At the end of July, FRE’s Academic Quiz Bowl team traveled to Denver, Colorado, to compete against some of the top rising agricultural economists in the country at the annual meeting of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association, taking home the top prize for the first time in over a decade.
“Seeing our students succeed on this AAEA stage fills me with immense pride and joy,” said Dr. Xumin Zhang, FRE instructional assistant professor and advisor to the Quiz Bowl team. “This year has been both challenging and rewarding, and it’s our engagement and hard work that made this achievement possible.”
This year’s Quiz Bowl Team consisted of 8 students: Bernardo Andrade, Savannah Bailey, Benjamin Barber, Joshua Braunstein, Jenna Carrig, Raj Mia, Han Nguyen, and Keen Zhang.
While at AAEA, the students were divided into groups of three. Each group entered into a multiple-round, Jeopardy-style competition, competing against students from other agricultural economics departments across the country. The teams raced to answer questions related to topics such as Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Agribusiness, Finance, Policy, Marketing, and Management.
All of our UF Students performed admirably against rigorous competition, but it was the three-member team of Raj Mia, Han Nguyen and Keen Zhang that advanced to the finals and ultimately took home the top prize.
“I had not expected to place anywhere near first place, especially in my first year at UF,” Nguyen said. “I am incredibly thankful to my wonderful teammates Raj and Keen, in addition to the rest of the Quiz Bowl team and Dr. Zhang. This would not have been possible without them.”
In addition to providing a chance to flex their academic prowess and network with faculty and students from across the nation within their discipline, this year’s Quiz Bowl Team said one of the aspects they enjoyed most was the camaraderie among the UF Students there. This included not only the Quiz Bowl delegation, but those attending to participate in the Spreadsheet Competition and Undergraduate Student Research Paper Competition.
“I also really appreciate the support from the other UF students, which made the competition a much more enjoyable experience than just answering questions for hours,” Keen Zhang said.
As we begin a new semester, Zhang and his students are already preparing for next year’s challenges while taking time to celebrate this year’s triumphs. In February 2026, they will travel to Louisville, Kentucky, to compete in the Quiz Bowl competition at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting.
“Each of our quiz bowl students brought unique strengths, and together we created an inspiring environment of support and collaboration,” said Dr. Xumin Zhang. “As we celebrate this success, I look forward to the exciting possibilities and challenges that await us next year.”
For undergraduates who are interested in potentially joining the FRE Quiz Bowl Team, please email Dr. Zhang at xumzxm@ufl.edu.
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