On April 20th, our department had the privilege of attending the final thesis presentations for our students. All three students, Tara Castelino, Avery Rowland, and Wen Zhou, did an excellent job.
Tara Castelino presented her thesis (advised by Professor Zelada-Aprili) titled, “Dynamics of U.S. House Prices in the recent COVID-19 Era.” Tara’s thesis concluded that the recent surge in housing prices is not only explained by the fundamental factors behind housing prices but also the different demand and supply shocks to the economy that resulted from the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Avery Rowland presented her thesis (advised by Professor Halladay) titled, “How do hormone levels impact financial decision making?: An experiment about risk preferences.” Avery’s thesis combined both her majors, economic and neuroscience, and investigated the link between testosterone levels and financial risk taking behavior.
Wen Zhou presented her thesis (advised by Professor Hoag) title, “Carbon Assets in a Financial Portfolio.” Wen’s thesis concluded that including the newly tradeable carbon asset in a financial portfolio did not improve overall portfolio performance.
We are proud of the dedication, work ethic, and intellectual curiosity demonstrated by Tara, Avery, and Wen.
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