Friends and former students gathered to honor economist Paul A. Samuelson, Institute Professor emeritus and 1970 Nobel laureate, on his 90th birthday May 15 at Boston's Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. The occasion was marked with a conference on economics and a formal dinner. The author of Economics, a textbook published in 1948 that has been translated into 40 languages, Samuelson came to MIT in 1940. "Samuelsonian Economics and the 21st Century" presented the depth and impact of Samuelson's work. Panel discussions explored Samuelson's favorite topics, including "The Stock Market: Micro Efficient, Macro Inefficient," "What Should Be Done About the U.S. Current Account Deficit?" and "Have Macroeconomic Research and Policy Drifted Too Far Apart?" Hundreds attended the daylong event, where Samuelson was hailed as a teacher, author and leader in his field. Fellow MIT professor and 1987 Nobel laureate Robert M. Solow gave the main address. James Poterba, associate chair of the Economics Department, served as emcee. Photo / L. Barry Hetherington
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on May 18, 2005 (download PDF).
