2023-2024 Bagwell Center Undergraduate Research Fellows

Arielle Adiri

Bio: Arielle Adiri is an undergraduate student pursuing a business bachelor’s degree in economics and finance and a minor in history at Kennesaw State University. Her research interests include broadly microeconomic theory and game theory while also blending philosophy and history with her understanding of economics. Her current research is on a potential carbon tax and subsequential rebate and how these policies can be implemented without perpetuating existing wealth inequalities.

Research Description: A Carbon Tax could be a potential option for policymakers of the future to implement a way to influence the people of the United States to use less carbon-emitting products by way of making them more expensive. However, when implementing a type of excise tax like a Carbon Tax would be, certain inequalities can be observed across income quintiles, and to offset these inequalities perpetuated by the tax, a Carbon Tax Rebate would be recommended. Analysis can be made on what steps to take to offset these inequalities perpetuated by the tax with a rebate and, alternatively, any adverse effects the rebate itself could have. For example, people with lower income may spend a higher percentage of their income on gas, whereas people with higher income are able to afford either gasless products, or simply a carbon tax would affect them less because they continue to retain buying power. By using the Alaskan rebate program, the Permanent Fund Dividend, as a prototype to demonstrate how Alaska has been attempting to redistribute wealth to alleviate inequality, conclusions can be drawn to create a more ideal carbon tax and rebate program for the greater United States. Alaska’s dividend can be compared directly with a carbon tax rebate and can be used to analyze the tax distribution and variance over time and then how that distribution and variance could negatively impact lower income groups. Finally, looking into expenditure data and previous carbon tax and rebate proposals it is possible to accurately analyze which income groups would be most negatively impacted by oil and gas consumption.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jesse Schwartz

Micah Holston

Bio: With a double major in Physics and Political Science and a triple minor in Mathematics, International Affairs, and Nuclear Engineering, Micah Holston is completing his sixth year at Kennesaw State University. Currently, Micah conducts research for the Physics Department (in quantum electrodynamics/nonlinear optics), Electrical Engineering Department (in Faraday cage design and electromagnetic attenuation), Nuclear Engineering program (BWR/PWR power generation simulation), and the Bagwell Center (exploring the conflict economics and game theory behind hypersonic EMP warfare), with research projects in both International Affairs and Psychology in their formative stages. As Co-President of the Kennesaw Nuclear Society, he brings groups ranging from the NRC to the IAEA to campus for seminars and organizes school tours of nuclear facilities. When he is not coding physics simulations in Fortran, C++, or Python, Micah enjoys the great outdoors (accumulating over 500 camping nights in the past decade), video gaming (especially Planetside 2 and Skyrim), watching college football, patch collecting, and hitting the gym.

Research Description: Borne by Chinese hypersonic glide vehicle, a High-altitude ElectroMagnetic Pulse (HEMP) weapon detonated in the atmosphere over the continental U.S. eviscerates the American electrical grid for 4-10 years, incurs trillions of dollars in damage, and results in the death of up to 90% of Americans within a year, all according to the Congressional EMP Commission’s report and multiple DHS/DOD/DOE studies. As “competition below the threshold of war” which also happens to nullify America’s war-waging capacity, ElectroMagnetic Pulse (EMP) assaults place the United States in an awkward quandary, without electricity, communications, or viable retaliatory options. Even once America eventually attains hypersonic parity with China and Russia, due to the nuanced nature of hypersonic HEMP warfare (especially when launched from the Sino-Russian border), traditional mutually assured destruction and deterrence paradigms fatally fissure and ultimately implode. Ensuring an equitable outcome – where China’s electrical grid is equally inoperable – is simply unfeasible considering the first-strike nation’s intrinsic advantage, ambiguity in launcher’s intent (and, possibly, identity), the truncated timeline for response (when compared with traditional ICBMs), and China’s unique manufacturing and policy position which allows them to weather EMP reprisal essentially unphased. Exploring the game theory underpinning hypersonic HEMP strategy – a nascent domain of fifth-generation warfare – this research initiative develops novel models, frameworks, and game trees to wargame scenarios and uncover Bayesian Nash Equilibrium for a spectrum of expected, probabilistic payoffs.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. James Boudreau

Claudia Irina Garavis Montagut

Bio: Claudia Irina Garavis Montagut is a second-year international honors student from Colombia at Kennesaw State University with a Major in International Affairs and a minor in Political Science while working towards two certificates in International Law and Intelligence and Homeland Security. Additionally, Claudia serves as a Tour Guide and Brand Ambassador for Kennesaw State University. She is the current President of Kennesaw State’s Model United Nations Team and a member of the International Student Association and the Museum of History and Holocaust Education Advisory Council. Additionally, she is currently researching International Issues by developing the Bagwell Center Undergraduate Research Fellowship. After graduation, she plans to seek her master's degree in Conflict Management or International Policy Management. Her long-term career goals are based on living abroad and working with Intergovernmental and Non-profit Organizations.

