image: Elizabeth Setren gives the inaugural Gunnar Myrdal Professorship of Economics lecture at Tufts University.
Credit: Alonso Nichols
Tufts Unvisity Assistant Professor Elizabeth Setren in the Department of Economics at the School of Arts and Sciences has received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President Joe Biden. PECASE recognition is the highest honor given by the U.S. government for outstanding scientists and engineers who are early in their careers
This year’s awardees are employed or funded by 14 governmental agencies. In Setren’s case, her recognition comes from the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, and is prompted by her research on the significant positive impact on urban students of Boston’s METCO program.
Setren, who holds the Gunnar Myrdal Assistant Professorship in Economics, conducts research in the economics of education and labor economics. In addition to her analysis of the METCO program, the main area of research focus for Setren is immigrant integration in Massachusetts schools and the impact of school suspension policies. She is also currently studying the long-term social, civic, and intergenerational impacts of school integration.
“This prestigious award—the highest recognition that our federal government gives to promising, early-career researchers—underscores the profound contributions of Tufts scholars,” said Caroline Genco, provost and senior vice president. “Elizabeth exemplifies the meaningful difference that a talented and dedicated researcher can make in the lives of the communities that we serve here at Tufts.”
Setren’s research on the METCO program was conducted in partnership with METCO and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Her award-winning project provided not only evidence of program outcomes but also equipped education leaders with evidence and data to help continue to improve educational trajectories for their students. As one example, the findings of Setren’s research led METCO to start providing continued support to alumni of the program as they navigate college. Setren was aided in her research by Tufts undergraduate and graduate students.
PECASE was established by President Bill Clinton in 1996 to recognize scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their research careers. The award is designed to honor innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology, expand awareness of careers in science and engineering, and enhance connections between research and impacts on society, among other objectives.
The full list of researchers recognized this year is available on the White House website.