Harmon

MSQE Panel Highlights AI Careers for Students

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On April 6, the Economics Department’s Master of Science in Quantitative Economics (MSQE) program hosted a panel for current and prospective students interested in careers in the AI industry. The event offered students an opportunity to learn more about the program and the kinds of professional paths it can open.

Panelists emphasized that the MSQE program provides rigorous training in quantitative skills such as Python, data analysis, and econometrics. Just as important, however, is the program’s grounding in economic theory and its application to real-world problems. The speakers noted that one of the most valuable skills students develop is the ability to frame a problem clearly and design thoughtful solutions.

The panel also highlighted that technical expertise alone is not enough. What often distinguishes strong candidates is the ability to tell a clear story about the data or model and to communicate insights effectively to different audiences. In today’s workplace, being able to translate technical analysis into practical understanding is a major advantage.

The panelists were optimistic about AI and its impact on their work. They described AI as a tool that increases productivity and helps them take on problems outside their immediate technical expertise. By combining strong problem framing with AI-assisted tools, professionals can develop solutions more quickly and more creatively.

When discussing what sets job candidates apart, the panelists pointed to several qualities: a sophisticated understanding of technical tools, grit in tackling challenging problems, friendliness, and humility. Together, these traits help candidates stand out in a competitive and fast-changing field.

Panelists

  • Christopher J. Daigle, Associate Vice President (AVP) of AI & Automation Engineering at Arch Capital, MSQE 2018
  • Sean Ippolito, Senior Data Scientist for Identity & Fraud Services, Equifax
  • Neal Coleman, PhD, Data Scientist and Director of Emerging Sciences, The Hartford
  • Moderator: Oskar Harmon, Associate Professor of Economics

If you missed this panel, there will be more opportunities in the future. We look forward to hosting additional panels that connect students with professionals working at the forefront of AI and quantitative economics.

Professor Oskar Harmon Recognized Among Top Citation Leaders in Economics Education

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Professor Oskar Harmon has been recognized as among the top five most active and cited researchers publishing in the field of economics education. The ranking appears in the article “Identifying the Rising Stars of Economics Education,” published in The American Economist (2026) by Wayne Geerling, G. Dirk Mateer, and Jadrian Wooten.

The citation-based analysis examined papers published in academic journals endorsed by the American Economic Association’s Committee on Economic Education, with at least ten citations, focusing on topics related to teaching, pedagogy, and instructional practice. To measure recent scholarly impact, the study used citation counts from the five-year period 2020–2024.

Professor Harmon ranked 5th by total economics pedagogy citation count (724 citations) and 1st by citations per article (103).

The article may be accessed at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/399996795_Identifying_the_Rising_Stars_of_Economics_Education

PhD Candidate Matthew Brown Presents at the ASSA 2026 Conference

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Matthew Brown, PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Connecticut, presented “Teaching Economics Majors Principles of Writing and Data Visualization” at the 2026 Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) Annual Meeting, coauthored with Oskar Harmon.

Matthew Brown PhD candidate in Economics presenting his work at the 2026 Allied Social Science Associations Annual MeetingThe presentation examined the integration of Tableau-based data visualization into a required undergraduate economics writing course. Using pre- and post-course survey data, the study finds improvements in student course satisfaction and writing confidence after students learned to produce their own data visualizations. The results highlight the potential for combining data literacy and writing instruction to enhance student engagement and communication skills in economics coursework.

Master of Science in Quantitative Economics (MSQE) at Fall Career Fairs

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Professor Harmon and MSQE Students
At the Storrs Career Fair, four of our third-semester MSQE students and two of our first-semester MSQE students visited our table as they made their way through the fair. Pictured below are Prof. Oskar Harmon, MSQE students: Khoa Tran and Colin Pavel.

Professor Oskar Harmon and Graduate Program Assistant Lisa Bono represented the MSQE Program at three UConn Career Fairs this Fall semester – the UConn Storrs All Majors Career Fair, the UConn Storrs Stem Career Fair, and the UConn Stamford Career Fair.

Professor Harmon and MSQE Students
At the Stamford Career Fair, our first-semester Stamford-based MSQE students and several undergraduates visited our table. Pictured below are Joao Benites (MSQE), Prof. Oskar Harmon, Serhiy Kotsopey (MSQE) and Stamford student Eraldo Ndoj.

At the table we distributed brochures describing the program, gave away some of our branded swag, including a raffle for an MSQE custom-made Columbia fleece jacket, and signed students up for our upcoming Info Sessions and Newsletters.

From seniors interested in the MSQE Program and undergraduates interested in the “4+1” accelerated program option, we collected 60+ email addresses from the Storrs and Stamford Fairs. We also networked with many recruiters interested in learning more about the MSQE program and in potentially hiring MSQE graduates.

 

The Economic Report of the President cites Professor Harmon’s Research

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The latest annual edition of the “Economic Report of the President” (March 2023) cites the 2016 randomized control trial of online learning outcomes co-authored by Professors Oskar Harmon, Ken Couch, and William Alpert.

