SURF Archive
*Please note that the SURF program is only available to current McDonough undergraduate students.*
- 2022 Research Projects
- 2021 Research Projects
- 2020 Research Projects
- 2019 Research Projects
- 2018 Research Projects
- 2017 Research Projects
2022 Research Projects
- Sean Summers (B’25) advised by George Comer
- Demetra Pappas (B’24) advised by Sahar Akhtar
- Palak Poddar (B’23) advised by Charles Skuba
- Mira Patel (B’25) advised by Nicholas Lovegrove
- Tayah Rubio (B’24) advised by George Comer
- Arul Nigam (B’25) advised by Robin Dillon-Merrill
- Yiming Zhao (B’23) advised by Lizhi Liu
- “Effect of International Oil Import Sanctions Towards Russia on Global Oil Price: Correlation Between Political Motives, Oil Bans, and Oil Price” paper
- “Effect of International Oil Import Sanctions Towards Russia on Global Oil Price: Correlation Between Political Motives, Oil Bans, and Oil Price” poster
- Jeffrey Clorissaint (B’23) advised by George Comer
- Lauren Lamberson (B’25) advised by Arthur Dong
- Sarah MacGillis (B’25) advised by Karthikeya Easwar
- Anna Cheng (B’25) advised by Suh Yeon Kim
- Spencer Nash (B’25) advised by J Bradford Jensen
- William Nemoy (B’24) advised by Bonnie Montano
- Shiamak Kalwachwala (B’25) advised by Reena Aggarwal
- Bonnie Beiken (B’24) advised by Karthikeya Easwar
- Harris Chin (B’22) advised by Arthur Dong
- Sarah Kang (B’25) advised by Robin Dillon-Merrill
- Bryant Hill (B’24) advised by Xiaofei Zhao
- Anish Kumar (B’25) advised by Erjona Prifti
- Jiaying “Kelly” He (B’23) advised by Xiaofei Zhao
- Aryan Malhotra (B’25) advised by Charly Porcher
2021 Research Projects
- Robert Alward (B’22) Robert’s Project advised by Professor Bonnie Montano
- Stephanie Boyd (B’22) “Comparative Case Analysis Between Linear and Circular Business Models” advised by Professor Bill Novelli
- Andrew Chuang (B’23) “Cultural Values Analysis in Talent & AI” advised by Professor Michael O’Leary
- Emily Cloonan (B’23) “Does College Cost Too Much?” advised by Professor Eric Sampson
- Ananya Dalmia (B’22) “Is Blood Thicker than the Balance Sheet? Inculcating Innovative Behavior in Indian Family Firms” advised by Professor Charles Skuba
- Genevieve Domenico (B’23) “The Future of Art: Covid-19 Pandemic’s Impact on the Global Art Market” advised by Professor Elizabeth Prelinger
- Matthew Greer-Gentis (B’22) “Off-Grid Solar Installs on the Navajo Nation under the CARES Act” advised by Professor Robin Dillon-Merrill
- Mariana Guzman (B’24) “The Undergraduate Obsession with Finance” advised by Professor Lee Pinkowitz
- Christine Ji (B’23) “Different Sizes, Different Responsibilities: Corporate Social Responsibility for Large and Small Businesses” advised by Professor Jason Brennan
- Jim Kerr (B’24) “The Role of Government Stability in Facilitating Economic Growth: A Case Study of India and Pakistan” advised by Professor Ricardo Ernst
- Connor Keyes (B’22) “Autonomous Trucking and the Diffusion of Technology” advised by Professor Jason Schloetzer
- Ralph Lamberti (B’23) “The Future of Stakeholder Capitalism” advised by Professor Jason Brennan
- Lucrezia Lualdi (B’22) “Covid-19 as a Potential Impetus for a Revolution in the Hospitality Industry: A Comparative Analysis of Italy and Germany’s Recovery Plans” advised by Professor Andreas Kern
- Christopher Matrullo (B’23) “Determinants of SPAC Success” advised by Professor James Angel
- William Nemoy (B’24) “Do Passively Managed Funds Contribute to Market Volatility?” advised by Professor Quan Wen
- Constanza Nicolini (B’22) “The Future of Grocery Stores” advised by Professor Sezer Ulku
- Alicia Novoa (B’23) “MythBusters: Green Bonds Edition” advised by Professor James Angel
- David Park (B’23) “Luxury in 2020: Covid-19’s Impact on High Fashion and Wines” advised by Professor Michael O’Leary and Neeru Paharia
