Rie Ashizawa Memorial Award
This award was established in 2002 by the family of Rie Ashizawa in her memory. The award is given to a student for outstanding performance on the qualifying examinations.
The recipients of the award this year are Cixiu Gao, Jitao Tang and Basak Uysal.
Sidney Brown Prize in Economics
First awarded in 1990, this prize was established by Mr. Thornton O’Glove in memory of his friend, Sidney Brown (RC ’40). The award is given to the student(s) who demonstrate(s) outstanding performance and promise in the first two years of graduate study.
This year the winners are Wukuang Cun and Basak Uysal.
Sidney I. Simon Awards
These two awards honor former faculty member Sidney Simon, who taught at Rutgers for 45 years.
Sidney I. Simon Prize for Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching
Given to a graduate student(s) who has completed their third year in the Ph.D. program for outstanding teaching.
The winners for this year are Kaveh Akram and Ebru Isgin.
Sidney I. Simon Prize for Outstanding Second Year Research Paper
This award is in recognition of the best second year research paper. Criteria for selection include likelihood of publication in a respected economic journal, contribution to the relevant field of economic analysis, originality and technical competence, as well as clarity of writing.
The winners for this year are Ritu Sapra and Xuelian Zhang. Ritu’s paper, “Internal Migration of College Graduates: Immigrants Versus Non –Immigrants,” was written under the supervision of Anne Piehl. Xuelian’s paper is entitled “Long-term health and Socioeconomic Consequences of Child Labor: Evidence from Brazil,” was written under the supervision of Carolyn Moehling.
Peter Asch Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship was established in 1991 by family and friends of Peter Asch. The award is for a student writing a dissertation in the area of applied microeconomics who has performed to the highest standards in the program.
The winners for this year are Diep Duong and Nicholas Galunic. Diep’s dissertation, “Volatility in Discrete and Continuous Time Models: A Survey with New Evidence on Large and Small Jumps,” was written under the supervision of Norman Swanson. Nick’s dissertation, “Equilibrium Selection in Two-Sided Markets,” was written under the supervision of Barry Sopher.
Monroe Berkowitz Memorial Award
The award is given to a graduate student in recognition of outstanding dissertation work in the area of social policy.
The winner for this year is Costanza Biavaschi. Her paper, “Return Migration, Return to Skills and Self-Selection,” was written under the supervision of Anne Piehl.
Alfred S. Eichner Prize in Economics
This award is given to the student who has produced the most innovative and path-breaking dissertation research.
The winners for this year are Ebru Isign and Geoffrey Williams. Ebru’s dissertation, “Asymmetric Information, Relational Contracts and Labor Market Efficiency,” was written under the supervision of Barry Sopher. Geoffrey’s dissertation, “The Thief’s Wages: Understanding the Marginal Cost and Marginal Benefits of Stealing,” written under Tomas Sjostrom.
