Meeting New Needs
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westernnews.ca PM 41195534 January 16, 2014 / Vol. 50 No. 2 Meeting new needs New grad program eyes next generation of economics education BY ADELA TALBOT WESTERN ECONOMICS PROFESSOR Jim MacGee and his colleagues may have launched their newest venture Monday, but the real work has just begun. “This is the beginning of a journey, not the end,” said MacGee, chair of Western’s new Master of Financial Economics (MFE) program. “We have a lot to learn, and a lot to gain, and a lot to improve.” The four-term, 16-month program is only the second program of its kind in Ontario, following in the footsteps of the University of Toronto. Representing a partnership between the Department of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences, Department of Economics, Faculty of Law and Ivey Business School, the new postgraduate degree will prepare graduates with a diverse skillset employers are looking for, officials say. Employers are increasingly finding PhD graduates are ‘too specialized’ while those with an Economics undergraduate degree aren’t quite prepared to contribute, said Western President Amit Chakma. “They need some sort of masters training to meet their needs, and if you don’t (comply), you don’t rise to the top. This new pro- gram will serve the department well, the university well, and I hope it will also serve the industry well,” he continued. “We will see the need to have programs like the MFE – where you bring together the interdisciplinary input from four faculties, with support from industry and thoughtful input from our alumni. These academic partners have designed an excellent curriculum for future leaders who will graduate from the program to excel in a wide range of roles in banking, financial analysis, pension and investment management, private consulting, and regulatory institutions.” The inaugural MFE class has already begun, with its first intake having arrived last fall. The program, consisting of 12 one-term courses and a four- month summer internship in the third term, provides practical and classroom experience to students, spanning topics such as finan- cial theory and the economic framework upon which the theory is MEETING NEW NEEDS // CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 ADELA TALBOT // WESTERN NEWS Ben Legge, Highstreet president and chief investment officer, talks to Faculty of Law Dean Iain Scott at the launch of the ILLustratiON BY FRANK NEUFELD Master of Financial Economics (MFE) program Monday. Western’s newspaper of record since 1972 2 Western News | January 16, 2014 upload your photos Coming Events JAN. 16-22 # tag with #westernu @westernuniversity flickr.com/groups/western/ 16 // THURSDAY DON WRIGHT FACULTY GERMAN CONVERSATION 22 // WEDNESDAY ITALIAN CONVERSATION GROUP OF MUSIC GROUP 2:30-4:30 p.m. UC 288. MCINTOSH GALLERY Apparitions by Shulamit Ran and 12:30-1:30 p.m. UC 288. THE CHINESE PROGRAM Scott Conarroe: By Rail. Curated by Ashfall by Mark Schultz. Faculty con- AT HURON LEARNING SKILLS James Patten and organized by the cert featuring Patricia Green, mezzo ARABIC CONVERSATION GROUP Anyone wishing to speak Chinese PRESENTATION Art Gallery of Windsor. uwo.ca/Mc- soprano; John Hess, piano; Jill Ball, 4:30-6:30 pm. UC 222. and meet people who study Chi- Enhance Your Note-taking Skills. Intosh. percussion; Jana Starling, Clarinet; nese is welcome. Email hwu1@hu- Sign up at sdc.uwo.ca/learning. Monday-Saturday until Feb. 1. Ronald George, French horn. ron.uwo.ca. 3:30-4:30 p.m. WSS 3134. 8 p.m. von Kuster Hall. 21 // TUESDAY 10:30-11:30 a.m. A18, Huron. BONE & JOINT INJURY AND THE INSTITUTE FOR REPAIR CONFERENCE Women’s VolleyBALL SENIOR ALUMNI PROGRAM UNITED WAY ANNOUNCEMENT CATASTROPHIC LOSS Keynote speaker Andre Picard, RMC at Western. Bob Kiaii, professor and chair, Divi- 11:30 a.m. Mustang Lounge, UCC. REDUCTION PUBLIC LECTURE health reporter for the Globe and 6 p.m. sion of Cardiac Surgery, Western & Kevin M. Simmons, Department of Mail. Register at boneandjoint.im- LHSC. Dr. R.O. Bot – Advances and BIOMEDICAL IMAGING Economics, Austin College, Texas. aging.robarts.ca/. Men’s VolleyBALL innovation in robotic heart surgery. RESEARCH CENTRE AND THE Visiting Fulbright Scholar, Western Runs Jan. 16 and 17. London Con- RMC at Western. 9:30 a.m. McKellar Room, UCC. LONDON CHAPTER OF IEEE Univeristy. Blown Away: Monetary vention Centre. 8 p.m. ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE & Human Impacts of the 2011 Tor- LEARNING SKILLS AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY nadoes. RGE MURRAY 2013 PRESENTATION SEMINAR. 4:30-6 p.m. UC 224, Conron Hall. ANNUAL LECTURE 18 // SATURDAY Effective Textbook Strategies. Sign Martin Yaffe, Sunnybrook Research Patrick Keeling, University of Brit- up at sdc.uwo.ca/learning. Institute. Developing Quantitative THE DEPARTMENT OF MODERN Women’s VolleyBALL ish Columbia. Photosynthesis, coral 1:30-2:30 p.m. WSS 3134. Imaging Techniques for Pathology. LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES reefs, and the origin of apicomplex- Queen’s at Western. 