Swarthmore Economics
of Science and
Innovation Lab

A lab for Swarthmore students

SESIL is a place where Swarthmore students develop research skills and contribute to a common project. Students work together over several semesters, meet weekly in person and present their findings to one another. Over time, this shared work should build the knowledge of the questions, sources and methods that students need to assess evidence and make increasingly independent research decisions.

How it works

Students join as research assistants during the term and can continue in later semesters and summers, depending on continued interest and available funding. We begin with structured learning about the research questions, literature and relevant methods, then investigate historical sources and assess possible comparisons. Students develop expertise in parts of the project while continuing to explain their findings and discuss their choices with the group.

The lab also offers an opportunity to learn how to use AI responsibly in empirical research. Students use agents to work with files, code and data, check outputs against original evidence and smaller exercises done by hand, and explain how they reached their results.