2:39 p.m., June 27, 2008--The Department of Economics in UD's Lerner College of Business and Economics has announced the winners of its 2008 Graduate Student Awards. Each award consists of a plaque and monetary prize, supported by faculty and alumni. Kenneth Lewis, Chaplin Tyler Professor of Economics, is the director of the graduate program.

The Department of Economics Graduate Scholar Award is given to a graduating master's degree student for outstanding achievement in the classroom, based on grade point average and faculty recommendations. The two winners are Michael Shafer, who got his bachelor's degree with honors from the State University of New York, Potsdam, and plans to get his doctorate in finance from Syracuse University, and Andrew Sawyer, who received his bachelor's degree with distinction from Cornell University.

The Department of Economics Graduate Research Award is given to the author of the best research paper written by a graduating master's degree student. The winner is Ahmed Skali from Morocco, who came to UD through a joint program with the University of Lyon in France. His research examined whether incomes were converging or diverging across the U.S. states between the late-19th and early 20th centuries, and his adviser was James Mulligan, professor of economics.

The Department of Economics Dissertation Award, is given to a graduating doctoral student for an outstanding dissertation, and the winner was Nasser Yayi for “A Random Utility Model of Trout Fishing in Delaware.” His adviser was George Parsons, professor of marine and Earth studies. A native of Benin in West Africa where is his father, Boni Yayi, has been president since 2006, Yayi came to UD through a joint program with the University of Lyon and served as visiting assistant professor economics at UD in 2008-08. He plans to return to Benin to work for his father.

The Department of Economics Graduate Student Excellence in Teaching Award is given to a graduate student teaching assistant for outstanding performance in the classroom, based on student evaluation and observation. The winner is Shane Martin, who plans to complete his dissertation this summer on airline economics and join the economics faculty at East Carolina University in September.

“We are incredibly proud of the work of our graduate students, who are a diverse, hard-working and enthusiastic group,” said Saul Hoffman, professor and chairperson of economics. “We are happy to have an opportunity to recognize their special achievements. We look forward to the many things these students and all the others will accomplish as they go off into the world.”