Undergraduate Team Wins College Fed Challenge
A team of Weinberg College economics majors came out on top in the College Fed Challenge on Nov. 27, a national competition that focuses on the U.S. economy, monetary policymaking and the Federal Reserve System.
The undergraduate team included Geoffrey Bery ’13, Nikhil Byanna ’15, David Chen ’13, Jonathan Cohen ’15, Eric Zhang ’13, and faculty adviser Mark Witte, distinguished senior lecturer of economics. The group represented the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
The College Fed Challenge is a team competition for undergraduate students. Teams analyze economic and financial conditions and formulate a monetary policy recommendation, modeling the Federal Open Market Committee.
Federal Reserve Board member Elizabeth A. Duke, one of the judges for this year's competition, described the competition as an “exceptional opportunity” to learn about the economy and monetary policy.
“I hope the experience heightened [the students’] interest in continuing to study economics,” Duke said. “I congratulate all of the participants for producing presentations that demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of global economic events."The event was the culmination of five district competitions around the country. Teams competed in their local Reserve Bank Districts, and the top teams moved on to the finals in Washington, D.C. The finalists were judged on their economic analysis, responses to judges' questions, teamwork, and presentation.
Bentley University in Waltham, Mass., finished second in the competition. American University in Washington, D.C., Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., and Pace University in New York, N.Y. received honorable mentions. Back to top