Matthew Darrah, a graduate student in international economics at Wichita State University, was pulled aside by a professor last year and asked to get involved in the Center for Economic Development and Business Research's (CEDBR) Kansas population forecast.

Though he had no experience with population projecting, Darrah jumped in last June and began his independent study researching the state population trends over the past century.

“It’s OK to start simple when it comes to research,” says Darrah. “You can’t underestimate how fast a simple idea can become complicated.”

The population forecast covers 50 years, from 2014-2064. Darrah’s work estimated the future population of the state, but also looked at the population of 105 individual counties. It was further broken down by region, ending with the total population for the state being more precise.

Prior research was conducted in 2012, but the new forecast includes more detailed content. It estimates the age range of the population as it will develop over the next 50 years, as well as which regions will be more or less heavily populated.

“In a classroom, they have a question with an answer to it. With this, there’s no line of check,” says Darrah. “There’s a lot more pressure to see if you did the work right, so you have a lot more responsibility.”

The complexities of population forecasting did not deter him from the job however, and the CEDBR released their projections this February. Darrah encourages students to pursue opportunities for internships and independent studies for the experiences they provide.

“You get so many life skills that you can’t learn at school,” says Darrah.