The University of Chicago welcomes back its own for Alumni Weekend this week, June 2–5. As part of the broader celebration happening across campus, the Becker Friedman Institute will offer several opportunities for alumni interested in spending some of their weekend together looking back on the power of Chicago’s economic ideas or looking ahead at the future of UChicago’s economic thinking.
The Chicago Economic Experience, an exhibit delving into the history of economic thinking on the University of Chicago campus, will be open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for each day of Alumni Weekend. Launched earlier this year, the exhibit chronicles the intellectual development of Chicago figures like Milton Friedman, Gary Becker, Frank Knight, George Stigler, and others, as well as delving into the ideas they all shaped, including monetarism, human capital, rational choice theory, and many more.
The exhibit is on the first floor of Saieh Hall, directly left from the main entrance. It is free and open to the public during normal weekday hours, but will also be open on Saturday and Sunday in honor of alumni on campus.
For a look ahead at Chicago economic thought, consider spending some time at “The Art of Presenting Economics Research” poster session being held in the Saieh Hall Annex Lobby on Friday, June 3 at 3 p.m. Four institute-supported graduate students will be on hand to present and discuss their recent research questions with alumni and guests.
- Sara Moreira will present her study of how macroeconomic conditions at the time of business creation affect its longterm growth potential.
- James Marrone will present his work to develop a model of human capital formation around language acquisition and cultural assimilation.
- Aaron Pancost will present his investigation of how development of the financial sector affects aggregate productivity, using empirical evidence from India.
- John Eric Humphries will present his recent work regarding the causes and consequences of self-employment.
In addition, several undergraduate students will be on hand presenting their own work. The poster session follows “Debating the Merits of the Economic Policies of the Presidential Candidates,” a 2 p.m. panel event on the economic perspective on 2016 presidential candidates’ policy platforms, presented by the Department of Economics.
For complete schedule details, visit the Alumni Weekend website.
—Mark Riechers