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In this newsletter, we introduce our new faculty and our Student Advisory Council student representatives. We also share some recent academic updates, including a reminder of the elective classes offered this semester. Finally, we check in with Assistant Teaching Professor Jill Dupree about her Dialogue for Civilizations in Rwanda, scheduled for the summer of 2022.

Have more questions or looking for more detailed information? The department website is a great resource for upcoming events, news, and faculty and curriculum information. In addition, the department’s undergraduate handbook is as a helpful guide on everything from Department contacts and resources to academic planning.

Please note that the Department staff has returned to the office in 301 Lake Hall.  Members of our staff will be present each day, although individual staff members will be working remotely on specific days. We are all always available during business hours, Monday through Friday, via email or phone.

Have a safe and happy semester, Huskies!

Meet our New Faculty

We are excited to introduce our new faculty: Assistant Professor Jianfei Cao, Teaching Professor Mark Hooker, Assistant Professor Shariq Mohammed and Assistant Teaching Professor Xiaolin Shi.

Jianfei Cao studies applied and theoretical econometrics. His research has chiefly been in the areas of machine learning methods in economic applications, causal inference in comparative case studies, and weak identification. His most recent research has studied the use of unsupervised learning methods in forming clustering structures used in problems involving estimation and inference of causal effects. 

Mark Hooker will be teaching Principles of Macroeconomics (ECON 1115), Applied Econometrics (ECON 2560), and Financial Econometrics & Computational Finance (ECON 5200). Prior to Northeastern University, he has taught at Dartmouth, Wellesley, and Boston Colleges. From 1997 to 2000 he served as a staff economist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and worked for more than a decade after that at State Street Global Advisors in Boston, primarily as head of its quantitative investment research group.

Shariq Mohammed will be teaching Econ 2316, Microeconomic Theory this semester. His research interests lie at the intersection of labor economics, economic history, and development economics. His current research focuses on two central and related questions: how does access to opportunities and other socio-economic outcomes differ across groups (e.g., race, gender, caste), and more importantly, what policies can help bridge this gap.

Xiaolin Shi’s teaching interests fall in the area of business statistics, financial markets, investment, and various aspects of Economics.  Her research interests include labor and demographics economics, applied econometrics, and public policy evaluations. Dr. Shi is the co-founder and an instructor of an educational institute Learning Lab International and is currently the research director at CIPRUN-Global, Inc. She worked at CUNY Queens College as a teaching professor and at State Street Global Advisors as a strategic researcher.

Meet the Economics Student Advisory Council (SAC) Representatives

The CSSH Student Advisory Council is comprised of student representatives from each major in the college. The Council functions as a focus group and think tank for the Dean and other college administrators when they seek student perspectives on new and ongoing College initiatives.

Feel free to email your Economics representatives if there is an issue or idea you would like them to bring to the College’s attention or to the attention of your CSSH department or program.

Kaitlyn Cavallaro
cavallaro.k@northeastern.edu

Rachel Silverman
silverman.ra@husky.neu.edu

Charles Wallace-Thomas IV
wallace-thomas.c@northeastern.edu

If you are interested in serving on the SAC in a future semester, you can contact your department chair, Robert Triest, or undergraduate program director, Gustavo Vicentini, to request a nomination. Nominations are accepted throughout the year. For more information about the CSSH Student Advisory Council, please contact Ariana Roche, CSSH Coordinator of Undergraduate Student Engagement (a.roche@northeastern.edu).


Getting Involved

Students in the Economics department are part of a learning community that extends beyond the classroom. There are a number of existing student organizations to become involved in that offer an opportunity to connect with peers and mentors while exploring the field. These organizations include Economics Society, Women in Economics, EconPress, DiversEcon, and the peer mentor program.

Speaking of the peer mentor program, it is our pleasure to introduce this semester’s peer mentors for the Economics Department:

Learn more about the peer mentor program here.

The Economics Society

Open to all undergraduates

Mark your calendar for the following Fall meetings:

Sept 13Egan 206, 5-6pm
Sept 20Curry 333, 6-7pm
Sept 27Egan 206, 5-6pm
Oct 4Curry 333, 6-7pm
Oct 11Curry 333, 6-7pm
Oct18Curry 333, 6-7pm
Oct 25Curry 333, 6-7pm
Nov 1Curry 333, 6-7pm
Nov 8Egan 206, 5-6pm
Nov 15Curry 333, 6-7pm
Nov 22Curry 333, 6-7pm
Nov 29Curry 333, 6-7pm
Dec 6Curry 333, 6-7pm

and you can visit the Economics Society at the Fall Fest 2021 September 7th

Contact information for the Econ Society

E-mail: nueconsociety@gmail.com

Social Media, Website, and Zoom Link: https://linktr.ee/NEUEconSociety


Boston Symposium on Economics: November 13/14th (Stay Tuned for More Details)


A detailed list of organizations, with updated information for Fall 2021, is available here.

For event information around campus, a good place to visit is Start the School Year with these September events.

Undergraduate Research

Do you have a research project idea that you would like to pursue? There are many avenues through which to conduct research as an undergraduate, with the support of the University, CSSH, and the Department of Economics. 