Their research is discussed in the context of the feasibility of scaling remote learning.  In Chapter 5: Building Stronger Postsecondary Institutions (p179), the report notes:

“Online programs. Some have suggested expanding online options to reduce geographic barriers to access, but research findings suggest caution about this approach. In some settings, such as four-year colleges, there are examples of students doing equally well across both online and in-person formats (Figlio, Rush, and Yin 2013; Bowen et al. 2014), as well as in blended learning approaches combining online and in-person components (Bowen et al. 2014; Alpert, Couch, and Harmon 2016). Other research finds, however, that courses taught through online formats often lead to worse learning outcomes than their in-person counterparts (Joyce et al. 2015; Alpert, Couch, and Harmon 2016; Krieg and Henson 2016).”

The citation for the study is:

Alpert, W., K. Couch, and O. Harmon. 2016. “A Randomized Assessment of Online Learning.” American Economic Review 106: 378–82. https://doi.org/10.1257/ aer.p20161057.

Professor Harmon publishes article on Schedule Inequity in the NBA in Journal of Sports Analytics

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Professor Oskar Harmon with Alan Bowman (Clarkson University) and Thomas Ashman (Eckerd College) published the article “Schedule Inequity in the National Basketball Association” in the Journal of Sports Analytics.

Journal of Sports Analytics

Scheduling factors such as a visiting team playing a game back-to-back against a rested home team can affect the win probability of the teams for that game and potentially affect teams unevenly throughout the season. This study examines schedule inequity in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the seasons 2000–01 through 2018–19. By schedule inequity, we mean the effect of a comprehensive set of schedule factors, other than opponents, on team success and how much these effects differ across teams. We use a logistic regression model and Monte Carlo simulations to identify schedule factor variables that influence the probability of the home team winning in each game (the teams playing are control variables) and construct schedule inequity measures. We evaluate these measures for each NBA season, trends in the measures over time, and the potential effectiveness of broad prescriptive approaches to reduce schedule inequity. We find that, although schedule equity has improved over time, schedule differences disproportionately affect team success measures. Moreover, we find that balancing the frequency of schedule variables across teams is a more effective method of mitigating schedule inequity than reducing the total frequency, although combining both methods is the most effective strategy.

Link to article.

MSQE Alumni Networking Panel September 7, 2022

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Tyler Terbrusch (MSQE December 2018) and John Rolfe (MSQE December 2019) participated in a virtual MSQE Alumni Networking Panel on September 7, 2022.

Tyler currently works at McLagan Data & Analytics, as a Consultant.  John currently works at Spreetail as a Senior Demand Planner.  They spoke highly of their MSQE training in Python, R, and Economic Theory, and gave several examples of how they use these skills in their current positions.  They recommended applying early and often for summer internships.

The panel was moderated by Professor Harmon.

Professor Harmon has 2nd Most Cited Article in the Journal of Economic Education

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Professor Oskar Harmon’s paper “Are Online Exams an Invitation to Cheat?”, co-authored with Dr. Lambrinos, is the 2nd most cited article of all time in the Journal of Economic Education, considering all articles published in the journal.

The article may be found online here.

The abstract is below:

Title: Are Online Exams an Invitation to Cheat?

Abstract: In this study, the authors use data from two online courses in principles of economics to estimate a model that predicts exam scores from independent variables of student characteristics. In one course, the final exam was proctored, and in the other course, the final exam was not proctored. In both courses, the first three exams were unproctored. If no cheating took place, the authors expected the prediction model to have the same explanatory power for all exams, and, conversely, if cheating occurred in the unproctored exam, the explanatory power would be lower. Their findings are that both across and within class, variations in the R-squared statistic suggest that cheating was taking place when the exams were not proctored.

Frontiers in Undergraduate Research 2022 at Storrs

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Griffin O'Neill PosterGriffin O’Neill, a senior with a double major in Economics and Geography, presented a poster visualizing data on the topic of National Football League (NFL) Attendance and Anthem Protests in 2016.

Using the ArcGIS, software, Griffin plotted a base map representing the Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) of each NFL stadium and the change in home game attendance between the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Then in separate maps he overlaid on the base map the number of player anthem protests for each team, the number of police shootings of unarmed black men in the SMSA of the home team, and voting results in the 2016 Presidential election in the counties comprising the SMSA of the home team.

The poster was part of an independent study project conducted with Prof. Oskar Harmon.

Professor Harmon Awarded AAUP Teaching Excellence Career Award

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Professor Oskar Harmon has been awarded the 2022 Teaching Excellence: Career Award from the UConn-AAUP, one of only two recipients in the university. The recipients were chosen by the UConn-AAUP Excellence Awards Committee from a pool of excellent candidates.

The recognition of faculty teaching, research, and service excellence through UConn-AAUP awards began in 1997. The intention of the awards is to showcase academic excellence at UConn.

A virtual ZOOM ceremony to honor Professor Harmon, and other UConn-AAUP award recipients, will take place on Monday, April 25th at 12:00 noon.  Any and all who wish to attend are welcome, and are asked to email Barbara Kratochvil to receive the ZOOM link.