In early February, six students from the Food and Resource Economics undergraduate program traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, for the Southern Applied Economics Association (SAEA) annual conference to prove their academic prowess and compete with their peers from agricultural economics programs across the south in an academic Quiz Bowl competition.
37 teams battled it out, and FRE undergraduate student Jenna Carrig made it all the way to the finals, placing second.
“I feel very excited about receiving 2nd place, and it has motivated me to study harder in preparation for the American Applied Economics Association (AAEA) conference in July,” said Carrig.
For Carrig, a first-year food and resource economics student, this was her first time traveling to compete.
“I am incredibly proud that Jenna was on the second-place team this year—as a freshman, she will be able to compete for the next four years, so having this strong start is sure to help her engage with our field and make the most out of her time as an Ag Econ undergraduate,” Sharp said.
For this competition, Carrig and the other UF students attending were paired with teammates from other universities to compete in teams of three in a game-show style quiz competition, racing to answer questions across topics such as Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Agribusiness & Finance, Resource & Policy and more. Carrig was paired with two teammates from Louisiana State University and Texas A&M.
“I love taking students to the Southern meetings to compete in Quiz Bowl because it is such a fun and well-run event that the students remember for a lifetime,” said Misti Sharp, “It’s a different competition from the national event because students are paired up with students from two other universities. This turns the focus from intense competition to networking, collaboration, and learning!”
With SAEA behind them, the Quiz Bowl team will compete in the national competition to represent the University of Florida against the other universities present at the AAEA annual conference in July.
Carrig said the bonds forged with her teammates through Quiz Bowl so far have been invaluable, and she is excited for the experiences still yet to come.
“So far, Quiz Bowl has been an amazing experience! Seeing as I’m a freshman, I was worried about getting involved this semester. But Dr. Sharp and the Quiz Bowl group took me right in and have offered me so much support and friendship! I’m glad I was able to get involved so early in my undergrad career.”
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