In academic tradition, Bruno marked her installation as an Eminent Scholar Chair by presenting a lecture titled “The New Architecture of Finance.” In it, she used architectural examples from around the world as metaphors for banking and financial policy. For instance, the thirteen-story wooden Sutyagin House in Arkhangelsk, Russia could be utilized as a metaphor for excessive bank leverage; the bank is the building’s foundation, while its leverage is represented by the additions that ultimately led to a towering structure. Though banks can increase their leverage by offering more lending options and building up their influence, excessive lending can be risky. Aptly, the Sutyagin House no longer exists, as it was deemed a fire hazard and destroyed in 2008.

Bruno then brought the audience’s attention to London’s Millennium Bridge to discuss how traders and consumers react to price changes. When the bridge opened in 2000, Londoners found that it swayed noticeably and quickly deemed it the ‘Wobbly Bridge.’ Naturally, pedestrians on the bridge would alter their stance to maintain balance against the movement; however, this exacerbated the problem as the bridge swayed more in response to these changes. Bruno likened this to early reactions to changes in the stock market and similar economic downturns; people will often react to these changes by selling their stock or taking other steps to protect their assets, inadvertently making these price dips worse in the process.

In the spirit of architectural metaphors, Bruno closed by showing the audience a picture of the Hub of Huts, a building in Italy’s Hotel Hubertus that appears to include upside-down rooms.

The structure is meant to invoke the sight of a village reflected in water, even as the inside is completely normal and accessible. The point, Bruno explained, is that many of the economic issues she has explored over the years are a matter of perspective and that gaining perspective leads to a deeper understanding of finance as a whole.

Bruno’s lecture was not only informative from her perspective as a researcher but also from her insights from years of teaching. She explained that some of her students have gone on to pursue research careers of her own, and their successes remind her why the work she and her fellow faculty members do is so important.

As Bruno wrapped up the event to thunderous applause, she took a moment to express her gratitude for the people in her life who had come to celebrate this milestone and who have supported her all along the way.

“Thank you for believing in me and for giving me the opportunity to take on a new challenge,” she said.