- Carsten Schoer (B’24) “Impact of Relationships with Superiors on a Chief Diversity Officer’s Efficacy” advised by Professor Ella Washington
- Colton Scrudder (B’22) “Method or Catalyst: A Quantitative Study of Firearm Ownership, Purchases, and Suicide” advised by Professor William English
- Cristian Smina (B’23) “Economic Nationalism: An Analysis of the Financial Impact of Populist Policies” advised by Professor Charles Skuba
- Anish Sundar (B’24) “Assessing the Impact of U.S.-China 5G Technology Competition on Global Markets” advised by Professor Charles Skuba
- Sachi Tejani (B’24) “Addressing Information Security Threats & Responses in the Healthcare Industry” advised by Professor Ryung Suh
- Claire Vithoontien (B’23) “Open Banking in Thailand: Lessons from Singapore and Hong Kong” advised by Professor James Angel
- Caleb Yang (B’23) “Beyond the Excitement of Going Public: The Risks Associated with the De-SPAC Process” advised by Professor Reena Agrawal
2020 Research Projects
- Samar Ahsan (B’21), “The Hybridization of Work: Will Co-working Survive,” advised by Prof. Katalin Springel
- Robert Alward (B’22), “Does Public Opinion Matter?: An Analysis of the Impact of National Public Opinion on Refugee Labor Force Participation,” advised by Prof. Elizabeth Ferris
- Emilio Angel (B’21), “Uber’s Impact in the Colombian Economy and Society,” advised by Prof. Katalin Springel
- Nam Bui (B’23), “Determinants of Export Participation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: A Case Study of Manufacturing Firms in Vietnam,” advised by Prof. Stanley D. Nollen
- Francesca Canovi (B’22), “How Personal is Personalization: Practices in Fashion from its Origin to Today, ” advised by Prof. Charles Skuba
- Carlos Carcamo (B’23), “Healthy Living: How Major Companies Plan to Keep Economic Viability,” advised by Prof. Rebecca Hamilton
- Aluwet Deng (B’21), “The Dawn of Microfinance in South Sudan: Microfinance, Sustainability, and Economic Development in Africa,” advised by Prof. Scott Taylor
- Genevieve Domenico (B’23), “Gender Inequality in the Asia-Pacific Workplace: Ways to Improve,” advised by Prof. Nataly Lorinkova
- Illona Emery (B’22), “How are Chinese Consumers Shaping the Luxury Industry,” advised by Prof. Charles Skuba
- Jeniffer Figueroa (B’22), “The Monetary Cycle Between Latin America and the United States: An Analysis of Foreign Remittances,” advised by Prof. Benjamin Chen
- Nyasha Gandawa (B’23), “Factors of Production Interpretation of Renewable Energy Policy,” advised by Prof. Robin Dillon-Merrill
- Jade Glab (B’22), “Breaking News (But Not on Social Enterprises),” advised by Prof. Jason Brennan
- Milan Khosla (B’23), “The Effects of Coronavirus on the United States Economy and the Higher Education System,” advised by Prof. Thomas Cooke
- Jack Longarzo (B’23), “What Role Should US Financial Technology Companies Serve in the Issuance and Management of a US Central Bank Digital Currency,” advised by Prof. Jason Brennan
- Brittany Malcolm (B’21), “Has the Growth in the Bahamas Stagnated,” advised by Prof. Jasmina Chauvin
- Abraham Mata (B’22), “The Impact of Automation Within Future Presidential Elections,” advised by Prof. Jason Schloetzer
- Julien Maturllo (B’23), “The Case for Reviving the Actual Potential Competition Doctrine for Big Tech,” advised by Prof. John Mayo
- Wendy Mejia (B’22), “What Determines the Success or Failures of Immigrant LatinX Entrepreneurs’ Ventures?” advised by Prof. Robert Bies
- Salome Mikadze (B’22), “AI 3.0 MILLENIUM,” advised by Prof. Laura Clark
- Alexis Nord (B’21), “Financial Redlining: Short-Term High Interest Loans,” advised by Prof. George Comer
- David Park (B’23), “The Legal Consequences of Securities Transparency,” advised by Prof. Xiaoli Tian
- Madeline Pfister (B’23), “The Ethics of Credit Card Data Transparency and Data Breach Response,” advised by Prof. Jason Brennan
