Illinois State University’s economics students joined hundreds of economists throughout the Midwest and elsewhere in March to attend the 2024 Midwest Economics Association (MEA) Annual Conference in downtown Chicago.
The three-day conference trip to the Windy City was led by Professor of Economics Susan Chen, who assumed the position of the second vice president of the MEA on March 23, 2024.
“This year’s MEA was special. It not only marked a milestone in my professional path but also enhanced ISU’s name recognition throughout the Midwest and elsewhere,” Chen said. “I am excited to have the opportunity to serve a wider audience of the profession in this new capacity.”
It was the second consecutive year that economics students attended a major conference, which Chen said was an invaluable experience for students.
“I was very proud of my students,” Chen said. “They interacted with peers and professors from other institutions and engaged in constructive dialogues on various research topics.”
“This year’s MEA was special. It not only marked a milestone in my professional path but also enhanced ISU’s name recognition throughout the Midwest and elsewhere.”
Susan Chen
All attendees appreciated the opportunity to share the experience with peers outside the classroom. This was the second time that graduating senior Jack Marsalla attended the MEA.
“The MEA trip has allowed me to learn research from economic scholars and helped me gain an insight into emerging trends and perspectives within the field,” Marsalla said.
First-year graduate student Ruby Morr ’23 enjoyed her first academic conference experience.
“I loved learning new topics and techniques for my own research and ways to go about critiquing others’ research,” said Morr, who plans to present her thesis next year at the MEA.
Robert Bradish, a graduating economics and finance double-major, said he really loved the conference, calling it informative to see scholars of different career stages presenting their work.
“I encourage younger students to go to learn, but also to see that they too could present at this wonderful conference,” Bradish said.
Parker Langfeldt, a sophomore economics major, said the trip was unique and an irreplaceable learning experience that he would never forget.
“I want to choose something from my current class projects and submit it to next year’s conference,” Langfeldt said.
Jacob Clarage, a graduating finance major with a minor in economics, was excited about the exposure to new areas of economics.
“By interacting with fellow students and professors, I learned about various contemporary topics in economics and the different methodologies used for economic research,” he said.
Chen was grateful for the University funding that made the trip possible again this year saying that through opportunities like this one, the Economics Department hopes to continue building a stronger and better economics curriculum.
“Students benefit tremendously from attending these conferences,” Chen said. “We hope to make this an annual tradition for our students so that they can interact with scholars and professionals in the field early on in their college careers.”
