Project MUSE (Mentoring Underrepresented Students through
Experiments) with Alessandra Cassar at the University of
San Francisco
I am currently in the process of establishing “Project
MUSE” (Mentoring Underrepresented Students through
Experiments) at Michigan with Alessandra Cassar at the
University of San Francisco. This project aims to increase
the number of women entering the Economics profession via
research-based mentoring using the tool of Experimental
Economics. The program targets undergraduates majoring in
economics from historically underrepresented groups in the
profession for hands-on participation in experimental
research, combined with mentoring and professional
guidance. Selected students will participate as research
assistants, directly assist in designing and running
experimental sessions, and conduct data analysis.
Throughout the program they will be encouraged to apply the
skills they learn in their own independent research
projects and present their results in regular lab meetings.
At the end of the year, the entire group (both the Michigan
and USF contingents) will meet for a one day conference
which will feature a presentation of the completed
research, mentoring activities, and a keynote by a major
figure in the field of EE. Our goal is take positive action
to increase the number of women in Economics.
The first undergraduate mentored through this program at
Michigan is Noura Hamid. Noura is about to complete her
first year in graduate school at Columbia University
(Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences QMSS). She graduated from the
University of Michigan with a B.A. in Economics and
minors in both German and AAPTIS (Arab, Armenian,
Persian, Turkish, and Islamic Studies). Following
graduation, she completed a Survey Research Center
internship at ISR and her research with Frank Stafford
was featured internationally (see story here).