- John Picker (B’22), “Draft a Young Superstar or Trade for a Proven Player? Using Data Analytics to Inform Decision-Making of NBA General Managers,” advised by Prof. Bonnie Montano
- Nicholas Rice (B’23) and Harry Yang (B’23), “An Analysis of the Hong Kong Model of Public Transit,” advised by Prof. Arthur Dong
- Natalia Ruiz (B’21), “Tech Disruption in Luxury and Artisanship: The Made in Italy Trademark within International Online Marketing and ECommerce,” advised by Prof. Charles Skuba
- Nicholas Sannito (B’23) and William Schott (B’23), “An Analytical Look at Housing Choice Vouchers and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits,” advised by Prof. Arthur Dong
- Isshaan Shah (B’23), “The Effect of the Luxury Tax on Competitive Balance and Managerial Incentives in the MLB,” advised by Prof. Martin Conway
- Joshua Solesbury (B’22), “Capturing Value in a Decentralized Internet Stack: An Analysis of Value Drivers in Web 2.0 vs Web 3.0,” advised by Prof. Alberto Rossi
- Gregory Sullivan (B’21), “Multitasking in the Workplace: Is Saved Time Worth the Cost of Decreased Comprehension,” advised by Prof. Michael O’Leary
- Pulast Thaker (B’23), “Wartime Investing: The Effect of the U.S. – China Trade War on US Equity Markets,” advised by Prof. Bradford Jensen
2019 Research Projects
Each student prepares a poster and paper of their research findings at the conclusion of the summer. Both are linked below.
- Emilio Angel Medina (B’21), The Colombian Coffee Crisis and the Impact of the National Federation of Coffee Growers (NFCG), advised by Prof. Luke Semrau (paper)
- Luke Cai (B’20), Identifying the Current “Tailwind” Industries in China, advised by Prof. Xiaofei Zhao (paper)
- Megan Carey (B’20), Economic Forecasting in the Technological Age: A Machine Learning Approach, advised by Prof. Betsy Sigman
- Gianmarco Dedos (B’20), The Effectiveness of Financial Oversight Boards; A Case Study of Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, advised by Prof. Sonia Kaestner (paper)
- Isabella Fuchs (B’21), Valuation of Pacific Gas and Electric, advised by Prof. Arthur Dong (paper)
- Carolyn Kirshe (B’20), Disclosure and Awareness in Search Engine Advertising, advised by Prof. Ronald Goodstein
- Cindy Lu (B’21), Sponsored Content Disclosure and its Effects on Consumer Attitude, advised by Prof. Karthikeya Easwar (paper)
- Salome Mikadze (B’22), Improving Brand Extension Success: Both Personality and Product Class Fit Matter, advised by Prof. Ronald Goodstein (paper)
- Christopher Miller (B’21), Open for Business: The Impact of the Dominican Republic – Central American – U.S. Free Trade Agreement, advised by Prof. Charles Skuba (paper)
- Steven Mucyo (B’20), Is Rwanda’s Tech Infrastructure Ready for the New Technology Wave?, advised by Prof. Ricardo Ernst (paper)
- Alexis Nord (B’21),Transparency’s Effect on Consumer Knowledge of Credit Reporting & Scoring: A Deep Dive into Regulation & Industry Agents, advised by Prof. George Comer (paper)
- Sankalp Panigrahi (B’22), Risk Management of Cryptocurrencies: A Study of the Effectiveness of Cryptocurrency Hedging Strategies, advised by Prof. James Angel
- Rahul Parikh (B’22), The Future of Commercial Real Estate with Autonomous Vehicles and 5G Technology, advised by Prof. Matthew Cypher (paper)
- Shyla Prasad (B’20), Does Working More Decrease Productivity?, advised by Prof. Katalin Springel (paper)
- Rohan Sindhwani (B’22), Analysis of the Risk Arbitrage Spread in the Indian Financial Market through Partial Tenders Offers, advised by Prof. Sandeep Dahiya (paper)
- Zack Sisitsky (B’22), Human Performance in the Workplace, advised by Prof. Bryant Oskvig (paper)
2018 Research Projects
- George Brennan (B’20), As Not Seen on TV: Concerns Behind Facebook Creating Original Content, advised by Thomas Cooke (paper)
- Megan Carey (B’20), The Impact of Globalization on Emerging Markets: Insights from ASEAN Economies, advised by Charles Skuba (paper)
