This year the Economics Student Association is going to try putting on a new type of event at UBC, one which, perhaps, will make for both an interesting social event as well as intellectually stimulating.  The event is yet to be named, but it will not be centered on economics. Rather, we are visioning interdisciplinary discussions. It will be a night discussion series at the Pit pub, where we try and bring student speakers who are intensely passionate about something to a bibulous audience.  Think Ted Talk meets a bar, with the speeches ranging from 5-15minutes tailored for bar audiences.

Some of the inspiration came from similar events that are springing up across the country  and the idea for the event is really one where we give people something interesting to do on a weekday to unwind and provide an outlet for talking and hearing about interesting or absurd, nerdy things.

We are reaching out to a variety of clubs because we want to create a diverse audience and speaker lineup, and while ESA can do the planning, emceeing and promoting for this type of event to stick around, we really want to make it much broader than economics. While we understand that this event idea is hard to convey through email very clearly, we would like to talk to anyone who is interested to talk about the event in depth.

The prospective date is the last Tuesday in March, March 27th.  We have discussed with the Pit manager and confirmed the availability of the venue of the day. Possible speaker topics are really infinite, the physics of skiing, important elements of proper cocktail creation, the social importance of Star Wars, aspects of molecular gastronomy  etc etc…the sky is the limit, and the real point of this is to get people thinking about random things they would otherwise really never consider, but are interesting…plus instead of sitting in a dry lecture you’re at a bar with friends and a beer.

To sum up, we are looking for excellent speaker and we are offering an opportunity for them to showcase themselves. In addition, if the topic is related to your subject, it is also a great opportunity to get people interested your subject.

If you are a student club, the ESA will plan the event and bear the costs so that there is nothing you need to worry about in terms of planning.  We seek an opportunities to talk about this event in details in your upcoming executive meeting if you are interested in joining us.

Please also feel free to ask any questions by emailing econesa@interchange.ubc.ca.

The UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research (CHSPR) seeks a Health Policy Analyst to assist with a major project on prescription drug insurance in Canada. This is an ideal position for an outstanding undergraduate student considering future studies in a field related to public policy, health policy, or health economics.

Visit Job Postings for more information. Apply by Feb. 20, 2012 @ 5pm.

If you’re reading this webpage you are most likely an Econ student, or at least taking Econ courses. Given that premise it is also plausible that, on occasion, you are confounded, befuddled or stumped by one or more of your courses.

Of course there are alot of ways to get through such obstacles, as you probably know. You can go to Prof & TA’s Office hours, hire a tutor, ask your friends for help (even though they are confused too), or just simply sit down there and try harder…

However, you definitely have another option! ESA Study Sessions are a great opportunity to get involved in a study group with other Econ students and your academic General Officers to study, discuss and solve problems together!

Time: Monday 5-6
Place: BUCH B309

And while the GOs are not economic geniuses that can guarantee a solution to every problem you guys throw at us, we have taken a LOT of ECON & MATH 100~300 level courses and are very experienced. Most importantly, we are ENTHUSIASTIC and want to provide you with an extremely high quality economics study session where we facilitate tremendous gains in your understanding of economic concepts.

This term, we will focus on ECON 102, 326, 301, 302, 306 and 307! If you have problems with any other ECON courses or even 200 level MATH courses, FEEL FREE TO COME!!!

Ever wonder what your professors actually think about policy?  The Economics Student Association has designed an all new event, EconCafe, which gives students the opportunity to interact with outstanding professors on an intimate level.  Each professor will give a 10 minute presentation, after which we will break into small groups and have discussions with the professors.  Almost like a very small tutorial, but with more interesting content, no homework, and the ability to ask our profs just about anything.

EconCafe is happening Wednesday February 1st from 5:00-7:00, and if you are planning on coming please RSVP on our Facebook event page or send an email to econesa@interchange.ubc.ca

Time: February 1st (Wednesday), 5-7pm
Location: Lilloet Room, Irving K. Barber Building

We went to great lengths to invite professors who most of us do not interact with because they either teach graduate courses only or are in different departments entirely.  They will all speak on the broad topic of free riders and public resources while focusing on their area of expertise.

Our first professor will be Brian Copeland, UBC economics prof extraordinaire, who specializes in environmental economics and international trade.  So if you are concerned with trade’s effect on the environment and want to hear an economist’s take don’t miss his presentation.

Our second professor, Patrick Francois, teaches graduate courses at UBC and his most recent publications, of which there are a dizzying number, focus on the interplay between culture and competitive market structures.  As an undergraduate it is more than likely that you would never encounter professor Francois and EconCafe is set up so you not only get to hear him speak, but also subject him to questioning!

Our third and final professor is Sumeet Gulati.  He is an associate professor in UBC’s Land and Food Systems faculty specializing in environmental policy.  His research focuses on the effectiveness of economic policies relating to the environment.  So while all those theories we learn in class might sound good professor Gulati’s research delves into the actual effects of specific enacted policy.

Ever wondered what kind of jobs are there for economics students or what to put on your resume? This workshop, given by an advisor from UBC Career Services, is the first workshop completely designed and tailored towards UBC Economics students. Join us for some great tips on job searching and resume writing!

Date: Thursday, January 26th
Time: 5:00PM-7:00PM
Location: Lillooet Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Center

Dress Code: Business Casual
Note: You must register in order to attend this event.

To attend the event you have to register and be a current ESA member. You can register first and then purchase your membership and the event.

To register:

1. Login to UBC Careers Onlines using your CWL and click on the Workshops tab
2. Find: Economics Student Association Career Skills Workshop
3. Click RSVP to indicate that you are attending