside of the classroom. Hear what they have to say: "Within this dynamic community of Managerial/Resource Economics students at UMass, forming lasting connections is important for our academic journey. For example, Tom and I were friends prior to college, but our time here has only strengthened our friendship. Our shared passion for economics and sustainable development not only fueled insightful discussions in class but also blossomed into a lasting friendship. The department is filled with instructors, TAs, and students who are always willing to help one another. The connections we made within our department exemplify the collaborative spirit that defines our academic community, creating an environment where students thrive both personally and professionally." -Tyler Le Tell us about a connection you've made through your studies!

Professor David Keiser releases NBER working paper that examines the allocation of earmark funding for Safe Drinking Water Act investments. #UMassResourceEconomics #ResourceEconomics #AppliedEconomics #UMassAppliedEconomics https://lnkd.in/e8cwaSAE

Hear how Brandon Yu, current Managerial Econ student, kept busy over winter break as in intern for Hillcrest Wealth Advisors. "This winter I gained hands-on experience in the field of financial advising at Hillcrest Wealth Advisors, a small wealth management company in New Jersey. My tasks as a finance intern included preparing Microsoft Excel sheets for quarterly reports detailing client investments and calculating annual client fees depending on varying basis points. I learned a lot about the market and how to spot potential trends by shadowing one of the financial advisors as they showed me their day-to-day responsibilities. The most interesting aspect of being a financial advisor that I picked up on is that you really have to be well spoken and patient, as a large part of your job is being on calls with clients to explain their investments performance. Overall, interning at Hillcrest Wealth Advisors this winter was an amazing learning experience that allowed me to be more knowledgeable in wealth management and investments." Did you also have a positive internship experience over winter break? We'd love to share your story!

Phoebe Broomstein, Dept. of Resource Econ. alum. current works at IDEX Corporation as a Talent Acquisition Sourcing Specialist. Of her journey from undergraduate to now she shares... "When I graduated in from UMass in 2021, I had been interning as a recruiter at an agency called ALKU for about a year, and had signed my offer to work full time for them starting that summer. I then realized my passions really were Human Resources and Talent Acquisition, so after a few months at ALKU full time, I received an offer to work at Thermo Fisher Scientific within their Talent Acquisition function as a Talent Acquisition Sourcer. There, I was trained and given the opportunity to source executive talent, as well as analyze Talent Acquisition and Human Resource data to present to stakeholders within the function. I really enjoyed corporate talent acquisition and continued to pursue this passion in the current role at IDEX Corporation, where I am a Talent Acquisition Sourcing Specialist. In this role, I build and execute comprehensive talent sourcing strategies for our 50+ businesses, as well as advise on various talent functions with market data and talent research."

“The Clean Water Act is the foundational law that protects the quality of our rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands. It is shocking that for 50 years, we have had very little ability to comprehensively identify what resources the act protects." New research co-authored by David Keiser, professor, UMass Department of Resource Economics, uses machine learning to more accurately predict which waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act: