Archives: Economics

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Million dollar question

If you had $1 million to go towards the environment, how would you spend it? I asked ~100 students in BIOL111 this question, to cap off the end of our “Ecology and the Environment” summer course. More below… The most popular answer? Education by far, with roughly 25% of all responses. Then came conservation... More

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

The currency on campus

My article on the behavioural economics of grades is out, and it’s the cover story this month in University Affairs magazine! I had a blast doing interviews for this story. I tried to pick profs with a reputation for being great teachers in classes that are popular despite being tough. I learned a ton talking... More

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Employed science

It’s when applied science gives back, contributing a piece to the basic research puzzle. Jaded grad students like me get a warm fuzzy feeling when we hear about people reaping unexpected benefits – economic or social – from the results of pure science. Last night I was reminded that this can work in the... More

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Evolutionary rescue

Can evolution save us from the brink of collapse? Andy Gonzalez thinks so. Gonzalez, an ecologist from McGill University, gave an entertaining seminar to the department last Thursday on the subject. His research group works on the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss, using mathematical models and controlled experiments to investigate... More

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