Presenting my co-authored research with my father
Author: Madison Settlage | Majors: Business Economics, Finance | Semester: Spring 2024
This April, I received the opportunity to present my research at the Society of Business, Industry, and Economics 24th annual conference in San Destin, Florida. This was my second time attending this conference and it was once again a very rewarding experience. This year, I presented a paper entitled “Do Socioeconomic, Health, and Demographic Characteristics Play a Role in Wildfire Smoke Avoidance?” with my co-author and father, Dr. Daniel Settlage. In our research, we explore how socioeconomic, health, and demographic characteristics relate to an individual’s likelihood of reducing outdoor activity and duration of reduction when confronted with wildfire smoke. Using survey data from Boise Idaho, we analyzed how these various characteristics influence individuals’ decisions regarding wildfire smoke avoidance. In our analysis, we found that many factors are statistically significant in determining an individual’s likelihood of smoke avoidance as well as how many days they avoided smoke exposure. The results and conclusions we draw from our research have implications regarding the crafting of effective public policy messaging and outreach efforts directed at mitigating the health effects of wildfire smoke exposure.
Presenting at this conference in front of a group of academic peers was very rewarding. We received positive feedback on our research and gained additional ideas for various paths we could explore moving forward with our paper. Being able to hear others thoughts and reactions to the research allows us to better tailor our paper moving forward. My co-author and I are planning to incorporate the feedback we received at the conference into our paper and submit it to an environmental economics journal.
Attending the conference for a second year, was a very fun experience. I was able to foster new connections as well as reconnect with individuals I had met the prior year. Many of the conference attendees remembered me from my presentation the prior year. It was very fun reconnecting and updating them on the progress of my paper I presented last year which is under round one of revise and resubmit in the Journal of Sports Economics. In addition to building professional connections, I had the opportunity to attend various conference sessions and see current research being conducted in my field of study. Hearing others research ideas and methodology was very interesting and helped open my eyes to the vast array of different research areas in economics and finance. I would highly recommend presenting and attending an academic conference to anyone who is interested in the academic world. Based on my experience with research and conferences, I have realized that I want to make research a significant part of my life and career. Having the opportunity to experience this as an undergraduate helped me begin to tailor my post-graduation plans sooner.
All in all, attending SOBIE was a very worthwhile experience. Having the honors college travel grant greatly reduced my financial burden and made this opportunity to become a reality. I am very thankful for all the opportunities I have received through the honors college. I know that my education has greatly benefited from the support and funding I have received as an undergraduate.