What can a playlist reveal about the world around us? For Maddie Rimbey, a senior business student from Pittsburgh, the answer became an unexpected deep dive into economics, data and the influence of global events on everyday choices.
Maddie, a double major in business economics and marketing with a minor in business analytics, has spent her time at the University of Dayton’s School of Business Administration exploring how data, creativity, and curiosity intersect. Her Economics 490 Senior Seminar in Applied Economics capstone project is a perfect example of how broad, relevant and surprising economics can be.
“I’ve always loved music,” Maddie said. “I typically listen to a lot of heavy metal and now I am listening to a lot of country music even though I am not a ‘country music’ person. I just kind of got curious, ‘Why?’”
Faculty Guidance, Student Growth
That question sparked a semester-long research project, which she titled Political Crisis and Playlists, analyzing how geopolitical risk and social climates may influence trending music genres like pop, hip-hop/rap, rock, country and more. To do this, she built her own dataset using Billboard Hot 100, geopolitical risk index, identified meaningful control variables (economic, social and demographic), and used statistical modeling to analyze trends. The implications? Music industry stakeholders and streaming services could use geopolitical risk indicators to predict shifts in listener demand.
It wasn’t easy, and Maddie even admits she thought it was an uphill battle that she was almost ready to give up on.
Working closely with Nancy Haskell, associate professor of economics and ECO 490’s instructor, Maddie refined her idea, strengthened her analysis, and pushed through challenges. “She was a huge encouragement,” Maddie said. “She helped me think about variables, like the Super Bowl variable, I never would have considered and was always available to talk through ideas or help me with code even outside of office hours.”
That support extended well beyond a single course. Faculty who taught Maddie throughout her journey like Marlon Williams, an associate professor of economics (ECO 203: Principles of Microeconomics) and Henry Wilmore, a lecturer of economics (ECO 410: Business and Economic Forecasting), continued to invest in her growth, offering feedback, asking thoughtful questions, and helping refine both her analysis and presentation. Their support was evident as they showed up to hear her present at the Brother Joseph W. Stander Symposium, reinforcing a culture where faculty are truly committed to student success.
“It was super meaningful to me as a student that they attended,” said Maddie. “Knowing the faculty is so supportive and that they want to help me motivates me. I want to do well to impress them because they have invested a lot of time and energy into my success. I want to show them that they’ve made a huge impact on my academics and career.”
Building Skills That Matter
Maddie’s capstone wasn’t just about answering a question and feeding her curiosity. It was about building skills that translate directly to the real world.
On the technical side, she strengthened her ability to code in Stata, build datasets, and run regression analyses. But just as importantly, she developed critical, human-core, soft skills.
“I learned how to ask better questions. That was probably the most important skill this project has taught me,” she said. As she listened to her classmates present on topics ranging from name, image and likeness (NIL) to mammography coverage and medical debt reduction, she was exposed to ideas she hadn’t encountered before. “They were topics I had no idea about. When you’re working in groups, with complex topics or even listening to other people’s research projects, you have to ask thoughtful questions and think differently.”
She also honed her ability to communicate complex ideas clearly. Presenting her findings required breaking down advanced economic concepts into accessible, relatable insights and drawing in her marketing and creative design skills to develop compelling data visualizations.
Confidence for What’s Next
Presenting a semester’s worth of research in a 15-minute presentation was both challenging and rewarding.
“It was a little intimidating at first,” Maddie admitted. “But once I started talking, I realized ‘I know this.’ I’ve spent an entire semester working on it.’”
That confidence has already carried into her job search. Maddie has discussed her capstone in multiple interview rounds, using it to demonstrate both her technical abilities and her communication skills.
“I can show that I built something from scratch and explain it clearly,” she said. “Employers are really interested in that.” And they were. Maddie was recently offered a marketing science analyst position at Analytic Partners in Denver after graduation.
A Different Way to Think
For students considering economics, Maddie offers simple advice: follow your curiosity.
“Pick something you’re genuinely interested in,” she said. “Then spend time thinking about it—really thinking. That’s where the ideas come from.”
Her journey from music lover to economic researcher highlights what makes the UD School of Business Administration unique. It’s not just about learning concepts. It’s about applying them in meaningful, creative ways with the support of a community that wants you to succeed.
Because at Dayton, a business education isn’t just about what you study. It’s about how you think and where that thinking can take you next.