Hamilton students won the first round of the College Fed Challenge competition on Friday, Nov. 9. The team of presenters - seniors Eric Boole, Danny Kaufman, Aislinn Shea and Amanda Thorman - advance to the semi-final round of the challenge to be held at the New York Federal Reserve on Wednesday, November 14. They will deliver a 15-minute presentation about the current state of monetary policy and then answer questions from Federal Reserve economists.
The students participated in the competition as part of Professor of Economics Ann Owen’s Monetary Policy class. Other students in the class who helped the presenters research and prepare for the competition were: Greg Hyman, Jared Kochenash, Julian Ophals and Trang Nguyen.
The Challenge is a team competition for undergraduate college students inspired by the working of the Federal Open Market Committee. It is intended to encourage students to learn more about the U.S. macro economy, the Federal Reserve System and the implementation of monetary policy and financial stability. It is also aimed at spurring interest in economics and finance as subjects for advanced study and as the basis for a career. Ann Owen is a former Federal Reserve Board of Governors economist.
The judges for the Nov. 9 competition were faculty from colleges not involved in the competition. Students were judged based on their economic knowledge, their ability to answer judge's questions, the quality of their presentation, and the quality of the research.
The annual competition was to be held on Nov. 2 in Manhattan but due to Hurricane Sandy it was rescheduled, and the competition was split into upstate and downstate sites. The Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center served as one of the upstate sites for the first round.
