Rubbing elbows and engaging in discussions with elected officials, national policy makers and agricultural industry leaders might be intimidating for some college students. But for Nathan Lim and Gabrielle Rovegno – both students in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) at the University of Maryland – it was an energizing experience that left them wanting more.

Associate Professor Doug Lipton, PhD, from the University of Maryland Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC) Department, has been tapped to fill the newly created position of Senior Research Economist at NOAA Fisheries starting on June 3. Dr. Lipton will bring his deep experience in fisheries economics to his new role at NOAA as the agency works to support the economic vitality of the nation’s coastal communities and the productivity of our ocean resources.

Dr. Karthik Kalyanaraman received his PhD from Harvard University after which he was an assistant professor at University College London.  He joined AREC in Fall 2012.  He is interested in developing econometric tools for use in environmental, labor and development economics.  His PhD research focused on estimating policy effects with minimal assumptions (nonparametrically). He has done subsequent work in the same area and in understanding the evolution of social networks. His work on regression discontinuity is widely cited and used across the social sciences.

AREC graduate student Joe Maher received the University of Maryland Council on the Environment Green Fund Fellowship to investigate the effectiveness of forest protection in South America with Xiaopeng Song (Geography).  Their collaboration will develop the first integrated framework linking annual satellite-based deforestation data with quasi-experimental econometric methods to measure the effectiveness of protected areas in reducing tropical deforestation.

Other news coverage about the fellowship award:

University of Maryland alumnus and famed environmentalist Dr. Lester Brown will return to College Park November 12 to share his expert insights on the future of the global food supply. Brown received a master’s degree in Agricultural & Resource Economics from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland and was inducted into the university’s Alumni Hall of Fame in 2010.

If inspiring others to utter the phrase “Now why didn’t I think of that?” elevates a simple idea to the level of great invention, then recent University of Maryland graduates John-Randall Gorby and Philip-Michael Weiner are definitely on to something.

The two friends and entrepreneurs have developed a product they claim can turn any thumb green without actually dirtying any hands.

What can be learned from one of the most successful water quality trading program to date? Do auctions result in cost effective changes? How do the institutional arrangements affect farmer participation and program results? Dr. David Newburn at the University of Maryland takes a look at Ohio’s Great Miami Trading Program to get answers and draw implications for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Dr. Marc Nerlove, a professor with the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC) within the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR), recently received one of the most prestigious awards available in his field. Nerlove was elected a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association (AEA) – a recognition bestowed upon a maximum of three outstanding American or Canadian economists each year. He becomes one of only 98 economists in history to earn this distinction since the AEA instituted the award of Distinguished Fellow in 1965.