Research Description: I will be researching the impact of international cooperation on water issues within countries. Assistance or cooperation can be developed between the international community with entities such as governments, businesses, or non-governmental organizations. This global cooperation has guaranteed the maintenance of peace, prevention of nuclear proliferation, promotion of development, and assessment of solutions to climate change. Additionally, international assistance has provided solutions to issues in various fields (water, energy, food, etc.), especially since the foundation of the United Nations in 1945. As a result of this, international cooperation should be used as a response mechanism for transnational sustainability issues.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Cooper

Matthew Kelly

Bio: I’m Matthew Kelly, a senior economics major with double minors in mathematics and data analytics from Marietta, Georgia. I balance my academic pursuits with a part-time bartending job at Cherokee Town and Country Club. Beyond my school and work commitments, my passions include live music and snowboarding. These interests have taken me on incredible journeys, including attending over 150 live concerts and living and working in Vail, Colorado, for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research Description: In an era where the ski industry is experiencing significant transformations, this research project aims to understand how Vail Resorts, a global mountain resort leader, influences the communities where their resorts are situated. From 2012 to 2022, Vail participated in a large-scale acquisition effort, purchasing 36 ski resorts. They now operate 41 ski areas across 15 states and four countries, establishing their position as the largest ski resort company in recorded history. Notably, anecdotal evidence suggests Vail Resorts’ involvement within communities typically positively impacts the local economies' value-added or regional GDP. However, this progress appears to coincide with widespread displeasure from the cultural changes that inevitably occur in the communities where Vail Resorts has invested. The counterintuitive observation is that local well-being or quality of life appears to be negatively affected despite the increase in regional per capita GDP. This paper will investigate the impacts of Vail’s acquisition spree and the effects of their presence on local communities by answering the research question, ‘What is the economic impact, on a value-added basis, Vail Resorts has on the local communities where they purchase ski resorts?’

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Luc Noiset

Olivia Mason

Bio: Olivia Mason is a third-year student at Kennesaw State University's Coles College of Business, where she is pursuing a degree in Economics. Her interest in Economics began with an introductory course in her first year at KSU. Olivia finds that Economics offers various interdisciplinary topics that bring challenges and excitement. Throughout her time at KSU, Olivia has maintained a place on the President's List, retaining a 4.0 GPA. Upon completing her undergraduate studies, she aims to pursue a Ph.D. in Macroeconomics, with an emphasis on International Trade. Olivia seeks to build a career in International Trade research. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, reading, and spending time with her family.

Research Description: The purpose of this paper is to study how recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping geopolitical viewpoints and trade relationships. Currently, there is a research gap regarding the role of emerging nations and people's movements in shaping the global economy's future. My research in this area will contribute to existing studies of the correlation between pandemic recovery and slowing trade. Could the distinction between regionalization and globalization cause differences in economic recovery?

Throughout history, there has been a notable correlation between declines in trade activity and global pandemics. During pandemics, economic shock is followed by a uniform decrease in trade output and trade volume. The 1918 Influenza pandemic led to the deaths of millions of people, impacting health and trade worldwide. The economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic is an outgrowth in the trend of disproportionate economic recovery between emerging and developed nations. While historical trade decreases typically coincide, recovery periods have occurred at uneven rates.

Globalization is the spread of goods and information across national borders. The concept of globalization is one believed widely across academic disciplines. Previous research by Shannon O’Neal argues that the world has not fully globalized but is regionalized. According to her study, Asia, North America, and Europe dominate regionalization in international markets. Despite the account of prospering globalization, the world is becoming increasingly regionalized in terms of trade. The likely effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic recovery is a reconfiguration of global value chains, with countries being less receptive to the facilitation of global trade. One case is the lack of global coordination required to respond at the start of the Covid crisis. Another is that geopolitical conflicts are disruptions to free trade; where geopolitical competition and geoeconomic dissimilarities are reshaping the state of international trade. As indicated by William Dodwell, trade wars, conflict, and “other impediments corrupt the principle [of free trade].”

Existing studies lack subsequent data after the CDC’s announcement of the pandemics end in May 2023. A review of data, existing literature, and other academic sources will be used to formulate a conclusion on the aforementioned area of study. Using new source data from collections of empirical data to analyze measures of GDP, trade volumes, pandemic vulnerability index, and the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) World Economic Outlook (WEO) database to analyze pandemic recovery amid geopolitical volatility.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Luc Noiset

Lukas Ollivier

Bio: My name is Lukas Ollivier, and I am a Franco-Lithuanian student who moved to the United States of America one year ago to pursue my studies in Finance. I am passionate about finance, macroeconomics, and political science.

Research Description: As a product of Europe, I am particularly attached and interested in my project (utopia), which tries to understand the different challenges and potential benefits of a European Federation, where the European Union becomes a Federal Government with several states inside of it (such as the United States of America). However, this utopia brings a lot of challenges as the unification of the state debts, the immigration, or the common currency, only to cite the biggest one.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. James Boudreau

Zakaria Sherif

Bio: As a computer science student, my primary focus lies in harnessing the potential of machine learning to benefit society. I possess a deep-rooted passion for understanding and addressing political, social, and economic issues and their profound impacts on human life. The exciting prospect of employing technology to tackle these challenges motivates me greatly. I draw inspiration from significant historical figures like Marcus Aurelius, Socrates, and Thomas Edison, and I find their contributions to humanity awe-inspiring. Being inherently curious, my thirst for knowledge fuels my unwavering dedication to continuous learning and personal growth.

Research Description: My research aims to comprehensively analyze the economic impact of climate policies by examining the correlation between climate policy implementation and GDP growth in various countries. By comparing and contrasting GDP growth rates over specific periods, the study seeks to identify the influence of climate policies on national economic performance.

Faculty Advisor: Prof. Michael Patrono

Yvonne Thuo

Bio: Yvonne Thuo is a diligent sophomore student studying the integration of finance and technology at Kennesaw State University. She has researched the impacts of newly passed laws/acts and is avid about understanding how the Supreme Court’s prohibition of affirmative action will change the criterion for university admissions.

Research Description: Attending college is one of the many goals that high school students in America look forward to. For a small percentage of these students, being admitted to his/her dream college would mean obtaining exceptional test scores, near-perfect grades, and notable extracurriculars/activities. However, one other quality that has been considered for decades is a student’s race. For numerous public universities and even some prestigious private colleges, race is a measurable factor when admitting students. However, this practice has recently become prohibited by the Supreme Court and will change the future of student admissions in these once race-conscious schools.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Greg Phelan

Current Fellows