Hello! My name is Adam Hicks, and I am a Pitt Honors student majoring in both mathematics and economics and minoring in applied statistics. This summer, I will be mentored by Professors Jane Caldwell and Katherine Wolfe as I study future predicted sea level rise’s effects on current day English housing market trends. Using elevation data and housing price data provided by the UK government, I am investigating how changes in housing market prices and housing market volume are temporally related, comparing areas of high risk of sea level rise and low risk of sea level rise. Researching sea level rise’s effects on housing markets is incredibly important; without risk of sea level rise properly priced into housing sales, ordinary people may purchase homes in danger of encroaching water levels. As sea level rise’s consequences become more and more apparent, those same people will have little recourse within the housing market to sell their homes.

Currently, I am beginning my journey applying to graduate PhD programs in Economics. I hope to use the Brackenridge as a jumping-off point into Economics research, and as a means to demonstrate my research capabilities to admissions boards. I am incredibly excited not only to learn more about my topic, but to build the hard skills necessary to conduct economic research, such as proficiency with statistical software.

Of course, I am not just an mathematics and economics student. In my free time, I take part in Pitt’s Triathlon club. Also, I love to play Dungeons and Dragons, and I am now beginning my very first campaign as a dungeon master. I love to hang out with my dog; below is a picture of myself and my best friend Calvin!