Finance and Economics Students Participate in 2025 Scholars Forum

Econometric student podium presenters (l to r):  Connor Sowers, Kylie Miller, Catherine Martsolf, and Katelyn Krish

Econometric student podium presenters (l to r):  Anna Horvath and Dominick Ditoro

International Finance podium presenters and faculty mentor (l to r):  Aaron Burkhart, Yaya Sissoko, and Dylan McAnulty 

Kaden Ring, Elizabeth Fox, Micaela Jebitsch, Emily Schumacher, and Gabriel Kengersky

Financial Institutions & Markets student poster presenters (l to r):  Gage Henry, Caleb Johnson, and Myca Torreance

Financial Institutions & Markets student poster presenters (l to r):  Logan Mumma, Isaac Griffith, and Jacob Rose

Financial Institutions & Markets student poster presenters (l to r):  Malaika Wilmore and Allison Johnson

The Department of Finance and Economics (FIEC) is very pleased that numerous students participated in the 20^th Annual Scholars Forum held at the IUP KCAC on April 9, 2025.  We wish to thank volunteer judges, faculty mentors, and the Scholars Forum planning committee who organized this event and gave of their own time and talent to afford our students this exceptional opportunity to participate in a professional conference atmosphere.

FIEC students delivered their own original research and scholarly discovery through podium (oral) and poster presentations.  Scholars Forum presentations reflect outgrowth of projects completed across multiple economics and finance classes and Justice Research Fellowship activities.

Under the direction of faculty mentor Yaya Sissoko, Aaron Burkhart (BS, Finance) and Dylan McAnulty (BS, Finance) presented “Cryptocurrencies and Exchange Rate Systems” in a podium presentation session.

Under the direction of faculty mentor James Jozefowicz, students completing research as part of the ECON 356 Introduction to Econometrics and ECON 456 Advanced Econometrics courses participated in one of three podium presentation sessions.

• Anna Horvath (BA, Economics/Honors) and Dominick Ditoro (BA, Economics/Honors) presented “Inflation and How It Affects Real Personal Savings Rates”
• Elizabeth Fox (BA, Political Science/Pre-Law and BA, Economics/Honors dual degrees) presented “What Drives Crime: Examining White-Collar Crime Rates in the United States”
• Emily Schumacher (BA, Economics/Honors) and Micaela Jebitsch (BS, Mathematics and Economics/Honors dual degrees) presented “NHL Attendance, Will You Be There?”
• Gabriel Kengersky (BS, Finance and Economics/Honors double majors) and Kaden Ring (BS, Finance and Economics/Honors double majors) presented “Exploring the Causes of Rising Tuition of Higher Education in Pennsylvania”
• Catherine Martsolf (BS, Biology/Pre-Med and BA, Economics/Honors dual degrees) presented “Examining the Correlation Between Life Expectancy and Health Disparities Among the 50 States”
• Chloe Stoner (BS, Finance and Economics/Honors double majors) and Katelyn Krish (BS, Management, Accounting, and Economics/Honors triple majors) presented “Determinants of National Football League (NFL) Regular-Season Game-Day Attendance”
• Connor Sowers (BA, Economics/Honors and Finance double majors) and Kylie Miller (BS, Finance) presented “Impact of Marijuana Legalization and Capital Punishment on the Unemployment - Property Crime Relationship”

Under the direction of faculty mentor Yaya Sissoko, students taking either ECON 346 International Finance or FIN 410 Financial Institutions & Markets participated in the poster presentation session.

• Chloe Stoner (BS, Finance and Economics/Honors double majors) presented “The Importance of Diversification in Creating a Successful and Sustainable Stock Portfolio”
• Ashton Perfetti (BS, Finance) presented “Foreign Exchange Rates and Their Impacts on the Global Economy”
• Daniela Shaughnessy (BS, Finance and Economics double majors), Alice Finisterra (BS, International Business and Economics double majors), and Hedda Folkhage (BS, Management/Entrepreneurship & Small Business) presented “The Impact of Trade Agreements on Financial Markets”
• Dylan McAnulty (BS, Finance), Logan Mumma (BS, Finance and Economics double majors), Isaac Griffith (BS, Finance), Jacob Rose, (BS, Finance), and Aaron Burkhart (BS, Finance) presented “Dollar Cost Averaging for Your Future”
• Logan Mumma (BS, Finance and Economics double majors), Isaac Griffith (BS, Finance), Jacob Rose, (BS, Finance) presented “Exploring Day Trading Strategies for Rapid Portfolio Growth”
• Malaika Wilmore (BS, International Business) and Allison Johnson (BS, Finance) presented “A Diverse Portfolio Focused on the Distinction Between Day Trading and Long-Term Investing”
• Caleb Johnson (BS, Finance and Economics/Honors double majors), Myca Torreance (BS, Finance and Economics/Honors double majors) and Gage Henry (BS, Finance and Economics double majors) presented “Short-Selling in the Market”
• Daniela Shaughnessy (BS, Finance and Economics double majors) and Karlie Modrak (BS, Finance) presented “The Role of Environmental and Social Factors in Portfolio Performance”

Under the direction of faculty member Brandon Vick, Emily Schumacher (BA, Economics/Honors), presented “Recidivism and Correctional Cost Incurrence Among Indiana County’s Individuals Under Supervision” in the poster session as an extension of work she is completing as part of the Justice Research Fellowship program.

Under the direction of other IUP faculty members, several Economics double majors presented research completed for their other degree program in the poster session.

• Under the direction of faculty member Daniel Widzowski, Catherine Martsolf (BS, Biology/Pre-Med and Economics/Honors dual degrees) presented “The Efficacy of Bupropion and Naltrexone in Treating Methamphetamine Addiction”
• Under the direction of faculty member Rick Adkins, Kasey Boring (BS, Mathematics and Economics/Honors double majors), Maribel Romero (BS, Mathematics), and Rebecca Grandinette (BS, Mathematics and BS, Computer Science dual degrees) presented “Forecasting University Enrollment: A Data-Driven Mathematical Approach”
• Under the direction of faculty member Rick Adkins, Alexander Tseng (BS, Mathematics and BA, Economics/Honors dual degrees) and Kasey Boring (BS, Mathematics and Economics/Honors double majors) presented “Should We Be Worried About Inflation? An Analysis of U.S. Inflation Time Series Data"