Spring 2021 , RISE Awards Day Issue
RICE ECON
News and Views from the Economics Department at Rice
Congratulations Class of 2021 !
We would like to offer our heartiest congratulations to all of our graduating ECON and MTEC majors ! I know that this has been a rough semester in many ways , but not only did you ( and your instructors ) adapt and persevere , you came through with flying colors . And I think that is a harbinger of great things to come , as you boldly go forth to forge your way to what I know will be a long series of professional and personal successes . So , best of luck to the class of 2021 as you find a multitude of ways of doing well by doing good . Live long and prosper !
We held our sixth annual RISE Day Economics awards celebration – and hopefully the last virtual version – on Saturday April 24 , 2021 . In this issue of the RICE ECON newsletter , we highlight our award winners .
Hope you have a great summer !
George Zodrow Department Chair
2021 RISE Day Award Winners
RISE or the Rice Initiative for the Study of Economics is an ongoing venture dedicated to enhancing teaching and research in Economics at Rice , guided by the RISE Council , a group of roughly twenty supporters of Economics at Rice that is chaired by Houston businessman Nick Zdeblick . On April 24 via a Zoom webinar , the Economics Department held its sixth annual RISE Day celebration during which we honored outstanding students in our undergraduate and graduate programs ; two faculty awards were presented as well . In this newsletter , we would like to recognize all of our undergraduate , graduate and faculty award winners . It is a pleasure to recognize their outstanding accomplishments , which are highlighted below . Note that a few students won multiple awards – in those cases , we provide their pictures and bios after the last award received is mentioned .
Undergraduate Awards
Honors in Economics
Honors in Economics is awarded to students who excel in our two-semester honors program , which is directed by Professor Robin Sickles . Students in the program must develop an original research idea , construct an economic model of the concept that has testable hypotheses , obtain the appropriate data and test those hypotheses , present the results in a workshop setting , and ultimately produce an academic quality paper . The students earning Honors in Economics in 2021 are Cade Ballew , Autumn Engebretson , Vicente Iglesias , Nathan Kaplan , and Sree Yeluri .
Malcolm Gillis Award in Economics
The Malcolm Gillis Award in Economics is named after Rice ’ s former president , who was also a highly respected member of the Economics department . It is presented to the graduating senior majoring in Economics with the highest GPA in courses for the major . The 2021 winner is Alexander Patterson .
Alexander Patterson is a graduating senior who studied Economics and Managerial Studies . His special interest is in finance , especially in developing an understanding the foundations of investing .
Alexander Patterson
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