The department of economics annually awards 3 undergraduate prizes to senior majors (CC and GS) and 5 summer research prizes to CC underclassman. Brief descriptions and eligibility information for each prize is given below.
Sanford S. Parker Prize
• The Parker prize is a cash prize that is awarded to a graduating CC student who majored, joint majored or concentrated in economics that is planning on attending graduate school in economics. Any student that intends to pursue a Ph.D. in economics within two years of graduation is eligible. However, the department may give preference to students that will be attending graduate school in the year following graduation.
• To be considered for this prize you must notify the director of undergraduate studies, Susan Elmes (se5@columbia.edu) by Friday, April 20 of your intention to pursue a Ph.D. in economics.
David Estabrook Romine Prizes
• The two Romine Prizes are cash prizes that are awarded annually to two members of the graduating class (CC or GS) who majored or joint majored in economics. One prize is awarded to the student who wrote the best paper in a senior seminar. The other prize is awarded to the student who wrote the best senior thesis.
• Students who have taken their senior seminar in either the fall or spring semester of the current academic year are eligible for the award of best paper in a senior seminar. To be considered for this prize you should first speak with (or contact) the instructor of your senior seminar regarding a nomination for the award. If your instructor supports your nomination, then you must send a PDF of your paper to Sunil Gulati (skg21@columbia.edu) with a note indicating that you would like to be considered for a prize and the name of your seminar instructor. Professor Gulati will contact your instructor directly. If you took your senior seminar in the fall semester then you must submit your paper no later than Monday, April 2. If you are currently taking your seminar this spring, then you must submit a polished draft of the paper no later than Monday, April 23. The deadline is imposed by the college and no late papers will be accepted.
• All students that write a senior honors thesis are automatically nominated for the Romine prize.
Parker Prize for Summer Research
The department of economics provides financial support for undergraduates who take unpaid summer internships that focus on research. By introducing students to original research, a summer internship can provide the foundation for an honors thesis or develop an interest in pursuing a graduate degree. We are looking to support up to five underclassmen (juniors preferred but it is open to all economics students). We will provide each student with a stipend of $2500. To apply for this stipend, you must be a declared economics major, financial economics major or joint major in CC and you must submit the following information to Susan Elmes se5@columbia.edu by Friday, April 20:
- Name and UNI
- Internship or RA Information (Name of organization or faculty member)
- A brief (one page) essay describing the internship, learning objectives, and supervision
- Employer Verification (i.e. a letter or email showing that you have been offered the position)
This money is meant to support research so the internship must be research in nature and cannot focus on office or clerical tasks. Preference will be given to students working with Columbia University faculty (i.e. faculty may be affiliated with disciplines outside the economics department).
