3 p.m. on a Monday marked my first ever class at Boston College, and as it turns out, the same went for professor Maria Bejan. She stood before nearly 300 eager students in her smart pants, boots, and statement necklace, introduced herself with a smile, and dove headfirst into her Principles of Economics course. Huddled in my second-row seat, I felt a wave of admiration and sympathy for my new teacher.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Boston College associate economics professor Theodore Papageorgiou a $700,000 grant to continue his research on investments in the infrastructure of U.S. ports.

Boston College economics professors Tayfun Sönmez and M. Utku Ünver pioneered a matching system for the world’s first four-way liver transplant exchange program, which enabled two successful four-way exchanges within the past year.

Many economics majors are currently expressing frustration with the shortage of economics electives available for the upcoming fall semester. The economics department will do everything it can to help seniors who need specific economics courses to graduate on time, according to Christopher F. Baum, chair of Boston College’s economics department.