The Peak Awards (Project-Based Exploration for the Advancement of Knowledge  Awards) are just one example. Learn more at the dedicated PEAK webpage, through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. Congratulations to Max Saenz ’25, a combined major in International Affairs and Economics, who earned a PEAK Experiences Base Camp Award for the project entitled “Payroll Loans and Credit Rationing in Mexico: Welfare Effects on Consumers.” Professor Silvia Prina is the mentor on this project.

Another congratulations to Alex Beaudry ’22, Romina Bernal ’21, Dayanara Diaz Vargas ’23 (MS), Sawyer Dixon ’23, Kevin Dunne ’22, and Martina Yorde ’22, who are the inaugural recipients of the David A. Radivonyk Fund for Student Research in Economics. Professors Bilge Erten, Angela Kilby, Silvia Prina, and Madhavi Venkatesan are the mentors on the research projects undertaken by these students. The Radivonyk Fund is intended to support undergraduate and PlusOne research in the Economics Department. The key goal is the initiation of research collaborations between students and faculty, which turn into applications to CSSH’s Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI) and University PEAK awards.

Learn more about about undergraduate research at Northeastern by visiting the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships website.

Information about opportunities specific to the Economics Department is included in this presentation. Please feel free to reach out to the Department with any questions.

07/06/21 – BOSTON, MA. – A student studies inside Curry Student Center on July 6, 2021. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Looking Ahead to Summer 2022 – Rwanda

Dialogue of Civilizations

An exciting new Dialogue for Civilizations will be departing for Rwanda with Professor Jill Dupree next summer! 

Dialogue of Civilizations ProgramEconomic Development in Rwanda

Coming Summer 2022 (postponed from Summer 2021)

This planned program will explore the economics of development and conflict in Rwanda. We will spend 1 week in Boston and 4 weeks living in Kigali, Rwanda, studying with students at the University of Rwanda, meeting with Government officials, International Organizations and NGO’s working to solve development problems and deal with the effects of conflict in the country and region, and meeting people around the country. Some planned events include meeting with refugees at one of the UN refugee camps near Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), visiting Kibogora Hospital near Lake Kivu and the DRC, and safari in Akagera National Park on the eastern border with Tanzania.

This program will complete two courses:

ECON 1915/3915: Special topics in macroeconomics – Economic Development in Rwanda
ECON 1916/3916: Special topics in microeconomics – Conflict Economics

It is open to anyone, at any stage in their academic career.

Academic Updates

  • Remember that undergraduates can take 5000-level Econ electives!
  • ECON 1711 (Economics of Sustainability) and 3711 (Economics of Race) are now permanent courses.
  • There is a new online offering of ECON 2350 (Statistics).
  • The Economics Department has new combined majors with Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, Human Services, Journalism (pending), and International Business (pending).
  • The Minor is an option that various students can consider.  It’s not too many extra classes; please spread the word!
  • Considering a Master’s in Economics? Learn about our PlusOne program.
  • Stats (ECON 2350) and Econometrics (ECON 2560) now fulfill the Experiential Liberal Arts requirement.
  • Calc 1 (MATH 1231) is being revamped to better meet the needs of Economics students.
  • Women’s Labor and the Economy (ECON 3412) now fulfills the Analyzing and Using Data (AD) and Engaging Difference and Diversity (DD) NUPaths.
  • There are a variety of undergraduate research opportunities available through the Department, as well as the College and University. These opportunities include the PEAK program. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

Detailed descriptions of the elective courses offered during the fall 2021 semester is available HERE.

ECON 1230 – Healthcare and Medical Econ (CRN 18716)
ECON 1260 – Contested Economic Issues (CRN 14797)
ECON 1281 – Economics of Creative Industries (CRN 18717)
ECON 1291 – Development Economics (CRN 12422)
ECON 1292 – Economic History of the Middle East (CRN 16104)
ECON 1711 – Economics of Sustainability (CRN 18718)
ECON 3404 – International Food Policy (CRN 12598 and 18719)
ECON 3405 – A Critique of Capitalism (CRN 18720)
ECON 3410 – Labor Economics (CRN 18721)
ECON 3416 – Behavioral Economics (CRN 16110)
ECON 3420 – Urban Economic Issues (CRN 18722)
ECON 3424 – Law and Economics (CRN 18723)
ECON 3425 – Energy Economics (CRN 14040)
ECON 3520 – History of Economic Thought (CRN 18724)
ECON 3711 – Economics of Race (CRN 19294)
ECON 3916 – Fintech: Intermediate Selected Topics in Microeconomics (CRN 16114)
ECON 4635 – International Economics (CRN 18725)
ECON 5200 – Topics in Macroeconomics (CRN 19746)
       *with an emphasis on the development of data acquisition and visualization skills. 
ECON 5200 – Topics in Computational Finance & Financial Econometrics (CRN 18726)
ECON 5292 – Gender & Development Economics (CRN 19296)

UNDERGRADUATE ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACTS

Gustavo Vicentini
Undergraduate Program Director, Department of Economics
g.vicentini@northeastern.edu
307A Lake Hall

Katie Thorp
Administrative Assistant. Department of Economics 
k.thorp@northeastern.edu
301 Lake Hall (Monday – Friday)


Academic Advising

Last names A-Go – Lingheshwari Kakkanaiah, l.kakkanaiah@northeastern.edu
Last names Gr-R – Emma Magadan, e.magadan@northeastern.edu
Last names S-Z – Justin Repici,  j.repici@northeastern.edu