MSA Students Represent Siena at AAA

Two Siena MSA candidates conducted research on forensic accounting with their professors, and it was impactful enough that they were asked to present at the annual American Accounting Association conference.

Held March 13-14 at Montclair State University in New Jersey, the AAA convened educators, researchers, practitioners, and students.

As part of Student Audit and Fraud Projects, Caden Kramer MSA '26 presented "Professionals' Perceptions of Risks in Auditing Cryptocurrency," with Marie Rice, Ph.D., assistant professor of accounting and director of Siena's Center for Anti-fraud Resources and Examination Services (CARES).

Under Student Fraud Prevention and Whistleblowing Projects, AKM Alam, MSA '26, presented "Enhancing Scam Prevention Messaging: A Study on Source Credibility and Authenticity" which he researched with Rice and Soyoung Joo, chair and associate professor of marketing.

Kramer and Rice's research with audit professionals addressed what auditors perceive as the main challenges when working with crypto assets.

"Having the opportunity to share our work at a national conference, and represent Siena University was an honor," said Kramer. "Being in the room with leading academics and practitioners reinforced how much this research matters to the profession and pushed me to think about it at a much higher level than the classroom allows. The best part was the connections I was able to make, conversations with researchers and professionals who are thinking about similar problems opened doors I wouldn't have found anywhere else."

Rice said one of her "proudest moments" was seeing Kramer and Alam present their work.

"Their poise, preparation, and dedication truly shone," she said. "Their presentations were well received, and I couldn't be more impressed with how they represented Siena, the School of Business, and CURCA."

Joo, who also presented this research for AARP with Alam and Rice last fall in Saratoga Springs, explained that their project applies the concept of corporate social responsibility authenticity (the cornerstone of her PhD dissertation) to the urgent context of elder fraud prevention.

"Working with amazing Siena students and faculty to translate academic theory into real-world protection for seniors was an incredibly rewarding experience," she noted.