Appalachian Federal Reserve Challenge competitors pictured with faculty advisor Onur Ince, second from left, Kevin Atkinson, Victoria Cole, Matthew Drake, Charles Douglas and Robert Weant.
Students from Appalachian State University placed second during the regional competition of the 2014-15 Fed Challenge.
The College Fed Challenge is designed to encourage a better understanding of the nation's central bank, the forces influencing economic conditions in the United States and abroad. The challenge is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and is open to undergraduate students studying finance and economics.
The teams delivered 15-minute presentations on monetary policy and were scored on economic analysis, responses to judges' questions, teamwork, and presentation.
The Appalachian team members were Kevin Atkinson, Victoria Cole, Matthew Drake, Charles Douglas and Robert Weant.
The team competed against students from other universities, including Lenoir-Rhyne, Elon, UNC Chapel Hill and UNC Wilmington. UNC Chapel Hill placed first, advancing to participate in a semi-final competition round at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The semi-final competition winner moves on to compete in the finalist competition at the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C.
The Appalachian students were accompanied to the event by Appalachian economics professor Onur Ince, who served as faculty advisor to the team.
Appalachian economics professor Mark Strazicich served on the panel of judges at the competition.