NDSU’s Sheila and Robert Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth is set to host Nobel laureate Vernon L. Smith for a public talk Tuesday, May 3, at 4 p.m.
Smith was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2002 for his pioneering work in experimental economics. According to the Nobel Prize committee, he was selected “for having established laboratory experiments as a tool in empirical economic analysis, especially in the study of alternative market mechanisms.”
The event is free to attend and open to the public. Smith is scheduled to speak in person at the AgCountry Auditorium at Richard H. Barry Hall. The talk will be moderated by Scott Beaulier, Ron and Kaye Olson Dean of Business at NDSU.
“I had the privilege of being a student at George Mason University when Dr. Smith won the Nobel in 2002, and it was a special moment for all,” said Beaulier. “Dr. Smith’s work in experimental economics has inspired an entire generation of scientists, and his pioneering laboratory approach to problems has helped us understand not only the efficiency of markets but also basic elements of human nature such as trust, empathy and love. I’m really looking forward to spending time with Vernon again.”
Participants do not need to register to attend in person. Virtual attendance is available on Zoom, though you must pre-register.
Smith is the first in-person guest in the Challey Institute’s Menard Family Distinguished Speaker Series. The series invites world thought leaders to share their ideas with the NDSU community on big questions that explore ways to improve the human condition and create economic opportunity.
“We are thrilled to have Vernon Smith as our first in-person distinguished speaker. It is an honor to host a Nobel laureate on campus and to share this unique opportunity with NDSU's students and the Fargo-Moorhead community,” said John Bitzan, Menard Family Director of the Challey Institute.
Smith has written or co-written more than 350 articles and books on capital theory, finance, natural resource economics and experimental economics. He has held faculty appointments at the University of Arizona, Purdue University, Brown University, the University of Massachusetts, George Mason University and Chapman University.
He completed his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at the California Institute of Technology, his master's degree in economics at the University of Kansas and his doctorate in economics at Harvard University. In 1995, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
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