Aastha is a junior studying economics and psychology with a minor in creative writing. She is on the pre-law track and is interested in the application of behavioral economics to the fields of healthcare and law.
In March 2023, Aastha shared with us what the Cohen Research Award has meant to her, and for her interest in the field:
My experience as a Harvey Cohen Fellow has been a greatly enriching one. Starting my sophomore year of college, I have been able to assist professors and PhD students with important, cutting-edge research in multiple fields. Most recently, I helped Dr. David Huffman code responses to his experiment on warehouse workers’ wages and aided graduate students Pun Winichakul and Marissa Lepper in the lab while they ran their studies with participants. Being able to see first-hand the variety of ways experimental economics can be applied to solve society’s problems has been an eye-opening experience. I am a pre-law student and especially interested in learning about how behavioral economics can be applied to the legal system. Learning the fundamentals of experimental economics research has given me the courage to apply for the Bachelor of Philosophy program for my junior year, during which I wish to conduct my own research regarding the application of experimental economics on an aspect of the judicial system in America. I am immensely grateful to the students and faculty at PEEL for giving me the opportunity to learn and work alongside them.