Newsletter

Vol. 14, No. 3
February 3, 2012

PEOPLE
Megan Sheahan won Best M.S. Thesis of 2011 for “Analysis of Fertilizer Profitability and Use in Kenya” (thesis supervisor and major prof: T. Jayne).

Shan Ma won Best Ph.D. Dissertation of 2011 for “Supply and Demand for Ecosystem Services from Cropland in Michigan” (thesis supervisor and major prof: S. Swinton).

SEMINARS
AFRE Seminars
Joshua Blumenstock, a candidate for the Communication and Information Technology Economist position, will present his seminar, “Calling for Help: Risk Sharing and the “Mobile Phone Revolution” in Sub-Saharan Africa”, Thursday, February 9, 3:30 pm, Room 75 Agriculture Hall.

Anya Savikhan, a candidate for the Communication and Information Technology Economist position, will present her seminar, [Tittle to be announced], Monday, February 13, 1:30 pm, Room 75 Agriculture Hall.

Brownbag Seminars
Donald Ricks, Sonja Perakis, and Tim Komarek “2012 AAEA Extension Competition Informational Meeting”.  February 7, 11:50a – 12:50 pm, Room 75 Agriculture Hall.

Scott Loveridge “North Central Regional Center for Rural Development: Mission and Opportunities”.  February 14, 11:50a – 12:50 pm, Room 75 Agriculture Hall.

PUBLICATIONS
Robison, L., R. Shupp, S. Jin, M. Siles, and T Ferrarini. 2012. The Relative Importance of Social Capital Motives: How Selfish Are We?. Journal of Socio-Economics, 41 (1): 118-127.

SUMMER COURSES
RRI Summer Courses In Spatial Econometrics at West Virginia University.  The Regional Research Institute at West Virginia University announces its second series of four summer courses in Spatial Econometrics for 2012.  The courses are organized into a format that includes morning (theoretical) lectures and afternoon computer labs.  The course objectives are to provide a comprehensive treatment of various spatial econometrics techniques for use in applied research.  Deadline:  March 30, 2012   Web Site:  http://rri.wvu.edu/seminars-workshops-2/spatial-econometrics  (NB: Tim Komarek attended in 2011.)

CALL FOR PAPERS
Inclusive Agro-Enterprise Development, IAAE Pre-Conference Symposium, 28th Conference of the International Association of Agricultural Economists, Iguacu, Brazil.  The symposium aims to bring together leading scholars, government officials, private sector representatives and development practitioners to discuss innovative approaches to promote inclusive agro-enterprise development. Potential contributors to the symposium should send a proposal consisting of an extended abstract (250 – 400 words) and a brief resume to Carlos.DaSilva@fao.org  by Feb. 28, 2012

Graduate Student Internship
E3 Network’s internship program offers graduate students in economics the opportunity to engage real world environmental issues during the summer months. Interns are paired with other economists in the E3 Network and/or with non-profit organizations to conduct research during the summer months. Recent interns have worked with the World Wildlife Fund, Environmental Defense Fund, Food and Water Watch, Natural Resources Defense Council, Union of Concerned Scientists, International Rivers Network, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Conservation Strategy Fund, Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Clean Air-Cool Planet, Forest Guild, Center for Environment and Population, Stockholm Environment Institute, Global Development and Environment Institute, Ecotrust, and The Trust for Public Land.  The deadline for applications for summer 2012 is February 24. To apply, please email the following materials to director@e3network by the deadline.

JOBS
Colorado State University, Dept. of Agricultural and Resource Economics.  Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Specialization in Agribusiness Management: Agricultural Production, Finance or Supply Chain Management.
Deadline:  February 17, 2012     Web Site:  http://www.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/cwis202/db.cgi?db=jobs&uid=faculty&college=Agricultural%20Sciences&sb=10&so=descend&view_records=1

The International Potato Center (CIP) is seeking a dynamic leader for our Global Program on Social and Health Sciences (GP-SHS). The purpose of the position is to lead a team of scientists belonging to the GP-SHS Global Program at headquarters in Lima, Peru, and in several regions worldwide. Fundraising, research strategy setting and team management skills are key requirements for the position.  Deadline:  February 20, 2012   Web Site:  http://cipotato.org/about-cip/jobs/open-positions/

World Food Program Coordinator.  Reporting to the Project Manager, the regional coordinator will closely work with the Monitoring & Evaluation specialist on all matters pertaining to data collection, liaising with secretariat at African Economic Research Consortium to submit data and other logistical issues of the project at the regional levels.
Web Site:  http://www.aercafrica.org/home/index.asp

All announcements should be sent to Debbie Conway, Editor, in Room 202 Ag. Hall or e-mail: conway@msu.edu NO LATER than 12 noon on Thursday; after 12, they will be in the next BI-WEEKLY edition.