Economic Scholars Program
A free event that allows undergraduate economic students to share their work, participate in an economic research conference, network with peers, and discover future opportunities.
2024 program dates coming soon!
Program summary
Role overviews
Program summary
The Economic Scholars Program is a free economic research conference presented by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. This hybrid event allows undergraduate students to share their work, understand what it’s like to participate in an economic research conference, network with peers, and discover internship and employment opportunities with the Federal Reserve.
To participate in this annual program and event, students can apply for one of the following roles:
- Peer Review Board Member
- Presenter: Paper or Poster
- Discussant
- Session Chair
Role Overviews
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Peer Review Board Member
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Presenter
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Discussant
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Session Chair
Students can apply to be a member of the Peer Review Board. Peer Review Board members evaluate all conference proposals against a rubric to determine which papers and posters should be presented. Members of the Peer Review Board are also eligible to enter their own proposals for consideration.
Qualifications
To qualify, students must:
- Apply by program deadline.
- Be a current undergraduate junior or senior or a recent graduate.
- Be concurrently enrolled in or have completed intermediate macroeconomics and microeconomics courses. Exceptions may apply, so please check with your professor to confirm if you are able to perform the role as described.
- Be available to attend two one-hour virtual training sessions that will cover the expectations of Peer Review Board members.
- Be able to demonstrate ability to successfully evaluate a proposal against a rubric.
- Be available to attend periodic virtual meetings to review proposals for acceptance to the conference.
Students conducting original research in economics can apply to present their research. Research can be independent, co-authored by other students, or faculty co-sponsored.
A Peer Review Board will review all paper and poster proposals and evaluate them based on a rubric to determine acceptance for presentation at the event. Final scores will determine acceptance for presentation at the event.
Two types of presenters
- Paper presenter: Students conducting original research in economics are encouraged to submit a proposal for a paper session based on their independent research. Papers can be empirical, theoretical, or analytical in nature.
- Poster presenter: Students can also submit a proposal for a poster session. Posters can be exhibited as a presentation or less formally during a reception following the presentations.
Qualifications
To qualify, students must:
- Apply by program deadline.
- Register for and attend the conference (virtually or in-person).
- Be a current undergraduate or a recent graduate.
During the event, discussants help audience members better understand the work and help the author understand what can be done to improve it. They read proposals carefully and take time to understand the contributions, strengths, and weaknesses of the work, and then provide comments and suggestions for the author to consider. Discussants should be prepared to deliver 5–7 minutes of remarks following the presentation.
Qualifications
To qualify, students must:
- Apply by program deadline.
- Register and attend the conference (virtual or in-person).
- Be a current undergraduate or a recent graduate.
- Be currently enrolled in or have completed intermediate macroeconomics and microeconomics courses.
- Be available to attend a one-hour virtual training session.
Session Chairs are responsible for timekeeping during the session, introducing presenters and discussants, and managing questions from the audience.
Qualifications
To qualify, students must:
- Apply by program deadline.
- Register and attend the conference (virtually or in-person).
- Be a current undergraduate or a recent graduate.
Comments from Past Participants


Past Events
Economic Scholars Program
View sessions from the 2023 Economic Scholars Program
Photos



