LED Spotlight: Undergraduate Research Profile, Kyle Arndt

My name is Kyle and I have recently completed my undergraduate studies taking Economics and Financial Management at Wilfrid Laurier University. During my final year, I was able to conduct my own research paper and present it at a research conference. This was one of several rewarding experiences I had throughout my education here at Laurier. 

 Attending my first research conference was an incredibly rewarding experience. I was selected as one of twenty undergraduate students to present my research at the 90th annual Midwest Economics Association conference in Chicago this past March. It was a privilege to receive honourable mention at the conference as one of the best undergraduate papers. My research was also the recipient of the Laurier Economics Department’s Peter Sinclair award for the best undergraduate economics research paper. 

The title of my paper is “Canadian Monetary Policy with Demand and Supply-Driven Inflation.” I began working on this project in Laurier’s capstone economics course, EC 481. Under the careful supervision and guidance of Dr. M. Jahangir Alam, I started with a research idea that I was passionate about and developed it over the following several months by applying the skills I had gained from previous economics courses. These skills included retrieving and analyzing relevant data, applying it within specific econometric methodologies, and using economic theory to interpret the results. I would strongly encourage students entering EC 481 and who are committed to developing high-quality research to consider applying to conferences in the future. 

My presentation consisted of a 15-minute overview of my paper, followed by a feedback and Q&A period with the session chair and audience members. Overall, I felt that my presentation went well, and the feedback I received was especially valuable. The session chair provided insightful suggestions on how to further develop my paper, including the use of additional econometric techniques and deeper integration of economic theory, recommending specific textbooks and workshops to investigate. 

Additionally, I attended research sessions of graduate students, PhD students, professors, and other working economists which was a fascinating way to see the cutting-edge research of professionals. Certainly, a lot was learned from observing the presentation and discussion of these papers.  

Another highlight of the trip was meeting Dr. Justin Wolfers, an economics professor at the University of Michigan, and a frequent face of news outlets around the world. He gave a lecture on communicating economics to the general public. Part of his lecture highlighted the importance of making economic values, research, and decisions resonate better with individuals. 

Overall, the conference provided an excellent opportunity to showcase my paper and its results, receive constructive feedback for further work, and connect with economists from around the world. It was also a great chance to experience a great city like Chicago. I would like to thank the Lazaridis school for their generous funding provided for the travel of the conference. What’s next for the paper is preparing to present it at the 60^th annual Canadian Economics Association conference, the Bank of Canada’s poster presentation for the same conference, and seeking to get the work published in a peer-reviewed journal. I look forward to the responsibility of continuing to represent the tremendous research conducted within the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics. 

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