A Brenau student will present her research at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research this spring.
Sophomore Kristina Radovic, who is pursuing a finance major in the College of Business and Communication, was encouraged by her professor, Fassil Fanta, Ph.D., to submit her research. The two collaborated on the project, “Estimating the Price and Income Elasticities of Domestic Passenger Travel Demand for Atlanta Airport.” The project aims to collect and interpret data that will help estimate elasticities that imply the effect of price and income changes on demand.
Radovic said she found the micro-decisions of consumers when choosing airfare to be the most interesting facet of her research.
“There are many different levels on which customers make their decisions about the travel experience that they want to have, including the nature of their trip, distance and class,” she said. “To be successful, revenue managers need to consider all of them and make sure that the prices of these services do not change demand drastically.”
The work is part of Fassil’s macroeconomics class and as an honor augmentation for Radovic.
“I strongly believe that every student needs to take initiative during their college career and take as many opportunities as they can because it will help them find their passion,” Radovic said. “Everything outside of the curriculum is helpful because it puts you a step ahead. This specific research will help me gain many transferable skills such as observing data, networking and public speaking.”
Fanta said Radovic is one of his best-performing economics students, and that this experience will boost skills necessary for her career, like critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving.
This is the first time a Brenau student’s proposal has been accepted to the NCUR. It was selected for Accepted Mentor-Led Narratives and Storytelling Presentations.
“Given the submission underwent a rigorous review, I am proud of Krstina’s accomplishments so far,” Fanta said. “Participating at NCUR will allow her to present her work to her peers, faculty and staff attending from across the nation.”
Fanta will also have the chance to share his faculty-student research experience with other faculty members in attendance.
The conference will be held April 8-10 in Long Beach, California.
