Allard receives Undergraduate Research Grant
Lauren Allard was recently awarded a $500 grant from the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity (URSA) for her project entitled “Evaluating Public Policy Towards the Obesity Epidemic.” Allard, a senior economics major from Paducah, Ky., will be analyzing the effects of obesity on the economics of several societies. Allard’s research will use the methodological frameworks established to evaluate public policies related to other types of health issues, such as smoking and alcohol abuse, in order to create a framework with which to assess the newer health issue of obesity. In particular, Allard will examine the impact of the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act and the 2004 policy implemented in Denmark banning food products containing more than 2% industrially produced trans-fat; she will use the Synar Amendment as a tool to see if the implementation of a fat tax and other policies geared toward obesity will prove effective in reducing the obesity epidemic.
Dr. David Eaton, Department of Economics and Finance, will serve as faculty mentor on the project.
“She (Allard) has had a great deal of interest in this topic and is quite driven to see this through completion,” said Eaton.
Allard plans to present her conclusions at multiple conferences, including Posters-at-the-Capitol, Scholars Week, which will take place on Murray State’s campus April 19-23, 2010, and a professional conference held by the Kentucky Economics Association in the fall of 2010.
More information about the URSA program can be found online or by calling (270) 809-3192.
Dr. David Eaton, Department of Economics and Finance, will serve as faculty mentor on the project.
“She (Allard) has had a great deal of interest in this topic and is quite driven to see this through completion,” said Eaton.
Allard plans to present her conclusions at multiple conferences, including Posters-at-the-Capitol, Scholars Week, which will take place on Murray State’s campus April 19-23, 2010, and a professional conference held by the Kentucky Economics Association in the fall of 2010.
More information about the URSA program can be found online or by calling (270) 809-3192.
