The Paul Heyne Seminar is an EUB quarterly event that aims to broaden interest in Economics research and development by providing a platform for speakers, who are often economics faculty members, to discuss their working papers and/or similar academic and professional involvements. EUB students who are interested in helping out with the PHS seek out potential speakers early in the quarter and facilitates contact. This year, the topic was “Environmental Economics in Tech: Experiments, Applications, and the Most Pressing Challenges for the Industry” with speaker Professor James Gillan, an ex-Amazon Senior Economist and currently an affiliate instructor in our department. He discussed the economics of the environment, how the tech industry is evolving as a result, and concluded with some career advice he had for Economics students. The topic was determined by Professor Gillan based upon his past research and approved by the EUB.
The PHS, at its core, is founded on the belief that Economics is a distinctly practical study that is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s society, the fact of which warrants constant inclusion of real-world examples and applications in the education of the subject. Though never explicitly requested of or mentioned to the speakers, the attending students, as observed through ready and active engagement, tend to find that the studies that are discussed are clearly applicable to the concepts they learn in Economics courses, which means this is likely a fortuitous combination of the speakers’ awareness of the department’s course material and the students’ perceptive drawing of connections. The PHS is a terrific opportunity for our Economics students to get exposed to economics application and put their learnings to the test.
Article by Vincent Lien, edited by Professor Lawarrée