Kaveri Chhikara, a Masters in Computational Analysis and Public Policy (MSCAPP) student at Harris Public Policy, and Harris Assistant Professor Eyal Frank worked to quantify the impact of controversial policy reintroducing wolves into certain regions. The project aims to understand the relationship between wildlife car accidents and the presence of wolves in the United States. Chhikara created a panel dataset on road collisions spanning over decades for each state in the country and analysed this data to identify meaningful patterns.
“The project introduced me to different aspects of academic research and the challenges that lie therein. I was able to directly apply some of the concepts learned as part of the core courses at Harris and also utilize my coding skills for a real-world project. Above all, the project taught me how to critically look at policies and use data to scientifically gauge their impact. It was a privilege to work with Professor Frank and learn from him. The research made me aware about the intricacies of environmental policy issues, its widespread impact and understanding involvement of different stakeholders. This hands-on experience with empirical research has better prepared me for a future academic career.”