College of Arts and Sciences Economics Assistant Professor Tyler Schipper, PhD, has been given the 2020 Undergraduate Research Award by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Nominated by their peers, the award is given annually to a faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to supporting undergraduate research and faculty-student scholarly collaboration.
Tyler Schipper
"What I find most admirable regarding Tyler’s dedication to student research is that it is clear that he most values simply getting students to have the experience of actively engaging in economic research. The way in which students engage in research and the type of research they do is secondary to the fact that they are researching economics," Associate Professor Michael Walrath wrote in Schipper's nomination for the award. "Over Tyler’s (slightly less than) six years at St. Thomas, I have been continually amazed by his dedication to student research – both the amount of student research he has facilitated and the quality of the mentorship he has provided."
Schipper's primary fields are economic growth and development, macroeconomics and forecasting, and his research focuses on the role of informal firms in determining aggregate outcomes in developing countries. He has worked with more than 20 students doing research funded by university grants and student research teams.
"Dr. Schipper’s greatest strength as a mentor is clearly his approachability and willingness to help," student researcher Anthony Vecchia said. "As his mentee, I have not hesitated once to ask him a question, and there is never a question he won’t answer. If he is not readily able to answer a question, he usually makes a sticky note to remind himself to research the answer. Within a couple days, I always have an answer."
