Dr. Tanya Molodtsova Ince, a professor of international economics, stresses that her field is far from theoretical.

“I talk about real world examples of different economic events in different countries,” she said. “When students start to get to know this field, they get more excited. That’s what I like – seeing this excitement in my students’ eyes.”

Ince conducts research on international macroeconomics and finance, sharing with students what she and her colleagues learn about foreign-exchange markets and how monetary policy affects them.

Ince, who was born and raised in Ukraine, earned a Ph.D. from the University of Houston. So sometimes, her personal experiences inform what she teaches students. For example, when she was in high school, she lived through the rampant inflation that ravaged her native country in the 1990s.

“I saw how it affected regular people, and I talk to my students about that,” she said. “When inflation is too high, prices increase daily. Whenever people get their paychecks, they immediately go out and spend them. They need to spend money immediately because tomorrow everything will cost more.”

Ince said that Appalachian’s Department of Economics offers a lot, in addition to an international faculty (six other professors are from foreign countries). She encourages students to get involved in the Economics Club through which participants visit Wall Street, learn more about how public policy affects the economy and collect economic data on the Greater Boone area.

She also likes helping students with papers that are entered into the annual Brashear Prize competition, which promotes economics research among Appalachian’s undergraduates.