Congratulations to Christian Fong for receiving the Tronstein Award!
The Tronstein Award is the department's highest recognition for excellence in undergraduate education.
Christian Fong's Game Theory and Formal Models class introduces the use of mathematical models to understand strategic interactions, commonly known as game theory. Game theory gives tools to analyze the complex social situations that arise in politics, business, and everyday life. Through this course, students learn the mathematical mechanics of solving games, but, more importantly, they also practice analyzing the world around them through the lens of game theory. They leave with a deeper, more nuanced understanding of why certain recurring political and economic problems are so complex to fix and a bag of tricks for dealing with them.
Students in his Game Theory class told us that "this was one of the best and most useful classes I've taken at the University of Michigan," "one of my favorite courses," and" featuring the best professor I met, ever," an "extraordinary teacher of game theory."
One student testified, "From the first class, I felt like I knew exactly what he was trying to explain. Even though the concepts were sometimes difficult, I always managed to understand them due to his patience and clarity."
In his class on the legislative process, students testify to how he "genuinely cares," offering a class that is "incredibly unique . . with content relevant to all career paths." One student says they "had the courage to go after the internship that I wanted because Fong taught me everything I needed to know. I am eternally grateful for this class."
"No amount of writing can sum up the experience these section games create in the class... I felt supported and heard by my classmates."
Congratulations, Christian, on your exemplary teaching!
