Bard Students Lend a Hand at AIER
Photo: Anna Linden and Ben Baum at AIER.
This January we have two students from Bard College at Annandale-On-Hudson as AIER interns during the January intersession. Residential Winter Term, which is part of our Academic Year Internship program, premièred last year. Even though students’ time with us is limited (only three weeks), we are confident that they will gain some valuable insights into how an economic research think tank works.
Their contributions will be important as we work on the next edition of two popular AIER publications.
Benjamin Baum is a junior studying economics and policy. He is working with Luke Delorme, AIER research fellow, on revising our widely read “How to Invest Wisely.” The book is about developing prudent investment strategies for everyday Americans. It is especially helpful for people that are just starting to save for retirement, and are trying to determine how to invest without paying a fortune in fees to a financial adviser. The last version was published in 2010.
The assignment for Ben is to critically examine the book and provide feedback from the perspective of a college student preparing to enter the work (and saving) world. Ben is also doing preliminary research for a brief about online investment advisors (“robo-advisors”).
Anna “Annie” Linden is a senior majoring in Environmental and Urban Studies. She is working with Patrick Coate, AIER research fellow, and Amanda Knarr, AIER program coordinator, on updating and enhancing the new Employment Destinations Index. This publication, which premiered last year, ranks the best places to live for Americans with a college degree. Her task is to do some background reading on population migration models, help us brainstorm and collect new variables, and help us perform preliminary analyses.
Each of the interns has a research plan and will be closely mentored by their supervisor. The goal is for the interns to have a meaningful and rewarding work experience, which should also be a rewarding and intellectually stimulating experience for the AIER staff.
As the students have a good time with us, I hope that they spread the word, and help us grow interest in our January program. It will be a good complement to our award-winning Summer Fellowship Practicum.
