ESP Biography
PETER RIGANO, MIT Senior in Economics
Major: 14 College/Employer: Not available. Year of Graduation: Not available. |
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Brief Biographical Sketch:
Within the broad, fascinating discipline of economics, my main interests lie with banking, housing, and behavioral economics. In addition to my usual economics studies, I have a research job in the Media Lab and serve as the Editor-In-Chief to the school's yearbook, Technique. When not openly maligning me, my friends and family describe me as "fastidious." Depending on the context, this can be a positive or negative distinction. It comes in handy for consistently turning out decent cakes and pastries, but can lead to tension when I refuse to let guests drink cold beverages from mugs. I like to run, though the New England winter and I have a relationship I would describe as "cool" if not for the obvious pun. As one who grew up in suburban San Diego county—the land of freeways, beaches, and acrimonious water-rights battles—four years of living in Massachusetts are finally starting to give me an appreciation for Cambridge and the East Coast. I hope to one day use my economics training to determine what social conditions in the mid 90's led them to produce more amazing, lo-fi guitar music than any other period in recent history. I would then like to recreate those conditions in our time. Past Classes(Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)H3055: How to Read a Newspaper Like an Economist in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
"Eating tomatoes prevents cancer." "Having fat friends makes you fat." "Harvard is the best school in the U.S.A."
All of these statements have been presented as "facts" by major newspapers - but are they? What's correlation vs. causation? How can we spot researcher bias? What makes a good study? This class will give you the tools to read newspapers critically.
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