Graduating Seniors: Conducting Vital Research as an Undergrad

Growing up as the child of an Army infantry officer, graduating senior Baz Crow discovered their guiding compass: National Public Radio. Programs like Stateside, Marketplace, and All Things Considered followed them around whenever they moved and urged them to think critically about policymaking in the United States. In high school, they moved on to reading books by preeminent economists, and knew coming into U-M that they wanted to major in a subject that related to public policy. 

Crow’s lifelong policy chops began to show in their courses—they are an economics major with minors in mathematics and quantitative methods in the social sciences (QMSS). Economics professors like Ben Scuderi and Damian Vergara led engaging courses that pointed Crow toward a career as a research economist. They were hired as a research assistant for Professor Helen Levy, an economist whose work focuses on public health who became Crow’s mentor. “She’s been such an advocate for me,” Crow says. “I certainly wouldn’t be the economist I am today without her mentorship.” 

Sure enough, with the support of their mentors and peers, Crow’s diligence, creativity, and research acumen have shone at LSA. “One of the best things about U-M is the opportunities are plentiful if you seek them out,” Crow says. “I’m grateful because most econ research jobs will not hire you without prior experience, so you really do need to get it in undergrad.” 

Crow earned the Henry Carter Adams Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Writing for a paper, written while working with Levy, about how food insecurity can relate to childhood allergies. It was a topic that hit close to home—around the time that they started working on that paper, they were finally diagnosed with a rare allergic condition that had gone untreated for most of their life. The honors kept coming: they have won both the Ferrando Honors Prize and the Sims Honor Scholarship from the Department of Economics. These awards are given to the most outstanding student in the undergraduate program. 

By building a strong base in their undergraduate education, Crow has been hired as a predoctoral research fellow at Princeton University, which they will begin in July of this year. In the Program in Public Finance, they will be working as a research assistant, focusing on their own research, and taking a few classes. 

“I was certain I did not want to go straight into a Ph.D.,” Crow reflects, considering their desire to take some time to make their decision. The predoctoral program allows them to continue their work while growing their savings and gaining work experience. 

But it’s not all academic work and no play. Their time at U-M has encouraged them to pursue a well-rounded lifestyle. They are a passionate poet, graphic designer, baker, rock climber, and a good neighbor. Part of their connection to the Ann Arbor community stems from their job at Argus Farm Stop, their employer since the start of their undergraduate career. 

“Maybe it's just the Midwesterner in me,” Crow says, “but I believe everyone should work a service job at least once in their life. I think it teaches you a lot about people, communication, and humility.” 

While their professional calling may be a career as an economist, Crow also likes to focus on what makes their life richer. “I think being an artist and a climber and a writer makes me a better economist, and vice versa,” Crow explains. “I never want to get so narrowly focused on my work that I forget to do the things I love.”

Photography by Doug Coombe