- Simon Carroll (B’19), Determinants of Success in Music Crowdfunding, advised by Katherine Waldock (paper)
- Caprice Catalano (B’20), The Power of Neural Networks in Social Innovation: Predicting HIV Prevalence Across the Globe, advised by Bonnie Montano (paper)
- Penn Conrad (B’19), Automation and the American Economy: Tracking Labor Projections and Automatability, advised by Thomas Cooke (paper)
- Field Daniel (B’19), Saudi Aramco: The New Age, advised by David Painter (paper)
- Gianmarco Dedos (B’20), The Economic and Financial Impact of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, advised by Nicholas Lovegrove (paper)
- Regan Donecker (B’21), Free Preschool Education and its Effects on Underprivileged Children’s Educational Performance, advised by Michael O’Leary and Anna D. Johnson (paper)
- Kevin Durham (B’19), The Implications of Mobile Financial Application Design Features on Consumer Decision Making and Value, advised by Karthikeya Easwar (paper)
- Leonardo Gonzalez Galindo (B’20), How do Influencers Affect Brands? A Case Study on Influencer Marketing, advised by Neeru Paharia (paper)
- Madeline Lee (B’19), Exploring the Risks and Benefits of Implementing Blockchain in the Food Retail Industry, advised by Bharat Kaku (paper)
- Alejandro Lesmes (B’20), Ecotourism in Colombia, advised by Erick Langer
- Bennett Mattson (B’21) and Anjli Patel (B’21), Evaluating Market Inefficiencies: Case Study Apple, advised by Arthur Dong (paper)
- Larisa Pollock (B’19), Opportunity Zones: Can They Help the U.S. Economy?, advised by Thomas Cooke (paper)
- Mitchell Taylor (B’20), The Social Side of Sports: How Live Social Media is Redefining the Game, advised by Jimmy Lynn (paper)
- Rong (Christine) Xiao (B’19), Impact of President Trump’s Tweets about Trade Tensions on Stock Market Returns, advised by Katherine Waldock (paper)
- Shoya Yoshida (B’20), Examining the Relationship between Bitcoin Price and Google Trends Using Granger Causality and Deep Learning, advised by James Angel and Zhi Chen (paper)
2017 Research Projects
- Megan Burke (B’18), Good for People, Good for Business: A Study of Civility’s Payoffs, advised by Professor Christine Porath
- Megan Carey (B’20), The Female Pathway to CEO, advised by Professor Catherine Tinsley
- Kyle Cassara (B’19), Applied Investment Analysis – Warren Buffet’s Investment Thesis in the U.S. Airling Industry, advised by Professor Arthur Dong
- Clara Cecil (B’18), Patterns in Global Food Waste: The Role of Supply Chain and Delivery Mode, advised by Professor Vishal Agrawal
- Calvin Dass (B’20), How Investor Sentiment and Investor Interest Impact Stock Prices, advised by Professor Betsy Sigman
- Field Daniel (B’19), The Benefits of Managed Futures, advised by Professor Eduardo Deschapelles
- Scott Kelly (B’19), Data Collection Outsourcing: The Impact on Theory Development, Testing, and Conclusions, advised by Professor Brooks Holtom
- Alejandro Lesmes (B’20), Illegal Mining in Colombia, advised by Professor Erick Langer
- Chengxi Li (B’19), Underpricing of Chinese Domestic and Overseas IPOs, advised by Professor Quan Wen
- Yan-Ling Lu (B’19), The Attrition Rate of Women vs. Men Among Millennial Finance Professionals, advised by Professor Catherine Tinsley
- Steven Mucyo (B’20), The Revolution of Technology in Rwanda and Its Impact on Business and Entrepreneurship, advised by Professor Ricardo Ernst
- Larisa Pollock (B’19), The Impact of Economic Sanctions on the Russian Economy (2014-2017), advised by Professor Vladimir Mukharlyamov
- Kenneth Reyes (B’19), Globalization & Climate Change: The Battle for Long-Term Sustainability in the Phillipines, advised by Professor Charles Skuba
- Alex Ronkainen (B’18), The Storm of Brexit, advised by Professor James Moore
- Emily Young (B’19), Transfer Pricing in the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project – Latin America and the Caribbean, advised by Professor Charles J. Skuba