Everything Economics at the University of Toronto
The James Pesando Memorial Scholarship was awarded for the first time on Wednesday, 5 March. The late Professor Emeritus was renowned for his teaching skills and his ability to connect with students in high-enrollment courses. [Read more…]
Weather predictions are preparation tools. When rain is in the forecast, it’s best to bring an umbrella. Individuals should apply the same kind of preparation according to their own emotional weather forecasts. That’s the thinking behind Empact, a new app economics students Chuyi He and Siming Xiang pitched at the Centre for Entrepreneurship’s Hult Prize competition in mid-February.
“We are building an AI-powered emotional weather forecast app to predict mental health risks before they strike,” Chuyi explained. “We focus on three innovations: emotional radar, resiliency missions, and a community defense network.”
Users journal their emotional state or mental wellness by selecting a series of icons to express their moods. Wellness strategies, such as taking exercise, spending time at a club or event, or enjoying a hobby can also be logged.
The team is currently exploring how the app can meet the needs of diverse audiences.
“Our app offers a B2C model with free and premium options for AI-based mental health prediction, and a B2B model with teacher workshops to educate educators on recognizing mental health risks,” Siming said. “Unlike traditional apps that have a 97% abandonment rate, we designed a sustained engagement model through gamification. For example, users can unlock a virtual badge for completing missions, like making a video-call with friends when they are feeling lonely.” [Read more…]
Third year PhD student Amy Huang plans meetings with a mission. The graduate students’ Women in Economics group has a mission to foster a sense of community among women in economics at the University of Toronto. The goal is to create a more inclusive learning and working environment and Amy Huang is part of the effort.
“Having a group like Women in Economics that I can take part in is great because my research addresses the topic of equity from an academic perspective, whereas Women in Economics is a hands-on way of trying to make a difference directly,” Huang explained.
Right now, Huang and her colleagues are preparing for the group’s International Women’s Day (IWD) observance on March 7th that will bring together graduate students, undergraduates, and faculty.
“We’re celebrating with an informal networking session. It’s an opportunity for female-identifying undergraduate students to meet graduate students and faculty,” said Huang. “I think faculty will value speaking with undergraduate students who might be interested in a career in economics.” [Read more…]
It didn’t take Luke Lee long to realize political science wasn’t for him. Luckily, the third-year New College student found an alternative that fits his interests perfectly.
“”I’ve always been interested in politics, governance, and related areas. In high school, I participated in clubs related to social justice advocacy,” Luke remembered. “We organized a local debate with our MP candidates during the 2021 elections, but my interest in politics didn’t translate into political science because I didn’t enjoy the political theory-heavy courses. Public policy, which is more applied, seemed like the next best thing. It offers a lot of flexibility, with only a few required courses and the rest being electives from various departments and faculties.”
Now a student of economics, management, and public policy, the undergraduate from Halifax is the VP of Operations & Finance with the University of Toronto Policython (UTP). [Read more…]
In the early evening of 5 March, the Department of Economics will host its annual Undergraduate Awards of Excellence event. The awards recognize superb undergraduate writing and scholarship undertaken in 2023 and 2024. Third-year Trinity College student Catherine Champion will be one of the recipients.
Catherine’ experience shows that winning an award of excellence from the department often, but not always, involves more than finding a prize on Award Explorer and completing an application package. It’s a rather complicated process, but one that can be demystified.
Catherine won one of the Department of Economics Best Paper Awards. That’s where the first complicated detail arises. The best paper awards were created to recognize excellent submissions made to the Smith Family Scholarship competition. [Read more…]