Paul College students present their work Thursday

Wednesday, April 19, 2017
UNH student Alexys Gilcreast

Alexys Gilcreast ’18, president of the student-run Atkins Investment Group, is one of dozens of students who will present research findings during the Paul College Undergraduate Research Conference on Thursday. (Photo: Jeremy Gasowski, Communications and Public Affairs)

Regardless of the research question, there is always a way to relate it to business.

From skiing to farm-fresh food and many things between, students will present their research in marketing consulting, real-life student investing, economics, hospitality management and business administration at Thursday's Paul College Undergraduate Research Conference (URC).

Students from the marketing workshop senior capstone course and members of the Atkins Investment Group will give oral presentations on their work  9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m in Holloway Commons, while students in the Mel Rines Angel Investment Fund will presenting at Paul College.

The Atkins Investment Group, a student organization responsible for managing approximately $250,000 in long-equity and fixed-income positions, will present their financial research findings from the last year of managing their portfolio. “Presenting our findings each year allows us to share what we have learned with the student body, faculty and staff here at Paul College,” says Alexys Gilcreast ’18, the group's president. “In addition, it allows us to reflect on our investment strategy and seek catalysts for growth and improvement.”

Marketing workshop students will present the findings from their semester-long consulting projects with external companies ranging from small nonprofits such as Dover’s Woodman Museum to global enterprises such as L.L. Bean. “It really requires them to put what they’ve learned in classes over four years into action,” says Peter Masucci, principal lecturer in marketing.

Students will also showcase their research during Paul College’s URC poster session from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

“Ski resorts are a big factor around here, and I was curious to see how they were being affected by climate change.”

Garette Craig ’17 might be an economics major, but for his URC project, the Phoenix, Arizona, native was inspired by weather: specifically, New England snow.

Warmer winter temperatures have greatly affected the New England ski industry. Coming from Arizona, Craig noticed the significant economic impact that industry has on New England communities.

“Ski resorts are a big factor around here, and I was curious to see how they were being affected by climate change,” he says. “My project is looking at the climate effects on the ski industry from an economic point of view. I wanted to look at how global warming has changed the ski industry’s market structure and what the industry had to do in order to compensate for the changing temperatures.”

One thing he learned while conducting this research surprised him. He noticed, he explains, “that there may have been the same amount of snow falling per year, but the problem lies in the amount of snow that stays on the ground overnight.”

Another economics student, Charles Dwyer ’17, was inspired by his UNH education, choosing to focus on the economics of a college degree.

“My research was to discover which major translates best into post-graduation employment success,” he says. “I also wanted to test my UNH education against national averages in regards to employment and early salary.”

All Paul College URC events 

Photographer: 
Jeremy Gasowski | UNH Marketing | jeremy.gasowski@unh.edu | 603-862-4465