Samantha Snyder Cakir
Samantha Snyder is an economist who specializes in health economics, gender and labor markets, spatial analysis, and education economics. She teaches introductory economics (Principles of Economics) and health economics. Currently, her research focuses on the proliferation and spread of pyramid schemes, policies that affect women's labor market decisions, and the impact of youth athletic participation on adult labor market outcomes. Samantha has also worked as a Research Economist at the Economic Research Service, an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University and B.A. degrees in Economics and Sociology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Samantha's goal in teaching is to reveal to each student their "inner economist" who has been there all along. She believes that an understanding of economics makes each of us a better decision-maker and member of society. Through working with students at the beginning of their economics education, she hopes to spark a curiosity and interest to learn more and to develop students' critical thinking and analytical skills. Samantha enjoys interacting with students in groups and one-on-one and encourages students to look for links with classroom topics in the world around them.
