Manan Helps Support the Youth!!!

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Manan, an alumni of SMU Economics PhD program and now an Associate Professor at Department of Nutrition and Health Care Management at Beaver College of Health Sciences, Appalachian State University is making big strides supporting the youth. Her contribution supports youth mental health by assisting in getting a 4-year research grant approved through National Institutes of Health (NIH), towards the study of “Impacts of Social Determinants of Health and COVID-19 Pandemic Factors on Suicide Risk among Youth.” This grant doesn’t only provide a team of experts, but also helps funds 4 undergraduates and 1 graduate student per year. This is amazing!!!!

Grant Overview:

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth in the US. The proposed research is relevant to public health because it will integrate real-time data on suicide risks among youth with national data on social determinants of health and COVID-19 burdens. This will determine how suicide risks among youth has changed throughout the pandemic, how these changes vary by different sociodemographic groups, and how social determinants of health and COVID-19 impacts suicide risks. This research is particularly needed considering the pandemic’s impact on youth mental health and recent advisories from the US Surgeon General that highlight the need for a better understanding of the impact of the pandemic on youth

Congratulations Manan! Keep making a difference and making your SMU family proud!

Yara Shousha wins Fall 2023 Thomas B. Fomby Graduate Award of Excellence!

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Yara Shousha, an outstanding master’s student, has been selected as the first recipient of the Thomas B. Fomby Graduate Award!

This prestigious award acknowledges outstanding academic accomplishments within the Economics master’s programs and includes a generous scholarship to be applied towards the student’s Fall 2023 tuition and other fees. Ms. Shousha is very deserving of this award and we as a department see a great future ahead for her. Congratulations!!

Click here to learn more about the Thomas B. Fomby Graduate Award.

Celebrating the Accomplishments of Our 2023 Economics Graduates

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As we bid farewell to another academic year, it is with great pleasure and pride that we extend our warmest congratulations to the 2023 graduates of the Department of Economics!  We celebrate not only our students’ academic achievements but also the exciting futures that lie ahead. They have shown resilience in navigating complex economic theories, mastering analytical skills, and applying knowledge to real-world problems. The countless hours spent conducting research, engaging in spirited discussions, and collaborating with peers have paid off, and we could not be prouder of them.

Economists possess a unique perspective that can shape the world in profound ways. Their expertise in understanding the complexities of markets, decision-making, and policy implications gives them a solid foundation for diverse career paths. Many of our students double majored while at SMU in fields ranging broadly from physics, to journalism, to public policy. Seventy-Two percent of our graduates had an internship during their time at SMU, and 41% of graduates accepted an offer of full-time employment prior to graduating. Most of our students heading  to the workforce found employment in finance and insurance, while 16% of our graduates were bound for graduate or law school.

We are excited to see the positive impact our graduates will undoubtedly make in the world, and we look forward to hearing about their future accomplishments!

   

Mike Sposi wins 2023 Mangum Teaching Award

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Dr. Sposi has been chosen to receive the Barbara and James Mangum Teaching Award in recognition of his extraordinary student engagement.

Distinguished alum and private investor Charles Mangum gave a million dollar gift to SMU for two teaching awards – one in Economics and the other in Accounting, the two disciplines that (according to him) offered the most challenging courses in his undergraduate curriculum at SMU. The award is intended to “promote and reward the art of teaching”. The criteria for the award is that the recipient be non-tenured and extraordinary at student involvement. The award itself is named after his parents Barbara and James Magnum who live in New Orleans.

Charles Mangum graduated from SMU 1986 with a BA in Economics and a BBA in Finance. He earned an MBA from the University of Chicago in 1990 and has had a highly successful career in investment and portfolio management.

Professor Klaus Desmet’s groundbreaking work on carbon taxes garners international attention

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Dr. Desmet, along with coauthors Bruno Conte and Esteban Rossi-Hansberg, discuss how a unilateral carbon tax introduced by the United States or the European Union may be a boon for the world, even in the short run. This Vox EU column goes into more discussion.

PhD Alumnus, Punarjit Roychowdhury, receives Prof. M.J. Manohar Award

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Former PhD student, Punarjit Roychowdhury, has been awarded the prestigious Prof. M.J. Manohar Rao Award 2021! The Indian Econometric Society (TIES) – the oldest and largest body of professional quantitative economists and econometricians with more than 2000 members from all over India and abroad – gives this award once a year to an Indian economist under the age of 35 years who has made outstanding contributions to quantitative economics while working in India.

PhD student, Jun Nie, gets first journal acceptance

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Jun Nie, a 5th year PhD student in economics at SMU, had a paper accepted for publication at the European Journal of Political Economy. The paper, coauthored with James Lake, is called “The 2020 US Presidential Election and Trump’s Wars on Trade and Health Insurance”. Jun is interested in international trade, multinational firm structure, growth and structural change. He has exciting projects on the impact of trade on technology diffusion in explaining cross-country income differences as well as the role of multinationals and foreign direct investment on services trade. Take a look at his website for more information: https://sites.google.com/view/smu-jun/home.