5:30-7 p.m. UH, Auditorium A. 3rd La Tertulia. Anyone wishing to speak an parasites. 6 p.m. WESTERN CENTRE FOR floor. Spanish and meet people from dif- 10:30-11:30 a.m. DSB 3008. SYNCHROTRON RADIATION ferent Spanish-speaking countries is Men’s VolleyBALL RESEARCH (SWC) Toastmaster’s CAMPUS welcome. Email [email protected]. PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY Queen’s at Western. Lijia Liu, Institute of Functional COMMUNICATORS 4:30 p.m. UC 205. COLLOQUIUM 8 p.m. Nano and Soft Materials. Soochow Build your confidence in public Jointly with the Centre for Planetary University-Western University Cen- speaking. 9119.toastmastersclubs. Women’s and men’s Science and Exploration (CPSX). tre for Synchrotron Radiation Re- org/. Contact Donna Moore, BASKETBALL Emmanuel Jacquet, Canadian In- 19 // SUNDAY search. Understanding the surface [email protected] or 85159. Windsor at Western. stitute for Theoretical Physics, Uni- chemistry of .silver nanoparticles 12-1 p.m. UCC 147B. 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. versity of Toronto. The chondrule DON WRIGHT FACULTY during functionalization. Refresh- enigma. OF MUSIC ments served 10 minutes prior. Visit 1:30 p.m. P&A 100. Brazilian pianist Mauricio Veloso uwo.ca/chem/seminars/2013-2014. joins Annette-Barbara Vogel to per- htm. LEARNING SKILLS form violin-piano works by Busoni 1:30-2:30 p.m. B&GS 0153. PRESENTATION and Schumann. Optimize Lecture Learning. Sign up 3 p.m. von Kuster Hall. DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH at sdc.uwo.ca/learning. AND WRITING STUDIES 2:30-3:30 p.m. WSS 3134. New Directions in Testimonial Dis- 20 // MONDAY course symposium. MIGRATION AND ETHNIC 3:30-5:30 p.m. UC 224A. LEARNING SKILLS RELATIONS COLLOQUIUM PRESENTATION Victoria Esses, Centre for Research Reading Strategies for International on Migration and Ethnic Relations, Students. Sign up at sdc.uwo.ca/ Western. The Role of the Media in learning. the Dehumanization of Immigrants 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. WSS 3134. and Refugees. 4-5:30 p.m. SSC 5220. Refreshments at 3:30 p.m. SSC We have terrifi c fl owers 5230. and sensational market gift Fusion Sushi, DON WRIGHT FACULTY baskets that can be easily and now OF MUSIC ordered online or by phone featuring Wintersong. Les Choristes present and delivered the same day. a program featuring traditional and fresh contemporary music from Finland with special guest Essi Wuorela Osysters & (from Rajaton). Izakaya Bar. 8 p.m. Paul Davenport Theatre. Visit our newly renovated 17 // FRIDAY second level that offers Japanese night life in See our 1/2 price coupon in DON WRIGHT FACULTY Downtown London. the Western Student Guide. OF MUSIC Selections from Wintersong. Les Cho- ristes present a program featuring 130 KING STREET, LONDON traditional and contemporary music 519 6751133 from Finland with Essi Wuorela. TOLL FREE: 1 800 2346652 12:30 p.m. von Kuster Hall. DEPARTMENT OF EARTH Shop online: 607 Richmond Street SCIENCES bloomers.ca (at Central) dine in & take out Barbara Sherwood-Lollar, University of Toronto. Deep fracture fluids iso- 519.642.2558 lated in the crust since the Precam- bloomersatthemarket brian. 3:30 p.m. BGS 1084. Western News | January 16, 2014 3 Around Campus Co-workers break the mould for mug-napping PAUL MAYNE // WESTERN NEWS Sarah Williams, right, an administrative officer in the Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, won’t let co-workers Brigitte Kok Madsen, administrative assistant at the International Composites Research Centre, and Paul Sheller, a procurement assistant in the Faculty of Engineering, steal her mug a second time. BY PAUL MAYNE Engineering, who also had a hand in ‘MugGate’ incident. WHAT STARTED AS an “The first time I got an email I deleted it, Office-inspired Halloween assuming it was spam,” Williams said. “But then prank to place a co-worker’s I started getting more each day, and I read the office supplies in Jell-O, soon address where it was coming from. So I opened it took a whole new turn when up and, sure enough, there was my mug. I knew science and, ironically, engi- right then something was up. I had a great laugh. neering, got in the way. “So I took a picture of me with my ‘new’ mug “We were planning a Halloween potluck and I and sent it back saying, ‘Don’t worry. I have a new thought it was a great opportunity to put some- one.’ Every day after that, I waited for the next thing in a Jell-O mould,” said Paul Sheller, a pro- email to come. Where was the mug going to be curement assistant in the Faculty of Engineering. today? I’d open it and just laugh. There were a He soon found such a job easier said than done. few that caught me off guard, like when they had “Trust me,” he continued, “it’s not that easy to the dean with it.